News

2023 VCO SIMMY AWARDS: Honoring the best in sim racing

Join the celebration: Nominate your sim racing stars
Your voice counts: Participate in the voting process
Anticipate the unveiling of winners in December

The Virtual Competition Organisation (VCO) is thrilled to announce the much-anticipated 2023 VCO SIMMY AWARDS, celebrating the pinnacle of achievement in the world of sim racing. These awards recognize the extraordinary talent and dedication within the community, spanning various categories from ‘Best Driver’ to ‘Best Streamer’.

Nomination phase: Community and jury engagement

Starting from 20th November until 1st December 2023, the sim racing community is invited to submit their nominations for their favorites across ten distinct categories. Concurrently, a selected jury will also recommend nominees based on their expertise and insight into the Esports racing world. This year’s jury comprises 20 distinguished members.

The combination of community and jury nominations will create a comprehensive list of the top ten nominees for each category. This inclusive approach ensures a diverse and representative selection, moving beyond a simple popularity contest.

Submit your nominations here

Voting phase: Deciding the winners

From 5th to 15th December 2023, the final voting phase takes place. Here, the community’s votes will contribute 50 percent towards the final decision, with the remaining 50 percent determined by the jury’s votes. This dual approach guarantees a balanced and fair selection of winners.

Celebrating the winners

The anticipation will culminate in a series of videos released between 26th and 30th December, where the winners of the VCO SIMMY AWARDS 2023 will be announced. These videos will be available on VCO’s social media channels, allowing fans worldwide to join in the celebration.

Categories for nomination and voting:

– Best Oval Racer

– Best Team

– Best Car

– Best Event

– Best Social Media

– Best Livery

– Best Commentary

– Best Photography

– Best Streamer

In addition, the fourth member of the VCO Hall of Fame will be announced.

The 2023 VCO SIMMY AWARDS is set to be a showcase of talent, passion, and excellence in the Esports racing world. We extend our gratitude to the community and jury members for their participation and look forward to an exciting and competitive awards season.

Submit your nominations here

News

Team Redline takes it all

Dominant showing by Team Redline, winning in GTP and GTD.
Challenging tyre management in scorching sunshine.
Demanding traffic as 46 cars hit Watkins Glen.

For the second race of the IMSA Esports Global Championship, a total of 46 cars in the GTP & GTD classes headed to upstate New York to take on virtual Watkins Glen. The relentless sunshine proved to be a large factor, as teams had to adapt and find ways to preserve their tyres on a hot track. Under the watchful eye of three-time F1 world champion Max Verstappen, Team Redline was able to clinch a double victory, which has only happened once before in the history of the IMSA Esports Global Championship.

In the GTP class, BMW M Team BS+COMPETITION’s Niklas Beu had secured pole in qualifying but suffered a 10-second penalty for jumping the start. Diogo Pinto and Chris Lulham were able to bring a flawless performance to the track, finishing the race in dominant fashion. BMW M Team Redline improved on their P2 finish from the first round and have now taken the top spot in the GTP standings. Lulham commented on their approach to the race:

“I was definitely taking an extra step of caution here, with such a margin. We had the strategy under control. Also, when it’s so hot with 55°C on track, there’s no point really risking it going more aggressive in any way.”
Chris Lulham, BMW M Team Redline

In the GTD class, Team Redline drivers Ole Steinbraten and Gianni Vecchio were able to mirror their team-mates. After an intense but ultimately unsuccessful fight for the win in the first round of the season, Team Redline had some unfinished business to take care of. They quickly caught up to the pole sitters from Altus Esports and round 1 winners Mercedes-AMG E-Sports Team ART, taking the top spot in the GTD category. This is how Vecchio summarized their race:

“We are really confident, and I think that’s why I went super early for the move for P1. And then traffic management is key, we did that pretty good and that’s what gave us the gap of two to three seconds after the first wave.”
Gianni Vecchio, Team Redline

The second race of the season will take place at Sebring International Raceway on Sunday, 3^rd December (LIVE from 19:30 CET on twitch.tv/iracing and youtube.com/@imsaofficial).

You can rewatch the second race of the season here:

IMSA Official YouTube: www.youtu.be/uthzymQGauk

iRacing Twitch: www.twitch.tv/videos/1975724021

News

Sensational IMSA Esports Global Championship season-opener at Road Atlanta.

URANO eSports Datagroup takes home a surprise win in the GTP class.
Heavy traffic at Road Atlanta with a total of 46 cars on track.
GTD victory for Mercedes-AMG Apex Racing Team with a nail-biting finish.

The first race of the IMSA Esports Global Championship season saw 21 GTP and 25 GTD cars, with two drivers each, take on the legendary Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. The teams had been eagerly awaiting the first of a total of four rounds in the season. Even though it was an intense race with a lot of traffic to handle due to the two different classes on track, the professional drivers managed to keep incidents to a minimum.

