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Editorial

Fuelled by Passion.

One of the great strengths of iRacing is that you can go online any time of day, anywhere in the world and you will always find a race that is about to commence. No need to follow forums, no need to engage with any type of administrative process to be able to take part. Just hit ‘join’ and wait for the session to go live.

The lack of such a simple procedure has been one of the weakest points of Assetto Corsa Competizione for players interested in easy to use matchmaking with an underlying ranking system that ensures you are surrounded by players of similar driving capacities. This comes in addition to one of Esports Racing’s inherent flaws, too much variety and too little structure.

There are simply too many games, organisers, events, classes and cars. While there is a big community playing racing simulations, there are often not enough players to actually fill a grid of a given league, at a certain day, with a certain class of cars.

It was in late 2020 that Boris had enough of the existing solutions on the platform. Some were good attempts, but ultimately lacked to deliver the full experience known from iRacing or involved working through excel tables – not really the automated system that existed on the greener side of the fence. He has played iRacing since 2009 and therefore had a very clear picture of how their system worked and that served as the base for what he was trying to create for ACC.

Unaware and regardless of whether it would work and if players actually wanted such a system, he spent the last four months of 2020 adding another eight hours of programming every night to his main job. By December 28th he had a first functioning version of a daily racing system, with servers automatically starting and registering players at certain times of day. It didn’t take long to notice that there indeed was a desire in the community for such a system. The users grew steadily and when streamers picked it up it resulted in a large influx of new players. After just one year 20,000 people registered. Half a year later, the number doubled to 40,000.

Yet, until this point it was a steady climb behind the curtain as well. The work on the platform was far from over. In the beginning there was only a rating system for the drivers to be able to sort them into grids. A safety rating nudging people to drive more cleanly took some more time to implement. They played around with various formulas before they found an outcome they were happy with. The game only provides car contact logging and its severity but there’s no separation between cause and effect. The rating now also respects the amounts of corners that were driven cleanly to calculate a number that players would either gain or lose towards their safety rating. That again is now used to become eligible for certain series on the platform of which there are now running several different ones.

While those ratings are a good incentive to nudge drivers to race carefully, it remains inevitable in racing that there will be contact. A total of 30 volunteers are helping to review and judge about 100 reported incidents per day in order to hand out penalties to further sanction reckless driving (for the sake of science the author went to test the system and rightfully received a penalty shortly after for not holding the brakes when he got spun on track).
Another 26 people are working behind the scenes organising races, running streams and social media accounts – also all voluntarily. Given how large the platform has become, also the time that the staff invests has grown. Therefore, even if it’s currently not yet feasible, Boris indeed has plans to monetise the whole project – also to give back to everyone who has been contributing to its success.

At the time of writing, LFM season 7 is around the corner, again lasting 12 weeks during which the same track is driven in scheduled races – depending on the series – every hour for one week. The best result for each driver will count towards the season standings and eventually, there will be a winner in each series. Additionally, there is now a series aimed at the fastest drivers on the game with a broadcast happening each Wednesday.

In the future, Boris tells me, they want to see if it makes sense to extend the platform to other games, now that the framework exists, but for the time being he’d be happy if all the existing features in Assetto Corsa Competizione were developed further to make the game even more enjoyable – and to make it easier for third parties to work with it by having better and direct access to the server to feed the website for example. While he’s at it, Boris mentioned other things on his wish list: “I’d of course love more tracks like the Nordschleife or cars like TCR – but at the same time this would also go against the idea of reducing the variety a bit to be able to fill the grids”.

Low Fuel Motorsports has achieved what others tried before them. They managed to gather a huge part of the active player base and offer them something they needed to enjoy the game on a regular basis without the need to do any administrative work as a player.

“All this is only possible because of the incredible work of everyone behind the scenes. I’m just endlessly thankful for everyone who is dedicating their time to LFM!”.

Virtual racing does not need fuel to happen, but its existence and success is fuelled by passionate people like Boris and the entire team behind Low Fuel Motorsports.

