24h Le Mans
After an action-packed race with plenty of head-to-head battles, the Rebellion Williams Esport #1 Oreca LMP, driven by Louis Deletraz, Raffaele Marciello, Nikodem Wisniewski and Kuba Brzezinski, has won the Virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans. The #93 Porsche 911 RSR takes victory in the GTE class.
Fifty teams and 200 drivers - a combination of professional racing drivers and simracers - rose to the Virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans challenge, a virtual race but a real test with a high number of incidents adding to the tension! The Rebellion Williams Esport #1 Oreca LMP was driven to victory by Louis Deletraz, Raffaele Marciello, Nikodem Wisniewski and Kuba Brzezinski. They passed the chequered flag 17 seconds ahead of the ByKolles-Burst Esport #4 Oreca LMP. The pole-winner grabbed second place in the the last 20 minutes of the race when it overtook the other Oreca LMP fielded by Swiss team Rebellion, the #13 driven by Augustin Canapino, Jack Aitken, Alex Arana and Michael Romanidis. They take the third spot on the podium.
Toyota Gazoo Racing, winner at Le Mans in 2018 and 2019, entered two cars in the Virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans. The Japanese team treated the event like a real race, maintaining its regular crews, who were backed by two simracers, and calling on its usual technical staff in Cologne. The #8 car driven by Buemi, Hartley, Yamashite and Kasdorp finished 11th, while the #7 featuring Conway, Kobayashi, Lopez and Brient came in 14th.
The race also included an all-female driver line-up. The Richard Mille Racing Team #50 Oreca LMP was driven by Katherine Legge, Tatiana Calderon, Sophie Floersch and simracer Emily Jones. It completed the race in 20th place.
In the GTE class, Porsche, Corvette, Ferrari and Aston Martin fought a fierce battle for the win., the Porsche Esport Team #93 Porsche 911 RSR, driven by Nick Tandy, Ayhancan Güven, Joshua Rogers and Tommy Østgaard, ultimately clinching victory. Their triumph comes fifty years to the day after the marque's first win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans! The Aston Martin Racing #95 Aston Martin Vantage GTE finished second, ahead of the #80 Corvette C7.R fielded by R8G Esports Team, which belongs to Formula One driver Romain Grosjean.
The Strong Together #54 Ferrari 488 GTE, the official car of the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation, came eighth in class and 36th in the overall standings. Its crew included former Formula One drivers Giancarlo Fisichella and Felipe Massa, alongside Francesco Castellacci and simracer Tony Mella.
Another Formula One driver, Charles Leclerc took part in the Virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans. He was driving the Ferrari-AF Corse #52 Ferrari 488 GTE with Antonio Giovinazzi, Enzo Bonito et David Tonizza. The Monaco-born driver drove the final stint to finish 18th in the GTE class.
The next date for your diary - the 88th 24 Hours of Le Mans on 19-20 September 2020!
