Last week Ford invited Team VVV to the launch announcement of the new UK division of their ever-expanding Fordzilla Esports Team. Ford revealed their UK Captain ‘Leah’ as well as giving us a general overview of their plans as they enter the competitive world of Esports. Ford has been around video games for many years […]
InterviewsEsports
This week Fanatec revealed the much anticipated Gran Turismo DD Pro Wheel. Essentially the PlayStation version of the Fanatec CSL DD released earlier this year. Of course the DD Pro includes the official Gran Turismo rim, designed in cooperation with Polyphony. This rim featuring a design similar to that of the Thrustmaster wheel, it is […]
NewsLast week saw the announcement of the 2021 Ferrari Esports Series. Following on from the success of their previous competition, Ferrari have long supported various Esport activities. Now with their achievements in F1 Esports and a great driver line-up, they have both the driver names and a growing footprint in the Esport scene. Ferrari is […]
NewsWRC already feature a strong Esports structure and are now aiming build on that with their latest program entitled the ‘FIA Rally Star’. This involves NACON, KT Racing and the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) coming together in delivering a wonderful opportunity for a rally fan to potentially become a professional rally driver. In many […]
NewsIf I had asked Ferrari to join an Esport series 20 years ago, I would have been laughed out of the room. Indeed 10 years ago I did speak to various major manufacturers in relation to automotive gaming activity, and yes, still laughed out of the room. Even up till 2018 Ferrari were reticent about […]
NewsPublisher NACON and development studio KT Racing, in collaboration with WRC Promoter, have announced that Toyota Gazoo Racing will become the presenting sponsor of the 2020 and 2021 eSports WRC competitions. The announcement celebrates Toyota’s recent unveiling of the new Toyota GR Yaris – a performance car born from Toyota’s title-winning experience in the World […]
NewsThe sports world has been in disarray since the lock-down; however, racing games have been one of those to move swiftly and relatively seamlessly into the world of Esports. Meanwhile, MotoGP has been gradually developing with arguably the most comprehensive coverage, this demonstrating that despite the different inputs, bike racing can be just as exciting […]
NewsEarlier this year I was invited to Monaco for the start of the 2020 WRC season and to take part in a rather special invitational WRC Esport event. I confess I hadn’t played WRC 8 for some time and up against Gamermuscle, Super GT and Yannis Greekman, I knew I had my work cut out […]
NewsToday Lamborghini announced their entry into the burgeoning Esports industry, along with their virtual one-make series The Real Race in partnership with Assetto Corsa Competizione by Kunos Simulazioni. Details provided announce the tournament will start on 29 May with five qualifier weekends, before culminating in a live final at Lamborghini’s headquarters in Sant’Agata Bolognese, Italy. […]
NewsCOVID-19 is changing the world as we know it, from sport and entertainment, to work and family life. Following the massive success of the racing Esports streams last weekend, Formula 1 has been quick to seize on the opportunity, announcing that this would become a regular occurrence in establishing the new F1 Esports Virtual Grand […]
NewsFord has announced it has an all-new racing car in the works – and it wants the racing game community to have a hand in designing it. According to the car maker, the upcoming machine (known only by its “Team Fordzilla P1” code name) will be unlike anything else that’s been made by the company […]
NewsSeason 5 of the long-running Esports WRC competition will begin today kicking off proceedings at the world-famous Rallye Monte-Carlo. The new season (which utilises the WRC 8 title) will be marked with an invitational wildcard event which will see the winner gain direct entry to the Esports WRC final. You can catch the Rallye Monte […]
NewsLast week Ford invited Team VVV to the launch announcement of the new UK division of their ever-expanding Fordzilla Esports Team. Ford revealed their UK Captain ‘Leah’ as well as giving us a general overview of their plans as they enter the competitive world of Esports. Ford has been around video games for many years […]
InterviewsLast weekend saw the world finals of the 2019 Esports WRC Championship take place in Wales, right next to the paddock of this year’s Wales Rally GB. Team VVV were invited along to see proceedings and get an insight into how an event such as this is run as well as take in the general […]
FeaturesLohan “NEXL” Blanc has won the 2019 Esports WRC Championship powered by Hyundai. The 20-year old Frenchman put in a dominant performance to beat three other finalists including last year’s winner and real-world rally driver Jon Armstrong to lift the trophy. Blanc not only has the bragging rights of being the absolute best WRC 8 […]
NewsCodemasters has today confirmed that the DiRT Rally 2.0 World Championship will begin on September 10. In partnership with Motorsport Network, the competitive gaming Championship is open to all players across the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles as well as on the PC platform. The DiRT Rally 2.0 World Championship heats will be played […]
NewsFord’s motorsport exploits now include racing events in the virtual world, as the carmaker has revealed the first details of its new “Fordzilla” Esports venture. Launched at this year’s Gamescom expo in Cologne, Germany, Ford’s new Esports teams will allow racing game players across Europe represent the Blue Oval in high-level virtual racing events and […]
