24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual


The 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual was a sim racing esports event held over 13–14 June 2020. It was held as a placeholder for the postponed 2020 24 Hours of Le Mans in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The event was hosted on rFactor 2.

Background

Given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in France, the 2020 24 Hours of Le Mans was postponed from its' usual date in mid-June to the 19th and 20th of September. In its' place, the Automobile Club de l'Ouest, FIA World Endurance Championship and Motorsport Games chose to host a simulated race on the original dates using the rFactor 2 service. The ACO allocated a maximum of 50 entries, 30 Le Mans Prototypes and 20 LM GTE cars. Each entry consisted of 4 drivers, two of which were required to be FIA-licensed drivers.

Results

Race classification

Reception

The event was generally considered a success. The ACO, FIA WEC and Motorsport Games were praised for the quality of event organisation and the number of big-name drivers attracted to the event, leading Charles Leclerc to state his intention to enter the real race in the future. Conversely, the rFactor software was criticised for its' connection issues and ultimately led to two red-flag periods due to server crashes.