Formula E is looking for new ways to engage fans on and off the track and it believes virtual racing could be the answer. The electric racing series held its first "Race Off" event on Saturday, featuring drivers Bruno Senna and Nicolas Prost. The event, which was held at London’s Gfinity Arena, saw the two professional drivers race against fans on the virtual streets of Long Beach -- and on a made-up street course in Rio. Formula E organizers were happy with how the event went and made clear that this is only the beginning. “There’s a huge potential for this concept,” Formula E CEO Alejandro Agag said. “This is a way to capture the attention of new fans, of young fans. Particularly the kids are very into video games, but not so much into motorsport. This is a way to get to a public that is otherwise very difficult to reach.” The battery-powered racing series, which launched in ’14, has already put motorsports in the heart of 10 cities around the world. The video game angle, however, could take the interaction between drivers and spectators to another level. “I would like to have a virtual championship in which our professional drivers also fight each other on the racetrack,” Agag said. “We could even imagine that every Friday before the real race there’s a virtual race. That would be something we could do all over the world. We want to go much deeper into the virtual racing.”
UP AGAINST THE PROS: The man behind Formula E did not specify a timetable for the launch of such a championship, but he made clear what motivates fans to participate is the opportunity to race against the series' real drivers. Formula E already provides fans with an opportunity to impact races through its “Fan Boost” feature. The feature allows fans to vote for their favorite drivers and provide them with an extra boost of energy power during the race. Senna, who beat Prost in the head-to-head race on the console, believes virtual racing has a future in Formula E. “I think eSports is the future, especially when getting people into sports and interacting with the fans," he said. "Video games and computers are getting closer and closer to reality."
WINNERS AND LOSERS: Everyone who attended the event could take a crack at the iconic Long Beach street circuit in the "Forza Motorsport 6" video game on the Xbox One. The 16 fastest drivers of the open time trials then advanced to the semifinals. The top three finishers of each semifinal race along with Senna and Prost then competed in the grand final, which featured the fictional Rio course. Prost and Senna finished seventh and eighth, respectively, in the final, which was won by Zak Scholes who became first Race Off fan trophy. The day concluded with the main event, the virtual duel between Senna and Prost.
ROBORACE UPDATE: Late last year Formula E and Kinetic announced a driverless support series called Roborace. The racing series will function as the host of the new competition, while the investment company will be its promoter. The initial press release in November provided only vague details about the series, and there won’t be much to add for at least another year. “The main job is to work on the cars,” Agag said. “It will take 12-18 months to put everything together.” He did not provide a clearer image of what type of cars the series will use. Will they look similar to Formula E cars? Or more like a touring car? Will they be life-size or rather remote-controlled races? The only thing Agag said is that there are some fascinating challenges to overcome before Roborace will get going. He also said that some of the Formula E teams have expressed interest in the concept.
