With a consistent performance, Realteam Hydrogen Redline led by Formula 2 driver Felipe Drugovich wins the virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans 2022.
200 drivers from the real and virtual world in 50 racing cars, spread over 116 simulators in 28 countries. According to the organiser, the virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans 2022 was the largest sim racing event in the world.
This was not least due to the numerous stars of the real motorsport world, who gave the event a proper attention boost – especially with the presence of Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen.
The qualifying runner-up immediately took the lead at the start of the race and extended his lead lap after lap.
If you want to be first, you have to arrive first
The most important rule in motorsport is to arrive. In a race over 24 hours it multiplies. Concentration, consistency and precision must be kept high, material must be spared and contact must be avoided
The track proved to be ice cold not only in the real version but also in the virtual one. Out of 50 teams that started, only 33 saw the chequered flag.
The first unfortunate victim was the W Series women’s team. Their simulator already said goodbye in the warm-up lap with a connection error. The consequence: the end of the race without a single kilometre driven.
Later on Saturday, not only the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Esports Team led by F1 Esport Series winner Jarno Opmeer suffered engine failure after a gear change error, but also Max Verstappen himself.
In the evening, while comfortably in the lead, Verstappen crashed his car into the barrier after a too aggressive approach to the chicane – his retirement after just under a third of the race.
Away clear for the constants of the race
In the end, everything was just like the real thing. The teams with the greatest possible consistency and freedom from errors prevailed.
After 407 laps and a total of 5545.782 virtual kilometres, Realteam Hydrogen Redline with Formula 2 talent Felipe Drugovich, ex-Formula 2 driver Oliver Rowland and the two sim racers Jeffrey Rietveld and Michal Smidl saw the chequered flag first.
In the GT car class, BMW Team Redline led by Rudy van Buren, Lorenzo Colombo, Enzo Bonito and Kevin Siggy finished ahead of Porsche Esports Team and Team Proton Competition after 367 laps of hard but fair fighting.
“This feels like redemption for last year. An amazing performance by the team in such an incredible event,” said Atze Kerkhof, Head of Team Redline.
A successful race weekend
This means that the two winning teams of the race also take the overall title in the endurance championship – the Le Mans Virtual Series – which was held for the first time.
The organisers were pleased with how the event went: “When you have 116 simulators representing 50 cars spread across 28 countries around the world and connected to the same server for 24 hours without having any technical problems over the length of the race, it’s pretty damn satisfying,” the event’s executive producer, Gérard Neveau, revealed.
The second virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans put an exclamation mark on sim racing with a top-class field, successful coverage and exciting virtual motorsport. Building on this success, the organisers are already planning the third edition in 2023.