NewsThe second season of the World’s Fastest Gamer esports competition has launched, complete with the grand prize of an year-long Aston Martin racing contract. Like the original World’s Fastest Gamer series, the competition will see entrants across a variety of gaming platforms race against each other, to find the gaming talent with the potential to […]
NewsFerrari has confirmed it will be participating in this year’s F1 Esports Series competition, having just founded a brand new sim racing team. According to the Italian racing squad, the new esports team will run as part of the Scuderia’s Ferrari Driver Academy programme – which helped launch the Formula One careers of drivers such […]
NewsThe F1 Esports Series will kick off in less than a week’s time with qualifying beginning on 8th April. Following on from a successful first two championships, the third F1 Esports Series will retain a similar formula to last year’s Series. In order to reach the official racing part of the contest, players will first […]
NewsThe two-time F1 champ Fernando Alonso has broadened his influence in the Esports sector, by joining the Motorsport Network’s Esports division as an investor and board member. As a result of his role in the firm, Alonso will be able to offer feedback on the direction Motorsport Games will go in. Motorsport Network says there’s […]
NewsThe organiser of the Blancpain GT racing series will soon venture into virtual competition, thanks to an officially-supported Esports series that will commence later this year. Called the SRO E-Sport GT Series, the new Esports championship is set to be launched on 13th April 2019, shortly before the first race of the 2019 Blancpain GT […]
NewsToyota’s motorsports division will jump into the Esports fray next month, with the launch of a new Gran Turismo Sport-based one-make online racing series. As its name suggests, the Toyota GR Supra GT Cup will be a one-make racing series, where the only eligible car will be the new Toyota GR Supra that was added […]
NewsApexOnlineRacing (AOR) and EventsHouse have laucnhed their “AOR 2019 Esports Teams Tournament”. Utilising Codemasters’ F1 2018 title, players will compete in 50% races making the action more of a marathon than a sprint. The competition will run across the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC platforms (minimum age of 16) and culminate with a live […]
NewsThe Playseat SMS-R Championship Series 2019 has now officially begun with €20,000 in prize money up for grabs. The Project CARS 2 PC only competition, now four years old, opened its doors today kicking off with the very first Challenger Series qualifying event which will run between February 11-18. Driving Touring Cars for the first […]
NewsAfter sowing the Esports seeds last year with the first season of the Farming Simulator Championship, Giants Software is ready to cultivate season two (using Farming Simulator 19) with some major changes, including a whopping prize pool of €250,000. Season two ditches the Farming Simulator Championship in favour of the Farming Simulator League – an […]
NewsIgor Fraga, the 20-year-old Brazilian racing driver outraced more than half a million competitors to be crowned the winner of the McLaren Shadow Project Esport racing competition. After qualifying for the Grand Finals by finishing in the top three places on the first day, the second day saw Fraga beat rivals Miguel Ballester, Spain and Nuno […]
NewsThe first round of the McLaren Shadow finals concluded yesterday. After five tense races across various titles and platforms, four of the seven competitors exited the Esports racing competition leaving us just three that will do battle in tonight’s grand finals. Igor Fraga, Miguel Ballester and Nuno Pinto finished in the top three places to […]
NewsThe live finals of the McLaren Shadow – the world’s biggest Esports racing competition – kicks off today, January 16, at 7pm-10:30pm (GMT) and will be streamed via the McLaren YouTube Channel today and tomorrow, Thursday 17 January 2019 7pm-8pm (GMT). Seven competitors from around the world will take part in the McLaren Shadow Project grand finals – starting […]
NewsThe live finals of the McLaren Shadow – the world’s biggest Esports racing competition – will be streamed via the McLaren YouTube Channel on Wednesday 16 and Thursday 17 January 2019 (start times below). Seven competitors from around the world will take part in the McLaren Shadow Project grand finals at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, […]
NewsPorsche and iRacing have joined forces to launch a new, one-make esports championship in 2019. Entitled the Porsche iRacing World Championship Series, the competition will consist of 10 races that will be held “over several months throughout the year” with competitors battling it out to win a share of $100,000 (that’s just a tad over £79,000). […]
NewsThe FIA-certified Gran Turismo Championships “Nations Cup Final” tournament to determine the world’s top Gran Turismo Sport drivers culminated last weekend at the Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel & Resort in Monaco. After four rounds of intense action, Igor Fraga, 20, from Brazil, became the first ever Nations Cup Champion. Fraga, started with a 10-point lead from […]
NewsFollowing the incredible excitement generated at the end of the first round of 2018, F1 Esports is taking the anticipation to a whole new level, and with the competition so close it still feels like the championship could go either way. Round 4 would take place at Paul Ricard, great action throughout the field but […]
