Swiss-based racing simulator venue Racing Unleashed is currently running two LAN championships with a total prize pool of €200,000 across the whole season.
With racing sim centres in Munich, Madrid and four in Switzerland, Racing Unleashed runs its Racer League and Challengers League exclusively from its fully kitted out premises, with drivers ensconced in Formula 1-style cockpits replete with triple screens and a motion rig platform.
Racing Unleashed’s state-of-the-art simulators are also installed with Assetto Corsa Pro software, helping replicate just about any track and car combination on the planet.
20 drivers are locked into the top-tier Racer League – codenamed “Beyond the Pinnacle” for 2023 – including Apex Racing Team’s (and 2021 Racing Unleashed champion) Alejandro Sánchez, current Racer League leader and Team Redline driver Michal Šmídl and current GT Challenge competitor Vojtech Polesny, among others, with the elite drivers receiving the lion’s share of the prize pot.
However, although the Racer League roster is locked in for 2023, interested parties can still qualify for the Challengers League by attending qualifying sessions at Racing Unleashed venues, with a total of 22 spaces available across its Madrid, Munich, Zurich, Cham and Kemptthal locations.
Challengers League drivers can still win a significant amount of money, though, with the championship winner taking home around €2,500 (plus €500 for every race victory). The championship winner will also be promoted to the Racer League in 2024, earning the chance to fight for bigger prizes.
The final ‘Battle for Glory’ race event in December comes with its own prize pool totalling nearly €50,000 across both championships.
With controversy surrounding some professional esports leagues over alleged cheating, LAN events offer a near-guaranteed level playing field among competitors, with an informal lounge-like atmosphere encouraged by Racing Unleashed to keep the experience fun and relaxed.
Racing Unleashed background
Racing Unleashed was formed in 2018 by Francisco Fernandez as a way to help the general public experience racing sims in a professional environment, through venue participation or through purchasing a Racing Unleashed sim rig.
The business soon caught the interest of former Sauber Formula One Team CEO, Team Principal and Co-owner Monisha Kaltenborn who became Racing Unleashed’s (then called Formula V) CEO in 2019.
It soon grew to include six venues across Europe, aiding the British Formula 4 Championship Racing Star programme to put a virtual racer on the British F4 grid in 2023, leading to Deagen Fairclough’s appearance in the series this year.
Players can qualify for Challengers League events at participating venues now, with more details available on the Racing Unleashed website.
The first Prologue event in the Racer League commences on the 21st of April, with all rounds broadcast live on Racing Unleashed’s YouTube channel with a professional team of commentators.
As one of the largest-paying events in sim racing esports, are you looking forward to watching the Racer League from Racing Unleashed? Let us know in the comments below.
For more information on Racing Unleashed and Monisha Kaltenborn, check out our Traxion.GG podcast interview with her from 2021.
Racing Unleashed Racer League 2023 calendar
- Prologue – Nürburgring – 21/4/23
- Round 1 – Silverstone – Challenger League 28/4/23 – Racer League 29/4/23
- Round 2 – Red Bull Ring – Challenger League 26/5/23 – Racer League 27/5/23
- Round 3 – Mugello – Challenger League 9/6/23 – Racer League 10/6/23
- Round 4 – Imola – Challenger League 23/6/23 – Racer League 24/6/23
- Round 5 – Zurich Airport – Challenger League 28/7/23 – Racer League 29/7/23
- Round 6 – Monza – Challenger League 1/9/23 – Racer League 2/9/23
- Round 7 – Barcelona – Challenger League 29/9/23 – Racer League 30/9/23
- Round 8 – Spa – Challenger League 27/10/23 – Racer League 28/10/23
- Round 9 – Laguna Seca – Challenger League 17/11/23 – Racer League 18/11/23
- Round 10 – Battle for Glory – TBC – Challenger League 8/12/23 – Racer League 9/12/23
Featured image courtesy of Racing Unleashed
