GLOBAL RACING SERIES LAUNCHES WITH ITS FIRST LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP

The V10 R-League, devised by esports media business Gfinity in partnership with Abu Dhabi Motorsport Management (ADMM), and part of the GLOBAL RACING SERIES, will see some of the biggest names in motorsport go head to head on the virtual track for a prize pot of £100,000 (GBP).

Williams Esports, BWT Racing Point Esports Team, Ford (Fordzilla) and JAESA TEAM SUZUKI are the first of eight teams to be announced for the global competition, with the final line-up set to be revealed in the coming days.

The GLOBAL RACING SERIES will feature a range of internationally focused virtual motorsport leagues and competitions, designed to provide commercial opportunities with brands, broadcasters and teams, with the inaugural V10 R-League the first competition in the programme.

The V10 R-League will see all eight teams go head to head against each other in a round-robin format, earning points towards the league table until one team is crowned champion and claims an incredible £100,000 prize.

Played on the Asseto Corsa game, in each match two teams will go head to head over three original race challenges. Every team will provide three drivers who must compete across all three race formats.

The teams will all race on track in a brand-new car designed specifically for the league – an open-wheeled single seater with a completely unique and bespoke design and the added fan favourite of a V10 power unit. The professional sim drivers will race from home on a full racing rig, with their camera and audio feeds controlled live from Gfinity’s TV studio in Fulham, London.

Season 1 of the V10 R-League will air ‘as live’ across linear and digital channels in August 2020 [broadcast schedules being finalised], broadcast from the Gfinity Arena in London, with Season 2 airing in Q1 of 2021.

Steven English, Team Principle of Williams Esports said “This series is an exciting prospect for sim racing. The line-up includes some of the biggest names in motorsport, which helps to grow the credibility and professionalism of virtual racing.”

Jefferson Slack, Managing Director, Commercial and Marketing, BWT Racing Point Esports Team, expressed: “Our Esports programme has gone from strength to strength in recent years and now forms a key pillar of our commercial operations. It’s testament to the hard work that’s gone into making us one of the most competitive outfits on the virtual grid that we’ll be lining up alongside some of the biggest names in automotive for the Global Racing Series.”

THE NEW GRS-1 V10 CAR

The V10 R-League boasts an exciting new car mod, the GRS-1, designed to bring maximum on-track excitement and capable of reaching speeds of up to 220mph powered by a V10 engine.

All teams will be provided with the car in order to design bespoke liveries unique to the V10 R-League. The car and format have been designed to create short, action packed races that will work well for TV, digital and social audiences.

Paul Kent, Global Esports Director at Gfinity expressed “We wanted to create a series that was a uniquely entertaining watch – lots of speed, a need for overtaking, iconic racing brands and tracks and a unique versus format that we hope will create some memorable rivalries. For a long time we’ve wanted to do something only possible in the gaming sector of motorsport. We wanted to redefine people’s concept of racing.”

THE V10 R-LEAGUE AND THE GLOBAL RACING SERIES

The V10 R-League is the first championship in the previously-announced Global Racing Series partnership between Gfinity Plc and Abu Dhabi Motorsport Management (ADMM).

Gfinity CEO, John Clark said, “In the current climate there has been massive spike interest in virtual motorsport. The V10 RLeague will take it to the next level of virtual motorsport, redefining racing. The League has captured the imagination of teams, drivers, broadcasters and brands. Created in record time, the Global Racing Series contributes positively towards Gfinity’s stated goal of being profitable in Q1 2021.”

Saif Al Noaimi, Acting CEO ADMM said: “It is fantastic to see the first competition within the Global Racing Series come to life so creatively. Having the support and commitment from iconic racing and eSports brands who will be stakeholders in the V10 R-League is testament to the concept. The Global Racing Series will become the natural home for professional sim-racing competition and we look forward to adding more innovative leagues in the weeks and months ahead.”

For more information about the V10 R-League, visit www.v10rleague.com

WISH TO REGISTER AS JOURNALIST?