There’s little doubt that the gap between virtual and reality is closing faster than a GT3 and an MX5 along the Döttinger Höhe. And this weekend was a water-shed moment for fans of the Nürburgring and racing sims.
Stickers, Ts, Hoodies...
The US-based iRacing team closed a deal with the German VLN championship to run their official online championship. As one of the many real-life VLN racers who also race on iRacing, I was properly gutted not to be able to compete in the first race.
But luckily for me, the RaceSpot folks were all over it, streaming a live video of the top-split for the full duration of the race! Check it out at the bottom of the page.
The racing starts just after the 10-minute mark, and YES, I’m not joking, that’s a full four-hour race live-streamed, with commentary and full circuit coverage. I think the real VLN livestream team could actually learn a few tricks from this (speaking English is just one of them).
My personal favourite moment has to be the end of lap 1, (24m40s), with nearly the whole grid of Mazda MX-5s having a drafting-battle down the Döttinger Höhe, check it out!
If you want to join me, and thousands of other pro/virtual/hobby racers, then be sure to check out this special offer from iRacing, just for BTG readers:
