Angus sportscar ace Sandy Mitchell is going wheel to wheel this weekend with newly-crowned F1 World Champion Max Verstappen in the world’s biggest esports racing event.
Dutchman Verstappen heads a star-studded field for the virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans – the online version of the French endurance classic.
And Forfar 21-year-old Lamborghini racer Mitchell cannot wait to pit himself against Red Bull’s hero.
Verstappen headlines a grid packed with real world talent and the greatest global gamers.
And with a staggering $250,000 prize fund on offer in the Le Mans series, there’s more than just racing reputations at stake.
“It’s going to be really cool – especially to race against the new Formula One World Champion,” said Mitchell.
A two-time real world winner in the gruelling 24 Hours of Spa, 2020 British GT champ Mitchell knows what it takes to triumph in twice-round-the-clock endurance events.
He’s joining crack Abu Dhabi outfit Yas Heat for the blue riband climax to a four-round series which kicked off in September at Monza in Italy.
And he’s ready for a taste of what seven-time champ Sir Lewis Hamilton experienced in the thrilling 2021 Formula One season battle with Max.
Mitchell added: “Normally the top-level sim racers have a wee bit of an edge in virtual events because of their experience of gaming.
“But Max is known in the online racing community for being just as good on the sim as he is in an F1 car – so that’s fast.”
The LeMans virtual event
The 24-hour race will be hosted from Paris with a live TV broadcast streamed across the world at www.lemansvirtual.com and on Twitch, Facebook and YouTube.
In 2020, the 25-hour global broadcast reached a staggering 14.2 million television viewers and had 8.6 million online views.
It is raced on the rFactor 2 simulation platform and gets under way at 1pm UK time on Saturday.
The 50 teams on the grid each have two professional racing drivers and two sim pros.
Circuit de La Sarthe at Le Mans is a legendary 8.4-mile track, much of it using closed-off public roads in real life.
Top racers reach speeds of more than 200 miles per hour on the famous Mulsanne Straight.
Every aspect of the real race – tyre-wear, damage, pit stops, penalties and changing weather – is replicated in the online simulation.
As a factory driver for Lamborghini’s Squadra Corse motorsport division, Mitchell usually pilots a mighty V10 Huracan GT3 Evo.
This weekend he will be behind the wheel of an Oreca LMP2 machine – the top category of two classes in the virtual 24H.
Learning curve
The British Racing Drivers’ Club SuperStars scheme ace added: “This all came about just before Christmas, so it’s been a busy time.
“There’s a lot to learn.
“The car is completely new to me and the racing is on a different platform to the one I’ve done most of my virtual racing on.
“I’ve been spending a lot of time on the sim. I think we’ll be competitive – but there are so many really fast teams.
“There’s a lot to play for.
“It’s a great opportunity and of course you want to do well for yourself, and for the reputation of the real world racers.
“The pre-race nerves are still there and they will be when I get in the car.
“But then you just focus on the race.”
The former Dundee High School pupil is familiar with legendary circuits like Silverstone, Brands Hatch, Monza in Italy and Belgium’s Spa-Francorchamps.
“Le Mans is an iconic track.
“I’ve yet to race there in real life so this is a great way to prepare for hopefully going there as my career develops.”
However, he admits there’s one clear benefit of being at home in rural Angus for the online challenge.
“At 24 hour races you do what you can to try to get some rest between stints.
“But the noise of the engines is always there in the background.
“So it’ll be quite nice to nip through to my own bed to grab a few hours’ sleep!”