Nils Naujoks

Image Credits: Low Fuel Motorsports

News

MAIDEN WIN FOR GTWR ESPORTS IN ROUND THREE OF THE ERL SUMMER CUP ON THE ACC PLATFORM

  • GTWR Esports records first ERL overall win, while the big favourites struggle on the Assetto Corsa Competizione platform.
  • Previously dominant, Team Redline and Unicorns of Love exit in quarter-final and semi-final.
  • The twelve participants in the ERL Summer Cup Masters have been confirmed: Apex Racing Team secures a spot on the list of seeds thanks to reaching the final in round three.

Munich – The third round of the ERL Summer Cup organised by the Virtual Competition Organisation (VCO) proved to be an evening full of surprises. First came early exits for the two favourites, Team Redline and Unicorns of Love, on the Assetto Corsa Competizione platform, and then the GTWR Esports team claimed their first ERL overall win in the final against the Apex Racing team. Having triumphed in round two on the iRacing platform, Apex Racing secured first place on the list of seeds for the upcoming ERL Summer Cup Masters by reaching the final again. On 10th August, the twelve best teams from the Summer Cup will compete against one another on the rFactor 2 platform.

Round 3 featured plenty of action in the virtual Porsche 992 Cup on the circuit in Kyalami. While the eventual winners Niklas Houben, Luke Whitehead and Andrea Capoccia progressed easily through the rounds, early exits beckoned for Team Redline in the quarter-final, having reached each final up to that point, and the ACC dominators Unicorns of Love in the semi-final, each time after incidents in the sprint race. Apex Racing Team reached a second consecutive final thanks to a spectacular overtaking manoeuvre from Jamie Fluke on the final turn of the semi-final race, but failed to get a sniff of victory against GTWR Esports. Apex Racing nonetheless scored enough points to reach the Masters as top seeds.

Overview of the twelve teams who have qualified for the ERL Summer Cup Masters:

1. Apex Racing Team7. Unicorns of Love
2. BS+COMPETITION8. cowana Gaming
3. Team Redline9. Patrick Long eSports
4. Williams Esports10. TRITON Racing
5. R8G Esports11. Team Fordzilla
6. Burst Esport12. Carbon Simsport

Reactions from the winners:

Niklas Houben (GTWR Esports): “I think the win was down to our perfect teamwork today. We may not have been the quickest, but we were consistent and worked together brilliantly. Unicorns of Love were best in terms of speed, which makes their exit all the more surprising – and the same applies to Redline.”

Luke Whitehead (GTWR Esports): “The races for this format are so short that a lot depends on whether you keep your cool or start to get desperate. That happens to a lot of people. This ERL event reached a new level of toughness, but I learned a lot from it and it was so much fun. Victory this evening tastes particularly sweet.”

Andrea Capoccia (GTWR Esports): “In the final, I knew that my two team-mates were just a bit quicker than me. As team manager, I also wanted to be responsible for the risky part. That involved slowing down the other drivers for the Apex Racing Team and keeping them behind me. I am simply delighted with the performance from the whole team.”

News

IMSA AND VCO LAUNCH NEW CHAMPIONSHIP ON IRACING

  • IMSA Esports Global Championship will be held on iRacing in October and November.
  • First IMSA race series fully geared towards Esports racers in collaboration with VCO.
  • Haasper: “IMSA deserves a world-class Esports racing championship – and it is fantastic that we at VCO can do our bit to make this series happen and bring about success.”

Munich – At its annual ‘State of the Sport’ presentation, the North American motorsport association IMSA also announced a new initiative in Esports racing on Friday. In collaboration with Virtual Competition Organisation (VCO), IMSA will hold a race series fully geared towards Esports racers for the first time in October and November, with four races on the leading simulation platform iRacing. As a proven partner when it comes to live broadcasting the championship, RaceSpot TV is also on board.

The IMSA Esports Global Championship will be contested by virtual GT3 cars of brands also represented in the real-world IMSA championships: BMW, Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren, Mercedes-AMG and Porsche. In the TCR class, the teams will go head-to-head in Hyundai and Honda models. The format is inspired by the real-world IMSA races. Each race lasts 2:40 hours, with two drivers sharing the cockpit. The season is scheduled to get underway on 16th October, at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. Then a week later, further points and victory will be up for grabs at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. With the two races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Daytona International Speedway following on 6th and 20th November.

