The Le Mans Virtual Series season returns for a second season for 2022-23 and once again will feature some of the biggest names in racing, both real-world and virtual, from drivers, teams, venues, sponsors, and promotors.
A five-race season concludes with a full 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual race at the famed Circuit de la Sarthe in January of 2023. Before that, there are four events at tracks including Bahrain, Monza, Spa and Sebring to help set the stage for the big Le Mans finale.
What is the Le Mans Virtual Series?
The Le Mans Virtual Series is a sim racing esports racing competition that is competed virtually. A large number of teams and a larger number of talented drivers will compete in multi-class endurance racing across a multitude of virtual tracks.
What prize is up for grabs in the Le Mans Virtual Series?
There is a total prize fund of US $250,000 that will be split up throughout the season.
Which cars compete in the Le Mans Virtual Series?
There are two classifications of cars, the LMP2 and GTE, that will compete in the Le Mans Virtual Series again in the 2022-23 season.
LMP – Oreca 07 LMP2 – the Prototype field of 24 teams, the faster of the two classes.
GTE – Manufacturer-based tin-top racecars which include:
- Aston Martin Vantage GTE
- BMW M8 GTE
- Ferrari 488 GTE
- Porsche 911 RSR GTE
What platform does the Le Mans Virtual Series use?
The Le Mans Virtual Series uses the rFactor 2 simulation platform by Studio 397 and Motorsport Games.
How do teams enter the Le Mans Virtual Series?
They are selected via an entry process and approved by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest and Motorsport Games sanctioning bodies. For each subsequent year, the priority is existing teams, while new teams can apply if any gaps appear.
How are drivers selected for the Le Mans Virtual Series?
Drivers are decided by each respective team, where they are responsible to invite and organise before confirming with the Automobile Club de l’Ouest and Motorsport Games sanctioning bodies for the Le Mans Virtual Series.
One ‘Pro’ driver must race in the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual and at least one Le Mans Virtual Series race preceding the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual, this is required for each entered car.
A ‘Pro’ driver must be FIA Graded, but there are two small exceptions. One such is an FIA Super Licence holder, such as the 2021 Formula 1 World Champion Max Verstappen. The other exception is a real-world driver of exceptional or notable talent as decided upon by the ACO and Motorsport Games sanctioning bodies for the Le Mans Virtual Series.
If the ‘Pro’ driver is at a Bronze level grading, a Silver ‘Pro’ driver must join them for the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual.
What is the first Le Mans Virtual Series race?
The first race of the 2022-23 Le Mans Virtual Series is the 8 Hours of Bahrain.
When is the Le Mans Virtual Series’ 8 Hours of Bahrain?
The 8 Hours of Bahrain will take place on Saturday 17th September 2022, with qualifications starting the prior day, 16th September 2022.
How can I watch the Le Mans Virtual Series 8 Hours of Bahrain?
There will be multiple ways to watch, but we hope you watch it with us here on the Traxion.GG YouTube, Facebook and Twitch channels.
The 24 Heuers du Mans, FIA WEC and European Le Mans Series YouTube channels, plus the Facebook pages for the FIA WEC and the titular Le Mans Virtual will also carry the event live.
What time is the Le Mans Virtual Series 8 Hours of Bahrain qualifying?
The Le Mans Virtual Series qualifying for the 8 Hours of Bahrain will commence directly after the Le Mans Virtual Cup race on the same day and broadcast. Each of the two classifications will get their own 20-minute session.
- Le Mans Virtual Series GTE qualifying – Friday 16th September at 19:10 BST / 20:10 CEST / 11:10 PT / 14:10 ET
- Le Mans Virtual Series LMP qualifying – Friday 16th September at 19:40 BST / 20.40 CEST / 11:40 PT / 14:40 ET
What time is the Le Mans Virtual Series 8 Hours of Bahrain race?
The Le Mans Virtual Series 8 Hours of Bahrain will start on Saturday 17th September at 13:00 BST / 14:00 CEST / 05:00 PT / 08:00 ET.
Who are the stand-out drivers in the Le Mans Virtual Series 8 Hours of Bahrain?