NewsThe Le Mans Esport launch took place at the Silverstone round of the WEC series, this gave a great opportunity to experience the real action and cross that bridge into real motorsport. It granted wonderful access to the pits and paddock besides a VIP view from the ever-impressive Silverstone Wing building. Besides our interviews with […]
InterviewsEarlier this year I visited the first ever F1 Esports Pro Draft, in all my years of being involved in Esports I had never seen anything quite like this. The scale of investment from Formula One and Liberty Media combined with the actual F1 Teams gave the event a level of mass market credibility that […]
FeaturesAutomotive Esports are finding their stride, with investment from Formula One and MotoGP moving the genre forward and finally displaying the potential many of us within automotive gaming already knew existed. The investment making for professionally delivered coverage and player profiles that draw in audiences while also opening the door to the world of real […]
InterviewsIt has been confirmed that the European final of the FIA-certified Gran Turismo Championships will take place at Madrid Games Week. The event will start on Friday, October 19 and culminate the very next day. Thirty of fastest Gran Turismo Sport players in Europe will do battle in a series of races before the winner […]
NewsThe second Gran Turismo World Tour live event took place last weekend (following the successful Nürburgring event in May) which gave us a first look at the upcoming Fuji Speedway GT track for Gran Turismo Sport. The Japanese track was first spotted on the live schedule of the World Tour event much to the surprise […]
NewsA couple of months back, Team VVV attended the first ever F1 Esports Pro Draft and today sees the announcement of the next step in the official launch of the F1 Esports Pro Series 2018, ‘where the official F1 Esports teams will battle it out to be named this year’s F1 Esports Series Teams’ and Drivers’ […]
NewsToday marks the start of the NASCAR Heat Champions: Road to Miami weekly esports competition featuring the NASCAR Heat 3 title. The online event starts today, September 10, and will run through November 11, 2018. Players can qualify at home weekly by posting their fastest total race times to qualify for the final tournament in […]
NewsThe qualifying rounds for the Le Mans Esports Series’ first race has begun, in tandem with the contest’s launch at the Six Hours of Silverstone endurance race. Consisting of online and offline events hosted on Forza Motorsport 7, the Le Mans Esports Series is touted as an accessible competition, with professional e-racers, amateur competitors and […]
NewsThe McLaren Shadow esports team has confirmed which e-racers will represent the outfit in the 2018 F1 Esports Series competition. Joining the “eFlying Finn” Olli Pahkala (the only driver selected by McLaren Shadow during the recent Pro Draft) will be two equally accomplished sim racers, in the form of Bono Huis (a five-times Formula Sim […]
NewsThe first qualifying round of the McLaren Shadow esports competition will kick off on 31st July, with iRacing users being the first out of the blocks to earn a spot in the content. Set to be spread out over two series, the iRacing qualifying round of the McLaren Shadow tournament will be eligible to all […]
NewsThe Blancpain GT Series will have its first foray into the esports scene, via an upcoming race hosted on the official Blancpain game Assetto Corsa Competizione. Set to be held at the upcoming Total 24 Hours of Spa endurance race (which will also be used to announce Assetto Corsa Competizione’s Steam Early Access release date), […]
NewsAll nine teams in this year’s F1 Esports Series have selected and announced their provisional driver lineups for the competition’s upcoming Pro Series rounds. Selected through a rigorous testing and interview phase, the 16 drivers who made it through to the Pro Series were selected by representatives to the esports teams – with current F1 […]
NewsFanatec will develop a range of licensed Formula One racing wheels, as part of a new five-year partnership with the the F1 Esports Series. Officially announced in the wake of an eventful Austrian Grand Prix, the Fanatec agreement will also see the peripheral maker be the sole equipment provider for the F1 Esports Series. Fanatec […]
NewsMcLaren has announced the follow-up series to last year’s World’s Fastest Gamer esports competition. Currently known as the ‘McLaren Shadow Project’, the new competition differs slightly from the World’s Fastest Gamer setup. Whereas the World’s Fastest Gamer winner Rudy van Buren won a contract to become a McLaren F1 team simulator driver, the Shadow Project […]
NewsThe second Formula 1 Esports Series competition will officially start on 13th April 2018. Following on from the successful inaugural season from 2017, the new Formula 1 Esports Series will once again pit the fastest players of the F1 2017 game – with a prize fund of "at least $200,000" USD being up for grabs […]
NewsIt has been a tough week for the GT Academy contenders and they'll need to give it one more big push today which sees the very final race challenge take place and we will then of course see the winner announced thereafter. You can watch the event live on the NISMO TV stream, starting at […]
NewsSix U.S. GT Academy finalists have been announced, the talented bunch will represent the United States at the week-long International Race Camp which takes place at the world famous Silverstone track. The two-day camp tested the mettle of the drivers in both virtual and real racing, not to mention some strenuous physical tests which involved […]
