Esports is filling the void
With racing being on hold due to the global pandemic it’s important for race car drivers to stay focused and practice their skills so that they’re ready for when racing does come back. It’s no different than a football player hitting the gym, a basketball player shooting free throws in an empty arena or a golfer at the driving range. You need to practice to keep your skills sharp. Unfortunately it takes a whole team of people to take a race car out for a day of practice, but there is another way for drivers to keep sharp in this uncertain time. Esports.
I’ve been into racing video games for a long time. I’ve done countless laps of The Ring, Silverstone and Tsukuba circuit, among many other tracks real or not. I’ve never had a steering wheel for my gaming though I’ve longed for one. After I got to a point in my life where I could justify buy a gaming steering wheel for my Xbox I had other priorities (kids/family). Gaming steering wheels are likely selling faster than ever right now with the rise of Esports, and I want one to get in on the action. Though as cool as a basic racing wheel is, I never had put much thought to a full out racing simulator rig. I only thought that professional race teams had these types of setups, but you can get them for at home, with enough money. YouTuber Archie Hamilton bought a Vesaro Simulator to practice his racing skills at home and the setup is pretty impressive.
When the 2020 Australian Grand Prix was postponed, the #NotTheAusGP was quickly put together to fill the void. The likes of Lando Norris, Max Verstappen, Esteban Gutierrez and others were all part of the virtual grid. This was streamed on YouTube and Twitch and got over 2 million views. It was no surprise to see Max and Lando involved as both are well known for racing online in their free time, with Lando often streaming on his Twitch channel.
When it came time for the Bahrain GP, Formula1 had jumped on the bandwagon and created the F1 Virtual Bahrain GP to go alongside the #Not TheBahGP. There were several of the same faces involved as in the #NotTheAusGP, but there was also the addition of a familiar face in the F1 world who wanted to get in on the action – Nico Hulkenburg, along with F1 newcomer Nicolas Latifi.
Esports has been rising in popularity over the past few years and has seen a huge rise in popularity lately with the lack of IRL racing. Formula 1, IndyCar and other racing series are now looking at ways to keep the fans engaged, such as F1’s newest challenge on the back of Lando Norris’s popularity called #ChallengeLando.
F1 can’t come back soon enough, but until then I’ll be watching the Virtual GP races. Thank goodness Esports has been here to fill the void…
*Image courtesy of Formula1.com
