The longest race of the Le Mans Virtual Series prior to the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual in January takes place this weekend, the 8 Hours of Nürburgring. The third of five rounds for the 2021-22 season will perhaps be the biggest challenge yet for the 114 pro and sim race drivers due to pilot the 38 prototype and GTE entries (entry list) on the famously difficult 21 km/13 mile Nordschleife circuit in Germany. Over 100 corners, dramatic climbs and drops, blind crests and little run-off area can easily catch out even the most experienced so expect plenty of action. How will our Le Mans Virtual Series competitors fare on this legendary track, especially the LMP2 entrants as these cars have never raced on the Nordschleife in real life?
The live broadcast will feature lead commentary by the voice of the FIA World Endurance Championship, Martin Haven, together with Chris McCarthy and Lewis McGlade and will begin at 12:30 pm (GMT) (13:30 CET / 07:30 am ET). Full details of how and when to follow the broadcast and all the action is detailed in the visual above and below.
The first two rounds of esports world’s top endurance racing championship were action-packed and with close and unpredictable racing in both LMP and GTE categories. The No.4 Floyd ByKolles Burst entry holds a narrow 2-point lead at the top of the LMP standings, although Spa winner No.123 Team Redline and its star driver line up which includes Felix Rosenqvist (IndyCar) and Bono Huis (2021 rFactor2 Formula Pro Series champion) will be pushing hard for a second consecutive victory. Chasing them hard is the No.22 GPX Rebellion Williams which this weekend sees Williams F1 reserve driver Jack Aitken in its line-up. In GTE it’s even closer with the No.91 Porsche Esports Team and the No.71 BMW Team Redline both tied at the head of the standings following one win and one second place apiece. The Aston Martin, Corvette and Ferrari entries will all be chasing for more points this weekend, and this class is likely to be as fiercely contested as ever.
The series brings together top-level real-life drivers such as Jenson Button, Alex Palou, Stoffel Vandoorne and Louis Deletraz and some of the world’s best sim racers to compete together in 5 endurance races of between 4 hours and 24 hours in duration and concludes with the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual which will take place live at the Autosport International show in Birmingham, UK in January 2022.
And here’s when you can follow the races, live and uninterrupted:
Friday, Nov 12: (all times GMT)
18:00 Qualifying show live (not available on WEC or 24 Heures du Mans channels)
18:10 – 18:30 Qualifying GTE
18:40 – 19:00 Qualifying LMP
Saturday, Nov 13:
09:00 – 11:00 Warm up
12:30 Le Mans Virtual Series show live
13:00 8 Hours of Nürburgring – RACE