“IMSA deserves a world-class Esports racing championship – and it is fantastic that we at VCO can do our bit to make this series happen and bring about success,” said Florian Haasper, CEO of VCO. “Countless real-world motorsport organisations are now represented in Esports racing. But IMSA in particular with its unique diversity of cars and formats has everything needed to wow fans virtually as well. We are really excited about this partnership.”

“The IMSA Esports Global Championship is the next step in our esports presence after the success of the IMSA iRacing Pro Series and the IMSA Triple Crown Challenge,” IMSA President John Doonan said. “IMSA was among the first motorsports organizations to recognize the potential of working with iRacing to blend the gap between sim racing and real racing by including our manufacturing partners. We’re excited that eight OEMs competing in IMSA this year will be participating in the IMSA Esports Global Championship, and we expect that number to increase in the coming years.”

Entry slots for the 2022 IMSA Esports Global Championship will be awarded by invitation. More details about the championship and the full rulebook will follow in the coming weeks.

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Overview of the IMSA Esports Global Championship:

16th October 2022, Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta
23rd October 2022, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
6th November 2022, Indianapolis Motor Speedway
20th November 2022, Daytona International Speedway

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About iRacing
iRacing is the world’s premier motorsport simulation. With hundreds of cars and tracks from nearly every major racing discipline, iRacing partners with some of the world’s premier manufacturers, drivers, and motorsport sanctioning bodies, to deliver an unparalleled driving experience. From World Championship and special event competitions to public, hosted, and league racing, there’s an iRacing event out there for users of all skill levels and racing backgrounds. Learn more about iRacing and join more than 200,000 active iRacers today at www.iRacing.com.

News

ERL SUMMER CUP MASTERS: TEAM REDLINE TAKES OVERALL VICTORY ON THE RFACTOR 2 PLATFORM

Munich – The second of three legs en route to the Esports Racing World Cup (ERWC) ended with victory for Team Redline. The three Redline drivers – Kevin Siggy, Enzo Bonito and Jeffrey Rietveld – proved to be unbeatable at the Summer Cup Masters on the rFactor 2 sim platform, which forms part of the Esports Racing League (ERL) by VCO. They dominated proceedings in the virtual Toyota Corolla BTCC at the Sebring International Raceway (Johnson Club). Twelve teams had come through three rounds to qualify for the ERL Summer Cup Masters. Team Redline took a commanding 2-0 victory over R8G Esports in the finals.

The Masters was held in a head-to-head format, with each round featuring two teams facing off with three cars each. The winners of their opening round matches, together with the two best-placed teams in the Second Chance Race, made it through to the quarter-finals. Team Redline and R8G Esports were joined in the quarter-finals by BS+COMPETITION, TRITON Racing, the Apex Racing Team, Williams Esports, ERL Spring Cup winners Unicorns of Love, and Team Fordzilla. BS+COMPETITION and TRITON Racing progressed to the semi-finals, but were both unable to pose a real threat to the eventual finalists. They each received 1,000 US dollars in prize money for their efforts, while runners-up R8G Esports walked away with 2,000 US dollars for their second place at the Masters.

The third and final leg on the way to ERWC II is the ERL Fall Cup in autumn 2022. Its Masters event will be held on the iRacing sim platform. Exact dates will be announced later.

Reactions from the winners:

Kevin Siggy (Team Redline): “We had a lot of fun. I really enjoy working with Enzo and Jeffrey, and truly enjoy my job as an Esports racer alongside them. You can see that, not only from the smile on my face, but also our performances on the track.”

Enzo Bonito (Team Redline): “Our performance at the Masters was really incredibly strong. We finished one-two-three in almost all our races, although Sebring was not exactly a favourite circuit – for me, at least. Our great strength is that we get on extremely well. We have a lot of fun, even during the races, which I believe lifts our performances. At the same time, we also work very hard and well together. Under such circumstances, race pace and success come almost automatically.”

Jeffrey Rietveld (Team Redline): “Racing against R8G Esports is always a big challenge. They are very strong, and Marcell Csincsik in particular was super quick in qualifying. He deserved to start from pole position. However, we still managed to win the first final together as a team, and at the same time set up the ideal starting positions for race two.”