BMW works driver Philipp Eng in the virtual #189 BS+COMPETITION Z4 GT3 that he shared with Alexander Voss and Laurin Heinrich finished second in round two of the Digital Nürburgring Endurance Series powered by VCO on Saturday, April 4.
The #189 car was one of eight Z4 GT3s entered in the race; a number of BMW pro racers participated. The event was run live on BMW Motorsport’s Facebook channel.
In its release on the event, BMW Motorsport notes that “In sim racing, the drivers each sit at home on their own race simulators. During the virtual driver changeover, the driver hands over the car to his team-mate, who could be sat in a different city, country, or even continent. Apart from the g-force, the physical demands are almost as great as in a real racing car. In the case of a crash, the car must return to the garage for repairs and wait an amount of time appropriate to the damage before it can return to the track. Race control can also impose time penalties.”
Eng, whose involvement in sim racing was described here in an earlier post said, “I am delighted to have finished runner-up and claimed the first podium for the BS+COMPETITION team. It was really good fun and my pulse was racing faster than in a real racing car because I did not have quite the same control as in a real car, partly because I am still lacking a bit of practice. However, the car was great, the set-up was perfect, and the strategy was also spot on. We worked perfectly as a team, which was key to us claiming a spot on the podium.”
IMSA Announces Six-Event iRacing Series
Sim racing is the only game in town as on-track events are shut down during the coronavirus pandemic. IMSA is among the sanctioning bodies expanding its presence in sim racing. It has just announced the IMSA iRacing Pro Series for GTLM cars, building on the start it made with the March 21 Sebring Super Saturday event. The series, including six events in all starting with Sebring, will air on Thursday nights.
IMSA will follow its Sebring sim race with five more 90-minute races.
Each race will be a 90-minute single-driver contest. The schedule is as follows:
- March 21 – IMSA Sebring SuperSaturday
- April 16 – WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
- April 30 – Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
- May 14 – IMSA venue to be determined
- May 28 – IMSA venue to be determined
- June 11 – Watkins Glen International
IMSA will establish a points system for the series. IMSA notes that, “All races will be streamed live on iRacing’s YouTube channel, Twitch channel, and Facebook page, which will include commentary from IMSA Radio announcer John Hindhaugh. Pre- and post-race programming also is planned for The Torque Show, hosted by Justin Bell and Tommy Kendall.”—Brian Morgan
[Photos courtesy BMW Motorsport.]
