And in just a few short weeks into self-isolation, it’s not just returning punches; it’s dropping bombs and that’s most evident in the rapid mainstream penetration of online motorsport.
Most international race categories and/or drivers are now pivoting to provide motorsport fans a new digitised experience. Live broadcast e-sports and highly entertaining simulated racing events that would otherwise be impossible in real life are now possible, at the drop of a hat and for a fraction of the cost.
Not that e-racing is cheap. Professional sim racing set-ups can cost tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of dollars.
What you must know about e-racing is that it’s not simply playing video games.
Using incredibly powerful simulation software capable of accurately modelling every minutia of vehicle physics, track conditions, tyre degradation and aerodynamics, along with that expensive simulator hardware, the racing experience for drivers is very challenging.
Lacking only the seat of the pants feeling you get from real world racing, e-racing is decidedly tricky. Even accomplished racers on some of the more popularised racing platforms like Gran Turismo or Project Cars would struggle to make a full lap without crashing. Simulator use is commonplace by most race teams these days, and the accepted credibility from motorsport fans of sims as a training device brings credibility to e-sports as well.