Racing legends, top current pro racers, and the best sim divers on the planet will all compete together Saturday at Le Mans in the final round of the ROKiT Triple Crown – Torque Esports’ ground-breaking virtual racing series.
After racing at Monaco and Indianapolis, respectively, in the opening rounds, Saturday’s schedule at Le Mans will feature individual races for the Legends Trophy, Pro Cup and Sim Masters classes – and then a final 45-minute combined race – mirroring the traffic challenges faced by drivers in the 24 hours of Le Mans.
Brazilian ex-Formula 1 ace Rubens Barrichello returns to the championship after competing in the recent 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual as a teammate of All-Stars Legends Trophy points leader, Fernando Alonso.
“I had a great time preparing for Le Mans with Fernando and jumped at the opportunity to come back and race in the All-Star Series on Saturday,” Barichello said.
“I managed to come away with a win the last time I raced in the series, but this weekend will not be easy. The final race with all three classes all racing together will be a great challenge that replicates the real thing.
“We’ve also taken our great Allinsports livery from Le Mans with Fernando and made a Brazilian flag version for the Triple Crown – it looks amazing, and I can’t wait to race it on Saturday.”
The Legends Trophy points battle is led by two-time Formula 1 champion Alonso on 156 ahead of two-time Indy 500 winner, Juan Pablo Montoya (153). Other race winners in the Legends Trophy division of the Triple Crown include three-time World Touring Car Champion Andy Priaulx and Alonso at Monaco and 2009 Formula 1 World Champion Jenson Button and 2009 Le Mans 24 Hour overall winner David Brabham at Indy.
Another front-running star to keep an eye out for this week will be five-time Le Mans winner Emanuele Pirro. The Italian All-Star series star won Le Mans for Audi in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2006 and 2007.
Williams Esports driver Augustin Canapino leads the Pro Cup points on 144 from sports car racer Job van Uitert on 129 with Nissan e.dams Formula E racer Oliver Rowland and French Le Mans racer Tom Dillmann on 125.
The Sim Masters points battle will be fought out between title leader Liam de Waal (130), Muhammad Patil (128), and Dutch Indy racer winner Yuri Kasdorp (122).
The Legends Trophy drivers will race the Oreca LMP2-spec prototype chassis while the Pro Cup stars will drive the Norma LMP3-spec chassis – both cars available in the rFactor 2 game used for the All-Star Series.
We’re racing at Le Mans this week in the final round of the @ROKiTPhonesUK #TripleCrown.
???? ⏩ Fast forward your way around Circuit de la Sarthe with @alo_oficial.???? Watch Saturday on:
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???????? Live on @Eurosport_UK pic.twitter.com/ZBePLFUEmw— The Race (@wearetherace) June 24, 2020
The Sim Masters racers will do battle aboard the Callaway Corvette C7 GT3-spec car.
The final round of the Triple Crown will again be shown on ESPN in the US, Eurosport in the UK and across the world on The-Race.com’s YouTube channel.
“Having the chance for our esports racers to compete in a three-race championship at Monaco, Indy, and Le Mans has been an incredible opportunity, and the title battles are going down the wire,” event creator and Torque Esports President and CEO, Darren Cox said.
“We’re looking forward to bringing all three classes together for a classic Le Mans battle in the final race. Fighting through traffic is a key element of Le Mans and we’re looking forward to seeing this virtually.”
Saturday’s race starts at 17:00 UK / 18:00 in Europe / 12:00 noon US Eastern / 9:00am US Pacific.
Founded on the eve of the canceled opening round of the Formula 1 championship back in March, The Race All-Star Series powered by ROKiT Phones has attracted some of the biggest names in the sport including multiple Formula 1 World Champions, Indy 500 winners and 24 Hours of Le Mans winners.