NewsThe fourth and final round of the 2015 GT Academy online event is now live and available to play in Gran Turismo 6 on the Playstation 3 console. The last qualification round will task you to drive the new Nissan GT-R LM Nismo LMP1 racing car around the Le Mans circuit as fast as you possibly […]
NewsThe GT-R LM Nismo joins an ever expanding list of cars which makes its debut in the virtual world of Gran Turismo 6 before its real-life counterpart even races for the first time. The third round of the GT Academy kicked off recently and with it saw the inclusion of yet another new Nissan race […]
NewsMark Shulzhitskiy, the winner of Gran Turismo's GT Academy Russia in 2012, has secured a drive at this year's 24 hours of Le Mans. The fantastic achievement will see Shulzhitskiy get behind the wheel of Nissan's GT-R LM. Gene commented: “It was a tough decision for me to take a step back for the Le Mans […]
NewsRound two of Gran Turismo 6's GT Academy is now underway. The second online event can now be played on the Playstation 3 console, if you haven't yet entered you can still start from round 1 as long as the GT Academy 2015 event is open. The second round tasks you to race the GT-R NISMO GT3 […]
NewsA controversial rule change to Gran Turismo 6's European 2015 GT Academy competition means that anyone that competed in either 2013's or 2014's territory finals will not be allowed to progress past the online stage of the 2015 competition. The rule reads: 1.3 – To enter this Competition, each Entrant must: (j) not have competed […]
NewsThe seventh GT Academy talent scouting programme will officially commence next week on April 21st 2015, Gran Turismo developer Polyphony Digital has revealed. Announced as the GT Academy 2015 'special events' placeholders were added to Gran Turismo 6, the initiative will be highly similar to last year's, where Gran Turismo 6 players will be tasked […]
NewsGT Academy winners Jann Mardenborough and Lucas Ordonez will be driving the Nissan GT-R LM NISMO in this year's World Endurance Championship, Nissan has confirmed. Though running to different schedules, the two GT Academy graduates will be fronting Nissan's return to top-tier endurance racing, with each driver set to pilot one of the three GT-R […]
NewsTwo of the GT Academy's 'NISMO Athlete' graduates have scored their maiden win for 2015, at the arduous Bathurst 12 Hour endurance race. Though Japanese racing driver Katsumasa Chiyo was behind the wheel of the Nissan GT-R racing car in the final stint, both Wolfgang Reip and Florian Strauss (winners of GT Academies in 2012 […]
NewsThe years certainly fly by and no better reminder that when those annul events come up that remind you how quickly it is all going. No sooner am I completing the 2013 coverage that 2014 GT Acdemy is upon us and it all starts again. If you haven’t heard of the GT Academy the concept […]
FeaturesThe Nissan GT Academy has kicked off again in the UK. The online time trials in Gran Turismo 6 are now a distant memory and the real work has started, as Sony begins its search for a virtual racer with the skills to make it on real circuits. The 2014 GT Academy UK National Final […]
FeaturesThe fourth and final GT Academy 2014 qualifying round is now available for Gran Turismo 6 players to take part in. As with the prior three events, Round 4 tasks players with setting a lap time around a certain track: in this case, around Spa-Francorchamps in a Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 racing car. The car […]
NewsThe first round of this year's GT Academy competition has officially commenced, kick-starting the annual search for the next Gran Turismo-nurtured hot shot racing driver. Launched as a free-to-enter mini game in Gran Turismo 6, the GT Academy 2014 rounds currently consists of one qualifying session in the Nissan LEAF electric car. The remaining three […]
NewsA new trailer by Nismo has teased the GT Academy will incorporate at least 30 regions in 2014. According to the trailer posted by the motorsports arm of Nissan (the major auto manufacturer that's a collaborative partner on the innovative driver talent spotting program), the various GT Academy tournaments across the world this year will […]
NewsTeam VVV visited Silverstone to get an inside look at this year's grueling GT Academy International Finals, where seasoned Gran Turismo gamers were competing for the ultimate prize to turn their ultimate driving dreams into a reality: a chance to drive for Nissan as a professional racing driver. In this special series of videos, Alan documents […]
InterviewsDuring his visit to Silverstone documenting this year's grueling GT Academy, Alan stopped by for a chat with F1 and Le Mans winner and Sky TV presenter Johnny Herbert, who was judging this year's crop of young racing hopefuls to discover new talent. In this in-depth interview, Herbert reflects on this year's Formula One championship […]
InterviewsThe European round of the GT Academy has come to a close, and a new champion has been crowned – Portugal's Miguel Faisca. Having been observed over the space of seven days at the 'Race Camp' held at Silverstone, the 24 year old student from Lisbon will now undergo an extensive training programme, in preparation […]
NewsRounding off our extensive interview with GT Academy 2011 winner Jann Mardenborough, the young driver spared some time to offer some advice for future GT Academy hopefuls, top racing game driving tips and some insight of what to expect from the grueling national final events.