Some of the top level talent that we will see in the opening round of the 2022-23 Le Mans Virtual Series include well-known real-world talent such as Alon Day, James Baldwin, Sérgio Sette Câmara and Dylan Pereira.
We’ll also see the likes of some of the best esports drivers around a multitude of different simulations, those drivers including Mitchell deJong, Diogo Pinto, Joshua Rogers and of course, Jeffrey Rietveld.
What is the Le Mans Virtual Series Cup?
The Le Mans Virtual Series Cup is a complimentary series to the Le Mans Virtual Series that is open to the rFactor 2 community. A four-race series that races adjacent to the main series with the chance of qualifying for a drive in the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual being the prize on the line.
You can watch the first race at Sebring before the qualifying sessions for the Le Mans Virtual Series 8 Hours of Bahrain on Friday, 16th September at 18:10 BST / 19:10 CEST / 10:10 PT / 13:10 ET.
When is the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual 2023?
The 2023 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual will happen on the 14th and 15th in January of 2023.
Le Mans Virtual Series 2022-23 Calendar
- Round 1 – 8 Hours of Bahrain, Bahrain – 17th September 2022
- Round 2 – 4 Hours of Monza, Italy – 8th October 2022
- Round 3 – 6 Hours of Spa, Belgium – 5th November 5 2022
- Round 4 – 500 Miles of Sebring, USA – 3rd December 2022
- Round 5 – 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual – 14th-15th January 2023
Le Mans Virtual Series 8 Hours of Bahrain entry list
40 teams with three drivers each will take part in the opening round of the series.
LMP ENTRY LIST
N° | LMP | CAR | No | DRIVER 1 | DRIVER 2 | DRIVER 3 |
1 | Team Redline | Oreca 07 LMP2 | 1 | Luke Bennett | Jeffrey Rietveld | Maximilian Benecke |
2 | Team Redline | Oreca 07 LMP2 | 2 | Josh Thompson | Michal Smidl | Diogo Pinto |
3 | Floyd Vanwall-Burst | Oreca 07 LMP2 | 4 | Jesper Pedersen | Jernej Simončič | Damian Skowron* |
4 | Williams Esports | Oreca 07 LMP2 | 5 | Sami-Matti Trogen (PRO) | Jack Keithley | Petar Brljak |
5 | R8G ESPORTS | Oreca 07 LMP2 | 8 | Jiri Toman | Erhan Jajovski | Marcell Csincsik |
6 | Pescarolo Esport Monaco | Oreca 07 LMP2 | 16 | Alon Day (PRO) | Thomas Imbourg | Csaba Kiss |
7 | R8G ESPORTS | Oreca 07 LMP2 | 18 | Martin Hemmingsen | Christopher Högfeldt | Ulas Ozyldirim |
8 | Porsche Coanda | Oreca 07 LMP2 | 20 | Mitchell deJong | Tommy Østgaard | Zac Campbell |
9 | SEM9 Axle Sports | Oreca 07 LMP2 | 21 | Naquib Azlan | Josh Purwien | Inigo Anton |
10 | Rocket Simsport | Oreca 07 LMP2 | 22 | Jordan Albert* | Sean Campbell | Ferris Stanley |
11 | Porsche Coanda | Oreca 07 LMP2 | 23 | Joshua Rogers | Mack Bakkum | Martin Krönke |
12 | YAS HEAT VELOCE | Oreca 07 LMP2 | 28 | Isaac Gillissen | Eamonn Murphy | Marko Pejic |
13 | Mexico Racing Team | Oreca 07 LMP2 | 29 | Alejandro Vargas | Alberto Gironella | Manuel De Samaniego |
14 | Alpine Esports | Oreca 07 LMP2 | 36 | Collin Spork | Rory MacDuff | Tom Lartilleux |
