24 Hours of Le Mans to push through in June 2020 as online race

The 24 Hour of Le Mans is probably the most highly anticipated race in the World Endurance Championship. Based on the calendar, it is traditionally held in June each year. But due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 88th running of the race has been postponed to the weekend of September 19.

However, it seems organizers of the 24 Hour of Le Mans are keen in keeping with the tradition of holding a race in June. As a result, they have announced that a 24-hour endurance race will take place this coming June 13/14, albeit in the virtual world.

For those of you wondering, yes, it will be a 24-hour race just like the real one. The only difference is that it will be held on a racing simulator. Organizers say that it will be held on the rFactor 2 racing game, and will see both professional racing drivers and e-sport champions face off at Circuit de la Sarthe. A maximum of 50 cars will be racing on the grid and is composed of LMP2 class and GTE class racers. Teams are free to create their own livery for their race cars.

Just like the actual 24 Hours of Le Mans, the online endurance race will have variable weather conditions. Cars will also take damages that can be repaired in the pits. Teams will also be allowed to set up their vehicles to optimize performance. They can come up with their own tire and fuel strategies as well. A race director will be enlisted to ensure that everyone plays fair.

Even though a 24-hour endurance race is less taxing than one in the real world, driver changes are still mandatory. Each driver is required to do a minimum driving time of 4 hours while the maximum driving time is 7 hours. At the moment, there is no confirmed official drivers list yet.  

The 24 Hour Le Mans virtual race will be broadcast live on TV across the world. So if you’re missing out on some racing action, why not tune in and see