Le Mans Virtual Series to return, expected 2025 qualifying and 2026 finale

• Banner sim racing competition set for a 2025/26 revival
• Will use Le Mans Ultimate, instead of rFactor 2
• Qualifying provisionally scheduled for Q4 of this year, ahead of a 2026 ‘final’
• Event structure to be announced at a later date

Le Mans Ultimate’s recent addition of multiplayer driver swaps and the conclusion of a recent mass-participation multiplayer race look to have paved the way for the Le Mans Virtual Series to return.

Spawned in 2020 as a solo 24 Hour race to plug a gap left by the Covid-19-affected real-world race (which was postponed until later in the year), it then evolved into a multi-round championship for two seasons – 2021-22 and 2022-23.

Each saw a mixture of real-world motorsport driving talent paired with professional sim racing teams, notable sponsors and extensive live coverage, which last time out included not just online streams, but global television output.

The 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual was also beset by technical issues and a rather public rant from four-time world champion Max Verstappen – the combination of which made the organisers shy about a return.

Now that Le Mans Ultimate has exited early access and completed initial testing, however, it is set to replace the outgoing rFactor 2 for a revived competition.

“Now that team events have been incorporated into the product experience, we can accelerate our plan to bring the world’s biggest racing esports event back into focus,” said Motorsport Games CEO Stephen Hood during a recent earnings presentation.

“Le Mans Virtual will be returning, with the final expected to be held next year and early qualifying rounds appearing in Q4 of this year.”

The Le Mans Virtual Series incorporated several long-distance, multi-class, multi-driver races, plus the banner 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual.

Since the last season, the RaceControl multiplayer system has been implemented, first in rFactor 2 and now in Le Mans Ultimate, providing native ranking systems and special events.

Theoretically, qualification could be through this system, or lengthy mass-participation events could run parallel to the main esports series. The exact structure and qualifying format for its return is yet to be unveiled, however.

“Now that we have an official Le Mans product in full swing, we are excited to leverage the latest technology in the return of what we hope will be a great spectacle and marketing vehicle for our evergreen game, Le Mans Ultimate and multiplayer platform, RaceControl,” continued Hood.

During the inaugural ‘driver swap’ test race earlier this month, the 6h of Qatar, over 6,000 drivers and more than 1,700 teams participated.