MICHELIN TIRES took front and center in the recent Le Mans 24 Hours Virtual, with all winning teams running on the brand’s “virtual” tires.
The first-ever Le Mans 24 Hours Virtual saw Rebellion Williams Esport claim first place with its N°1 car shared by Deletraz / Marciello / Wisniewski / Brzezinski. Pole-sitter Dillmann / Guerrieri / Simoncic / Pedersen (N°4 ByKolles Burst Esport) was second past the checkered flag, ahead of the N°13 Rebellion Williams Esport foursome (Canapino / Aitken / Arana / Romanidis.
The GTE class, meanwhile, was won by Porsche Esports Team which emerged as the category’s dominant squad in qualifying.
The top prize was secured by the N°93 Porsche 911 RSR of Tandy / Güven / Rogers / Ostgaard thanks to a surefooted performance. Interestingly, British driver Nick Tandy can now claim to have won Le Mans’ GTE class with Porsche and Michelin in both the real world and “virtually.”
Second in class went to the N°95 Aston Martin (Thiim / Westbrook / Sorensen / Biancolilla), while R8G Esports Team’s N°80 Corvette (Juncadella /Beche / Jayovski / Kappet) took third.
With real-world motorsport halted by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the inaugural Le Mans 24 Hours Virtual, done over rFactor2 software, provided endurance racing fans with a welcome chance to enjoy their favorite discipline once more while giving video game fans an opportunity to discover motor racing from a fresh perspective that introduced them to the important role that tires play in motorsport.
Buoyed by a field of 50 cars and 200 top-flight racing drivers and sim racers, the virtual race lived up every bit to its promise. Drivers from different forms of racing and top names from the world of endurance racing teamed up with a lineup of sim racing stars to showcase their professionalism not only during their respective pre-race preparations but also in the course of the twice-around-the-clock race itself. The result was a gripping fight between the successive leaders who all chose similar race strategies and the gaps at the end were extremely close.
As expected, teams with the strongest reputations took turns in front and took the two ‘virtual’ red-flag interruptions that bunched up the field in their stride.
“The inaugural Le Mans 24 Hours Virtual was a resounding success,” said Michelin Motorsport Director Matthieu Bonardel.
The drivers were swift to credit Michelin’s tires after qualifying and their praise continued during the race as they paid tribute to the realism of the feedback replicated via the steering wheel, and notably the difference between the feeling of the different compound options.
Given that the Le Mans 24 Hours Virtual allowed motor racing enthusiasts to enjoy the action in the virtual company of video game fans who often have little interest in real motorsport, Michelin saw its involvement in the race as a chance to reach out to a wider audience which was able to discover the importance of the role played by tires not only in real-life racing but also, by extrapolation, on their road cars.
Michelin’s involvement in the inaugural Le Mans 24 Hours Virtual asserts its commitment to esports and, in September, it will be looking to follow up by extending its current unbeaten record in the real race to 23 victories in a row since 1998.
