The 24 Hours of Le Mans had been scheduled in for the weekend of June 13th, but has since been rescheduled to September 19th to 20th. However, a race will still happen on June 13, it will just be in the virtual world.
The ‘24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual’ will gather together professional racing drivers with esports specialists for a virtual endurance race organized by the ACO, FIA WEC, and Motorsport Games. The race will take place using the rFactor 2 PC game.
Each team will be composed of four drivers that must consist of at least two professional drivers and a maximum of two sim racers. Cars used will be LMP2 and GTE-class vehicles and all teams will be free to create their own car and team livery.
A maximum of 50 cars will compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual and the endurance race will incorporate variable weather conditions, dynamic day and night driving, refueling and tire changes. There will also be real-life damage that can be repaired in the pits, while a race director will ensure sporting behavior throughout the event.
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Like the real Le Mans, driver changes will be compulsory with the minimum driving time over the entire event being 4 hours for each driver. No driver will be permitted to drive for more than 7 hours.
“This first edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual opens a new chapter for our discipline,” president of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest, Pierre Fillon, said in a statement. “Current circumstances meant that the 88th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans will take place on 19/20th September 2020. However, on 13/14th June, the initial date of our event, there will be a unique event augmenting endurance racing and its values: the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual, with professional drivers and specialists esports gamers racing together. For us, the organizers, for our competitors, our partner and our fans, we are now impatiently waiting for the start of this unique race on 13th June at 3:00 pm.”