In the GTP class, URANO eSports Datagroup managed to come out on top thanks to a well-thought-out tactic and defensive driving. Jonas Wallmeier & Dominik Hofmann started in P13. They capitalised on penalties for BMW M Team Redline & Williams Esports and managed to claw their way through the field to take the win. Here’s the reaction from winner Jonas Wallmeier: “We stayed clean all race, so in the end we came out on top after a bad qualifying. The traffic was insane, it was super close sometimes. Sometimes you need to lift and stay patient, it’s not easy. So yeah, pretty good win, I would say.”

Mercedes-AMG Apex Racing Team took the top spot in the GTD class, converting their pole position from qualifying. Alejandro Sanchez & Luke McKeown maintained the lead in the beginning thanks to favourable traffic. In the final minutes of the race a nail-biting chase ensued with Team Redline’s Ole Steinbraten catching up to within a car’s length in the last lap. Alejandro Sanchez on the end of the race: “It got very tight at the end, but Luke did a superb job as he always does, and we managed to get the win.” Luke McKeown added: “I wasn’t getting too worried (…) because he was gaining a lot but not enough basically, so I kind of knew in my head that it’s going to be fine. But I definitely was feeling it when it got to about 1 to 1.5 seconds.”

The second race of the season will take place at Watkins Glen on Sunday, Nov 12^th.

Live from 19:30 CET on twitch.tv/iracing and youtube.com/@imsaofficial.

You can rewatch the first race of the season here:

IMSA Official YouTube: https://youtu.be/watch?v=L5tFNhB9Lkw

iRacing Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1969600071

About VCO

Virtual Competition Organisation (VCO) brings together different stakeholders in Esports, from simulation or gaming platforms and interested partners to active teams, drivers and the community. In a rapidly growing sector, VCO stands for professionalism, focus and a broad media presence. With its international network, VCO provides solutions for the best possible conception and implementation of Esports projects of all kinds. The best teams in the world compete in such high-class competitions as the Esports Racing League (ERL), VCO INFINITY and the FLExTREME championship, which VCO implements on a wide range of gaming and simulation platforms.

Contact for Media Requests

Alexander Mey

Phone: +49 (0)89 45 23 50 91 03

mey@vco-esports.com

VCO Social Channels

Web: www.vco-esports.com

Twitch: www.twitch.com/vcoesports

Instagram: www.instagram.com/vcoesports

Twitter: www.twitter.com/vcoesports

Facebook: www.facebook.com/vcoesports

Discord: https://v-c-o.info/Discord

YouTube: www.youtube.com/vcoesports

TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@vcoesports

News

Successful title defence: Team Redline wins the second Esports Racing World Cup

Team Redline repeats last year’s feat and wins the second Esports Racing World Cup (ERWC II).
A total of 50,000 US dollars in prize money was up for grabs over the three days of racing at the multi-platform highlight of the year.
Enzo Bonito (Team Redline) named “Most Valuable Driver”.

Munich – Team Redline has won the second Esports Racing World Cup (ERWC II) and can celebrate a successful defence of the title it won last year at ERWC I. The team followed fourth place on Friday on the Assetto Corsa Competizione simulation platform by taking victory on both Saturday (rFactor 2) and Sunday (iRacing). In doing so, they emphatically demonstrated the versatility of their five drivers. This was particularly important at the multi-platform highlight of the year. In total, Team Redline alone won over 15,000 US dollars in prize money.

On Friday, the Unicorns of Love team managed to get its nose ahead in the final against Williams Esports on the Assetto Corsa Competizione platform. However, Team Redline then converted its dominance into day wins on Saturday and Sunday. Enzo Bonito was named the “Most Valuable Driver” of ERWC II. The award and 500 dollars went to the driver who achieved the most podium finishes over the course of the race weekend. In total, 50,000 dollars in prize money were up for grabs at ERWC II.

The tournament kicked off on Friday on the ACC platform, and immediately provided superb entertainment. Whether in the heats, the two quarter-finals, the semi-final, the final or, in particular, the concluding Showdown series, the fans were treated to Esports racing of the very highest standard. On Friday, it took the Unicorns of Love team three dramatic races to triumph in the Showdown against the Williams Esports team. Meanwhile, Team Redline set course for a successful title defence with fourth place on day one. With rFactor 2 on Saturday and iRacing on Sunday, the team still had its two strongest platforms to come. As such, the early signs were that the defending champions were the hot favourites to take overall victory again this year.

