Esports
By RACER Staff June 30, 2022 9:53 AM
By RACER Staff | June 30, 2022 9:53 AM ET
The world’s top Esports competitors are set to battle it out on the Assetto Corsa Competizione platform in the 2022 FIA Motorsport Games, to be staged October 26-30 in Marseille, France.
Each FIA National Sporting Authorities (ASNs) can nominate a single driver for the Esports competition, which was known as the “Digital Cup” in the inaugural FIA Motorsport Games in 2019 in Italy.
The 2022 competition will utilize the Assetto Corsa Competizione platform with racers competing in virtual GT3 cars — digital versions of the same cars that will compete in GT, GT Sprint, and Endurance disciplines at the event.
The inaugural FIA Motorsport Games gold medalist in the discipline was Australian driver Cody Nikola Latkovski, who qualified second fastest for the event in 2019 and took victory in Semi-Final B before taking the gold medal.
With part of the goal of the FIA Motorsport Games to introduce competitors from non-traditional motorsport countries, the 2019 silver medalist was a standout performer — Costa Rica’s Bernal Valverde finishing runner-up ahead of Italian bronze medal winner Stefano Conte.
A knock-out format will decide the 20 finalists for the Esports FIA Motorsport Games competition. More than 80 individual racers from countries around the world are expected to compete in the event, all racing for national pride at Circuit Paul Ricard’s Mistral Hall, overlooking the famous Mistral Straight at the home of the French Grand Prix.
Competition in the Esports discipline will begin on Thursday, October 27, with the final taking place on Saturday evening, October 29. This event is expected to feature the largest number of entries of any discipline in the second edition of the Games.
The Assetto Corsa Competizione platform, produced by Italian developer Kunos Simulazioni, utilizes 3D computer graphics game platform Unreal Engine 4 to ensure photo-realistic weather conditions and graphics, night races and motion capture animations. It sets a new standard in terms of driving realism and immersion, thanks to its further improved tire and aerodynamic models.
For the 2022 FIA Motorsport Games, Kunos Simulazioni will make a custom build of the circuit for the event.
“The FIA Motorsport Games are an exceptional opportunity for Esports competitors to compete for medals alongside traditional race drivers,” said FIA Esports Commission President Niroshan Pereira. “Working hand in hand with ASNs, we strongly believe that the FIA Motorsport Games Esports discipline can help to introduce competitors from non-traditional motorsport countries and unearth stars of the future.
“We are delighted to be able to work with Kunos Simulazioni and use their Assetto Corsa Competizione product at this occasion. It is one of the most popular esports titles in the industry, as well as among our ASNs, so being able to collaborate with them is great.”
Marco Massarutto, co-founder and Executive Manager of Kunos Simulazioni, said: “We are very pleased to be the choice of the FIA for the Motorsport Games, as with Assetto Corsa Competizione we raised the bar even higher than with Assetto Corsa, bringing the thrill of real racing simulation to a very high number of countries, that we are looking forward to see competing in an event where each of the sim racers can make his or her nation proud.
“We love racing and sports, and with Assetto Corsa Competizione each player has the opportunity to prove that skills, focus, and dedication can make the same difference in Esports like when racing on a real track.”
An “American Track Pack DLC” for Assetto Corsa launched today, featuring laser-scanned recreations of iconic U.S. tracks including Watkins Glen International, Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Circuit of The Americas. The DLC is available on PC via Steam for $17.99.
AK Informatica will support the FIA Motorsport Games as the Esports production partner, coordinating the qualifier stages and producing the live-stream broadcast.
Entries for the 2022 FIA Motorsport Games opened June 15 via the dedicated FIA registration platform. Competitors wishing to represent their country are encouraged to contact their respective National Sporting Authorities, a full list of which can be found here.
