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Track guide for the Le Mans Virtual Series 24 hour race

It all comes down to one final endurance race. After a thrilling season, the Le Mans Virtual Series culminates with the 24 Hours of Le Mans around the famous Circuit de la Sarthe.

It all comes down to one final endurance race. After a thrilling season, the Le Mans Virtual Series culminates with the 24 Hours of Le Mans around the famous Circuit de la Sarthe.

The world’s best online sportscar racers will do battle one last time to scoop a share of the $250,000 prize fund on offer.

The season finale was due to take place in front of a live audience at the Autosport International Show, but with the news that the 31st edition of the NEC event will be postponed, the Le Mans Virtual Series final will now take place online on 15-16th January, 2022.

The 24-hour race will be hosted from Paris with a live TV broadcast that will be streamed across the world at www.lemansvirtual.com and on Twitch, Facebook and YouTube, courtesy of Traxion.gg.

Prior to the final round of the online series, an animated track guide of the Circuit de la Sarthe has been created in association with LEGO® Technic™ - the Official Engineering Partner to the Le Mans Virtual Series - which features the beautiful LEGO Technic models of the Porsche 911 RSR and AF Corse #51 Ferrari 488 GTE.

The road course at Le Mans is one of the oldest and most famous circuits in all of motorsport, having hosted the very first Grand Prix back in 1906. The familiar Circuit de la Sarthe layout was opened in 1923 and the French track remains one of the longest in the world, stretching to 8.467-miles (13.626km).

The track’s owners, Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO), organise the famous Le Mans 24 Hours every year, which is part of the FIA World Endurance Championship. A joint venture between the two organisations and Motorsport Games has culminated in the virtual 24 hour Le Mans race, which is the fifth and final round of the Le Mans Virtual Series.

The round-the-clock event will test the limits of endurance for the competitors who will require maximum focus particularly as the GTE runners will take approximately 3m46s to complete the 38-corner lap.

However, with drivers on full throttle for 85 per cent of the time, it’s the long straights of Mulsanne that will dictate setup as teams will seek to reduce drag by running with minimum downforce to enable top speeds in excess of 190mph (307km/h).

There are a number of key corners on the lap for spectators to keep an eye on. In addition to the tricky opening sequence at the Dunlop Chicane, the critical right-hander at Tertre Rouge requires a clean exit which is vital to carry momentum onto the first part of the Mulsanne Straight. 

On the return loop back to the pits, Arnage is one of the slowest corners on the lap and the tight right-hander must be defended from those behind looking to attack for position.

Watch for racers blocking the inside, but then compromising their exit for the flat-out blast into the super-quick Porsche Curves that follow. With little run-off, it is paramount drivers negotiate this section of track with the utmost precision as the smallest of errors could have significant consequences. 

Last time out, the 500 miles of Sebring was won by Rebellion GPX Esports in the LMP class with Agustin Canapino, Nikodem Wisniewski and Kuba Brzezinski at the wheel. The GTE category was secured by BMW Team Redline thanks to Rudy van Buren, Kevin Siggy and Enzo Bonito.

Sebring was the latest in a series of thrilling races that have taken in some of the world’s most iconic sportscar venues, including Monza, Spa and the Nürburgring. The final online round on the rFactor 2 simulation platform will be the epic 24 Hour Le Mans Virtual - but who will emerge on top to be crowned this year’s winner? Don’t miss it!

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