Video Game Racing Finally has its Villain
Drama at the Gran Turismo finals and a new-style car show in Long Beach.
A weekly newsletter by Ryan K. ZumMallen | @zoomy575m
Happy Race Day, especially to NASCAR phenom Hailie Deegan who (correctly) said “Screw stock car racing” after hopping out of an IndyCar.
I really enjoy dipping my toe into the world of e-racing. Online motorsports is quickly growing in participation and popularity. Race Service and EdgeTV hosted a night of friendly competition in L.A. last week to put the latest tech on display.
I’ve been a pretty accomplished game racer, but those days are long past. Put me in a motion-actuated race seat, with a VR headset and steering wheel and pedals and manual transmission, and I’m a total n00b. On the Project Cars 2 game with RallyCross drift cars I was out of my league, slicing six seconds off my time by the second round and still getting dusted by about half of the field.
But it was fun! And it’s easy to imagine getting sucked into the competition and training non-stop to beat the best. That’s what EdgeTV has in mind. The network hosts these events to create content round the best regional drivers.
Is this a strategy that can compete with the top gaming platforms and attract racers moving up the pack? I can’t wait to find out.
Culture
The iconic video game Gran Turismo held its latest world tour stop in New York City over the weekend. The competition brings the world’s best gamers together to compete for real prizes and shots at elevating their status in the racing world.
Drama unfolded in the final round of the Nations Cup, which pits the top individual drivers against one another to represent their home country. The drivers are no slouches. Several are signed to real-life race teams and support their career with online gaming. They know what they’re doing. Real stakes are on the line.
Screenshot captured via Gran Turismo page on YouTube.
So when defending Nations champ Igor Fraga of Brazil led the race on Lap 17 of 20 he wasn’t letting it go. Racing up the famous Eau Rouge turn on the Spa-Francorchamps course he let off the throttle and coasted with little-known Belgian racer Mikail Hizal hot on his tail. The move caused Hizal to lose momentum that could have secured a win. Fraga would eventually re-take the lead, and win by a large enough margin that a 5-second penalty for the move didn’t affect the outcome.
In speaking with gamers who were there, about half thought the Fraga move was dirty and the other half called it fair. Some felt Hizal protested too much and quit racing for the win following the incident. You can see them all clamoring around a screen to watch a replay of the incident here.
What’s clear is that Gran Turismo loved it. The event filled nearly every spectator seat in the middle of Times Square. Even if the tickets were free, that is no small feat. And now the series has an interesting dilemma: should rules that were designed to keep drivers safe in the real world be upheld in the virtual world? Sure, fairness is important. But is safety?
Plus, in Fraga and Hizal, Gran Turismo has its first heated feud. After the race, Fraga played it coy and suggested his tactic was simply a racing move. Later he admitted he slowed on purpose to frazzle Hizal, who put it plainly: “If you need to win the Nations Cup in a dirty way, then I guess I’ll need to change my driving style.” Gran Turismo now has a rivalry. And perhaps, in Fraga, it may have the best thing possible. A villain.
The desire for Litwood is growing.
Video Reel
After what felt like eons in the dark ages, Formula One is finally figuring out how to create interesting content. Here are 10 times F1 teams tried to bend the rules. (No. 1 is such a pure, flagrant attempt at cheating I could cry.)
The German touring car series DTM celebrated 500 races in its history this weekend, and posted a nice tribute to some of its greatest moments. Bonus points for a montage of drivers flipping each other off!
Want to know where the unhealthy obsession with “slow car fast” comes from? Here’s Jay Leno in two classics from the vintage rally era. It forces him to exclaim, “We gotta bring back Group B!”
Race Results
Virginia International Raceway is a famous track. But it ain’t big. So the WeatherTech IMSA Sportscar Championship left its top-level prototypes at home and reserved VIR for the sports cars. Like screaming Porsches fighting off American muscle — and each other? You got it.
Fun stuff as always in DTM, this time at the Lausitzring. [Race 1 and Race 2.]
The title is all but wrapped up in the Australian Supercars series but that doesn’t make it any less fun. Watch them attack OTR SuperSprint. [Race 1 and Race 2.]
What a season for IndyCar. A thrilling photo finish, a last-second spin and a miraculous pass between rivals for the season championship. All in one race in St. Louis.
I’m only going to say this once: Stop trying to make Santino Ferucci happen.
Ask A Millennial! Kadi Erickson, 24
I had the good fortune to meet Kadi and tour the inaugural holding of her Shore Shifters event in Long Beach this weekend. It featured lovely beach views, certified good pups and Radwood-era beauties like her own Audi A4 Avant. Bless this woman. Here’s an edited version of our conversation:
I created Shore Shifters to bring the diverse car community in Long Beach together. My goal is to create a neighborly car community here, where there are no competitions, no cliques, and no awards. Shore Shifters is an event focused on good folks and shared automotive enthusiasm, which for me, are the most important things at a car event.
The community vibe is what has kept me invested in local car culture. Finding people who share the same passion is invigorating! I'm always learning something new, and I'm amazed at how much some folks are willing to help each other.
As both a biologist and a car enthusiast, the intersection of nature and driving gives me not just a good day of driving, but a sense of place. I love the crisp, woodland air up in the mountains, and downshifting into wildflower-adorned corners on a spirited cruise is satisfying. I definitely also enjoy coastal cruising, being a native Californian. Regardless of the location, 70s and 80s jams keep my drive upbeat!
And Finally…
Budding racer and friend of the Race Day newsletter Dakota Dickerson is now your F3 Americas champion! Congrats to Dakota as he continues his dream of hunting for an IndyCar seat.
Drive hard and be safe.
Want your event included? Shoot me a note with subject line “Race Day” at ryan@carrarabooks.com.