BT Sport has secured broadcasting rights for the new Isolation eRacing Series tournament. 

Starting on Monday 11 May, the virtual motorsports competition will see stars from Formula One, Formula E, and other professional motorsports series race against each other at virtual versions of iconic racetracks, including the UK’s Silverstone, Belgium’s Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, and America’s Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 

More than 100 pro real-world drivers

In all, more than 100 professional drivers will be taking part, including Formula One’s Lando Norris and Nicholas Latifi, Formula E’s Oliver Rowland, F4’s Sebastian Montoya, and British driver and F1 pundit Billy Monger. 

Every episode will consist of three live heats, with the top ten drivers from each making it to the final race. Each event will feature one practice session, qualifying, three qualifying heats, and a feature (final) race. Each driver will be awarded points based on their performance in the final races, which will, after the eight round competition is complete, determine the final championship table. 

Coverage will also include interviews with participants, and viewers will be able to influence which circuits are raced at by voting on social media. 

Organisers say that in addition to giving motorsport fans their racing fix during the COVID-19 lockdown, the series will also help new stars to develop, and keep current racing drivers on top of their game.

Drivers will be competing using virtual F3 cars – using the same state-of-the-art racing sim technology that Formula One drivers use for practice. The series will use the iRacing game. 

Image credit: WH Sports

Discussing the new series heat of BT Sport, Simon Green, said:

“It’s fantastic to see the world of motorsport coming together to create an exciting and innovative new series at a time when viewers are missing their fix of live action. Lockdown is driving broadcast innovation apace across all of our sports and it is great to broadcast this new show to our motorsport fans alongside our live weekly MotoGP show on Sundays.”

The series was created by former racing driver Enzo Mucci and Chris Harfield of WH Sports, who added: 

“The series began life as a training exercise for professional drivers to keep sharp during isolation. It quickly became fiercely competitive and we were inundated with requests from drivers from a range of global motorsport disciplines who wanted to take part. 

“The result is guaranteed excitement, as the stars of today go head to head with the stars of tomorrow. We are delighted to have teamed up with a renowned broadcaster in BT Sport, who will help bring the tournament to the homes of millions across the country, keeping them entertained during lockdown.”

The Isolation eRacing Series will begin at 18:00 on Monday, 11 May on BT Sport 1 and will be a weekly series, and broadcast every Monday after that.

AYO.NEWS says:

Though the COVID-19 induced lockdowns have led to a surge in interest in all esports genres, the one that has perhaps gained most traction with mainstream broadcasters is sim racing. With many professional real-world drivers already familiar with games like iRacing, and plenty of highly developed virtual cars and tracks already available, plus a viewing experience that very closely mirrors the real thing, and plenty of opportunities for continued sponsor visibility, the transition has been relatively easy. 

Over the course of the crisis, we’ve seen Formula One, NASCAR, Subaru, and the Australian Supercars Championship all launch new esports series, while major broadcasters including FOX and NBC have significantly expanded their sim racing coverage. 

‘AYO.NEWS says’ features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited or its affiliates or associates. 

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