InterviewsJann Mardenborough's first foray into racing games started on the PS1 with the original Gran Turismo. Little did he know that this very series would shape his future career as a real life professional racing driver. It was all thanks to the GT Academy, Sony's annual competition where players compete to set the fastest times in […]
InterviewsEarlier this month we were treated to our first look at Gran Turismo 6 in an extended demo, which also acted as the qualifying stage for the GT Academy 2013, Polyphony's annual competition that gives Gran Turismo gamers the opportunity to become a fully fledged racing driver for the fifth year running. As of last […]
NewsLast week the 2013 GT Academy launched in the UK on the PlayStation 3, the winner of which will gain a place in a real GT motor racing team and become a fully-fledged professional racing driver. It sounds straight forward but becoming the best is a lot tougher than many may think. From the hours […]
NewsAspiring GT Academy competitors in the UK who can't quite top the time trial charts in the GT6 demo available from the PlayStation Store need not fret too much, as a new route into this year's finals has opened up. Referred to as a "wildcard" event – and similar to the previous one held at […]
NewsUpon completing the GT Academy events, two special bonus challenges are unlocked to commemorate the 15th anniversary of Gran Turismo. Alan cobbled together a quick run-through of these events, which up the ante considerably by placing you in a Nissan GTR where you must once again compete for the fasted time in a full lap […]
NewsRecorded on the first day of release, our tour of the GT Academy 2013 demo continues in this latest video video which concentrates on events 5 to 9 as Alan drives a tuned Nissan 370Z (a car prone to understeer as we found out) in the final timed sector challenges that pave the way for […]
NewsAfter advancing from the Sunday Cup in the slow and steady Nissan Leaf, we rank up and take the Nissan 350Z for a spin in the GT Academy 2013 demo to get our first hands-on with Gran Turismo 6. In our latest commentated runs, Alan gives his intiial impressions on GT6's improved physics whilst having […]
NewsThis week the Team VVV YouTube channel has had something of a Gran Turismo frenzy as we got our first look at Gran Turismo 6 with the GT Academy 2013 demo. Spanning several events covering a wide range of tracks and Nissans, the first two stages take you through the Sunday Cup, an event that […]
NewsOur final batch of uninterrupted gameplay footage from the newly released GT Academy 2013 demo powered by Gran Turismo 6, is now available, taking you on an extended run through the various events in the demo from different viewpoints following our look at the bumper cam and cockpit cam. First up we have by far […]
NewsToday is the day GT fans worldwide have been waiting for: the release of the first playable demo of Gran Turismo 6 which acts as an entry route for this year's GT Academy 2013, Sony's annual competition that sees veteran GT gamers transform into real life racing drivers in the hope to forge a career […]
NewsBack again for it's fifth outing, the GT Academy is set to make a return to the track in 2013, bringing with it a few new changes to the formula that debuted in 2008. The whole process is set to kick-off sometime later this year in July, where prospective players who own a PlayStation 3 […]
NewsThe GT Academy, a yearly event where the very best Gran Turismo players from around the world compete for the chance to become a real racing driver, is about to be documented in a new reality TV series next month. Airing on ITV4, home of the BTCC and a host of other motor sport events […]
NewsAre driving games anything like the real thing? Can a talented player really translate their skill from the virtual world? As a passionate racing fan myself, it would be a life dream to have the opportunity to race a real car in a professional season. Indeed on my first visit to Silverstone in the mid […]
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