And Team Redline lived up to its billing as favourites on day two on the rFactor 2 platform. Enzo Bonito, Kevin Siggy and Jeffrey Rietveld finished one-two-three in the heat. The format for the quarter-final saw the top three teams in the “Upper Bracket” – the quarter-final with the top six teams from the heat – progress straight to the final, to be contested by the best six teams, without having to start in the semi-final. It came as no surprise that Team Redline was one such team. The final was followed by the Showdown – the head-to-head between the two fastest teams from the final – to determine the day’s winner in a best-of-three format. Bonito, Siggy and Rietveld produced a commanding performance to defeat the BS+COMPETITION team on Saturday.

Team Redline lined up with Enzo Bonito, Chris Lulham and Diogo Pinto on the iRacing platform on day three, and again left nobody in any doubt that they were the favourites. After impressive displays in the heat and quarter-final, they again made it straight through to the final – and once again the Showdown. Their opponent on Sunday was the Williams Esports team, who were ultimately beaten in two high-class races by the champions of the first two Esports Racing World Cups.

Reactions from the winners:

Enzo Bonito (Team Redline): “It is crazy that we have done it again. I am very, very tired, but it was an unbelievable experience. I am already looking forward to going racing again here soon. Congratulations also to my team-mates, who were all very fast. I definitely cannot win the races on my own.”

Chris Lulham (Team Redline): “It was not easy to adapt to the Lotus 79 today, but fortunately I managed to do so. You cannot afford to make any mistakes, but I really enjoyed driving here today. It was a lot of fun.”

Diogo Pinto (Team Redline): “That was a great experience. I had never driven in a VCO event before and was really looking forward to it. It was great fun. The Lotus 79 is a very specific car and I was surprised how well it ran on the track.”

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About VCO

Contact for Media Requests

Alexander Mey

Phone: +49 (0)89 45 23 50 91 03

mey@vco-esports.com

VCO Social Channels

Web: www.vco-esports.com

Twitch: www.twitch.com/vcoesports

Instagram: www.instagram.com/vcoesports

Twitter: www.twitter.com/vcoesports

Facebook: www.facebook.com/vcoesports

Discord: https://v-c-o.info/Discord

YouTube: www.youtube.com/vcoesports

TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@vcoesports

News

ERWC II: Twelve of the best Esports racing teams in the world battle it out for $ 50,000 in prize money

The stage is set for the second Esports Racing World Cup (ERWC).
50,000 US dollars in prize money up for grabs over three days of racing on different simulation platforms.
Twelve teams have qualified for the multi-platform highlight of the year via the Esports Racing League (ERL).

Munich – This weekend, Virtual Competition Organisation (VCO) will host the Esports Racing World Cup (ERWC) for the second time since 2022. Twelve of the top Esports racing teams in the world have qualified for the grand finale via the Esports Racing League (ERL). A total prize purse of 50,000 US dollars is up for grabs in ERWC II. A Livestream allows spectators to follow the races, which are held on three different simulation platforms (Assetto Corsa Competizione, rFactor 2 and iRacing), on the three evenings of racing – from Friday to Sunday. The first Esports Racing World Cup (ERWC I) was won by Team Redline.

The winner of each day, on the respective platform, will be rewarded with 2,500 US dollars of prize money. The overall winner after all three races receives a further 10,000 dollars. This means the teams that demonstrate the greatest versatility on the three different simulation platforms will be particularly well rewarded. Each roster consists of five drivers, with three of them competing per race day. The teams only discover which circuit they will be driving at shortly before the start, when the track vote ends on the VCO’s social media channels and the fans have reached a decision. The cars to be used are the Maserati MC GT4 (Friday), the Infinity Q50 (Saturday) and the Lotus 79 (Sunday).

Links to livestreams

(from 19:00 CET in each case)

Friday: Day 1 on YouTube

Saturday: Day 2 on YouTube

Sunday: Day 3 on YouTube

All three days: VCO Twitch

About VCO

Kontakt für Presseanfragen

Alexander Mey

Telefon: +49 (0)89 45 23 50 91 03

mey@vco-esports.com

VCO Content Database

https://photos.vco-esports.com

Medienvertreter können die Zugangsdaten via E-Mail an info@vco-esports.com anfordern.

VCO Social Channels

Web: www.vco-esports.com

Twitch: www.twitch.com/vcoesports

Instagram: www.instagram.com/vcoesports

Twitter: www.twitter.com/vcoesports

Facebook: www.facebook.com/vcoesports

Discord: https://v-c-o.info/Discord

YouTube: www.youtube.com/vcoesports

TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@vcoesports

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 Team	7. Unicorns of Love
2. BS+COMPETITION	8. cowana Gaming
3. Team Redline	9. Patrick Long eSports
4. Williams Esports	10. TRITON Racing
5. R8G Esports	11. Team Fordzilla
6. Burst Esport	12. 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.”