15 | ARC Bratislava | Oreca 07 LMP2 | 44 | Andrej Marecak* | Jakub Stofko | Erik Vizi |
16 | AMG Team Williams Esports | Oreca 07 LMP2 | 53 | Michael Romanidis | Nikodem Wisniewski | Jakub Brzezinski |
17 | Brabham Esports | Oreca 07 LMP2 | 62 | Devin Braune | Mika Hakimi | Borja Millan |
18 | AMG Team Petronas Esports | Oreca 07 LMP2 | 63 | James Baldwin (PRO) | Bono Huis | Graham Carroll |
19 | Panis Racing Team | Oreca 07 LMP2 | 65 | Florian Lebigre | Thibault Cazaubon | Yannick Lapchin |
20 | GR Vector eSport | Oreca 07 LMP2 | 86 | Jan Granqvist | Daniel Brewer | Tom Stevens |
21 | Arnage Competition | Oreca 07 LMP2 | 100 | Jimmy Antunes | Adam Pinczes | Janos Bracsok |
22 | GR Vector eSport | Oreca 07 LMP2 | 101 | Liam de Waal | Mattia Cruppi | Phillip Drayss* |
23 | Nextview Vanwall-Burst | Oreca 07 LMP2 | 444 | Sergio Sette Camara (PRO) | Michi Hoyer | Dawid Mroczek |
24 | Team Fordzilla | Oreca 07 LMP2 | 966 | Luke Browning (PRO) | Gianmarco Fiduci | Alessandro Ottaviani |
GTE ENTRY LIST
N° | GTE | CAR | No. | DRIVER 1 | DRIVER 2 | DRIVER 3 |
25 | MAHLE Racing Team | BMW M8 GTE | 10 | Michele D’Alessandro | Muhammed Patel | Eros Masciulli |
26 | Project 1 by Dörr Esports | Porsche 911 RSR GTE | 11 | Marc Gassner (PRO) | Moritz Löhner | Leonard Krippner |
27 | Inspeed Racing | Porsche 911 RSR GTE | 25 | Xiayufei Li | Yanzhe Li | Yaocheng Quan |
28 | SIM Maranello | Ferrari 488 GTE | 26 | Christian Malghera | Andrea Terzi | Gianluca Scalvini* |
29 | SF Velas Esports Team | Ferrari 488 GTE | 51 | Kasper Stoltze | Jordy Zwiers | Christian Michel |
30 | Satellite Racing | Aston Martin Vantage GTE | 64 | David Pittard (PRO) | Henri Sinik | Jimi Nisula |
31 | SIMMSA Esports | Ferrari 488 GTE | 66 | Ramez Azzam (PRO) | Sebastian Wunsch | Patrick Schindler |
32 | BMW Team Redline | BMW M8 GTE | 71 | Chris Lulham | Kevin Siggy | Enzo Bonito |
33 | Proton Coanda Esports | Porsche 911 RSR GTE | 77 | Dayne Warren | Charlie Collins | Paschalis Gkergkis |
34 | Proton Coanda Esports | Porsche 911 RSR GTE | 88 | Dylan Pereira (PRO) | Kevin van Dooren | Joni Takanen |
35 | BMW Team BS+COMPETITION | BMW M8 GTE | 89 | Bruno Spengler (PRO) | Ibraheem Khan | Joonas Raivio |
36 | Prodrive FYRA Esport | Aston Martin Vantage GTE | 95 | Lasse Sørensen (PRO) | Mikkel Gade | Lasse Bak |
37 | Oracle Red Bull Racing | Porsche 911 RSR GTE | 99 | Cooper Webster* | Yuri Kasdorp | Dennis Jordan |
38 | P1 Esport | Porsche 911 RSR GTE | 111 | Marcus Jensen | Turkka Häkkinen | Rasmus Busk |
39 | D’station Racing | Aston Martin Vantage GTE | 777 | Remi Delorme | Marc Veit | Toshiya Nojima |
40 | R8G ESPORTS | Ferrari 488 GTE | 888 | Alexander Smolyar (PRO) | Timotej Andonovski | Risto Kappet |
Full disclosure – Traxion.GG is part of Motorsport Games and the Motorsport Games family of brands. All Traxion.GG content is editorially removed from Motorsport Games video game development and created by a dedicated team. Traxion.GG is one of the official media partners of the Le Mans Virtual Series.