Champion Motorsports presents you the 2021 Virtual World Sportscar Championship (VWSC 2021 Series) season! If your heart beats for Sportscar Racing popularized by WEC & IMSA, yet you are confounded with the lack of virtual representation in any sim as close to reality as it gets – meaning Multiclass Races, live weather conditions, day/night cycles and a calendar that truly follows almost religiously the crown jewel events of WEC & IMSA in a shortened format adapted for beginners and veterans alike - you belong exactly right here! This series is based on 2 classes: LMH & GTE. LMH is based on the new Hypercar class of WEC, but with hypothetical cars some of which were potential entries in the early stages. These new hypothetical hypercars have also been finely balanced and tested to fit within the FIA's hypercar ruleset while maintaining very unique car characteristics. The McLaren Senna GTR from Studio 397 has been complemented by the Ferrari FXX-K Evo and a radicalized Nissan GT-R LMH concept. Cars’ physics were developed for this class by CMS members George Angelidis, Jason Whited and Don Fryman with RST R Mods, URD and CMS’ Ross Smith, providing all the graphical features. McLaren Senna GTR: Named after renown McLaren Formula 1 driver Ayrton Senna, this 4.0L V8 twin-turbocharged beast with 814HP, McLaren is paying homage to the McLaren F1 GTR – the last production car to win at Le Mans back in 1995. McLaren withdrew from the discussion to enter the Senna GTR at WEC in 2019, at a time when the rules were in a state of flux. That also means that the Senna or Senna GTR won’t take part either, though the car would be too wide for the current regulations. The car had also become heavier in the mod to compensate for the minimum regulations of LMH at 1030kg. Ferrari FXX-K Evo: Ferrari. John Wyer once said, “You can never disregard Ferrari”. The theory that had hooked many was that in 2019 Ferrari was using the specific FXX-K Evo as an early mule for a possible 2020 Le Mans Hypercar race car. Ferrari was believed to be one of the manufacturers that had committed to the new racing class, although that was all proven to be a hoax or another yet “Ferrari classic” tactic trying to apply pressure to F1 management to bend their rules to their liking. Unfortunately for Ferrari, they would have much higher chance of success with a machinery like that competing at Le Mans rather than the “lukewarm” – at best – Formula 1 current program they are having. For this mod, the FXX-K Evo is without its hybrid powertrain to match the other cars, but still the 6.3 L naturally aspirated F140 V12 makes just over 750hp and it also generates over 830kg (1,830lbs) of downforce at top speed while sitting at 1,049kg. Nissan GT-R LMH: And then there is Nissan. Nissan has a history to do things in a very VERY different way (FWD LMP1 anyone?) so we tried to stay in character and follow suit. Since modern motorsports is all about hybridization and WEC encourages it what if… we tried to make a car behave like one? As you know a true hybrid isn’t really feasible codewise in rFactor 2, but what IS feasible is to imitate its behaviour. So, there you go: we took the Super GT500 body, which inherently produces LOTS of downforce and took that little NR20A (the 4-cylinder Turbo 2.0L – yes you read that right!) to produce 874 HP!!! (Just for reference Porsche 919's Turbo 2.0 L V4 was producing 820 HP). Of course, that was with a hybrid. Aaaand so is ours.. sort of. When given that much power in the engine the car was blowing engines every few laps (expected). So, the thermal heat of the engine had to be decreased. But if we did that then the car wouldn’t feel natural, so we made a change. We “faked” an electric motor. After around 6,000 rpm the response of the torque was changed – flatlining to imitate a response of an electric motor kicking in... this is probably why this car feels alive after ~6,000 rpm. Go less than that and you aren’t extracting all its torque. But more than that, can you keep it under control? GTE is based on Studio 397’s popular and successful GTE class. The URD's Ford GT is added along with the latest tire model of rFactor2 and is BOPed to the rest of the cars. 12 championship races of variable lengths all over the world, live weather, and a test race to let us test all things and procedures. Allowed driving aids should offer the best conditions to newcomers and old timers to great battles on track and hopefully build upon those off track with the great community of Champion Motorsports. Further information can be found in our discord channel and website: https://discordapp.com/invite/4ckmjPX https://cmsracing.com/saturday/ The Cars: LMH • McLaren Senna GTR (S397 DLC) • Ferrari FXX-K Evo - pro • Nissan GT-R LMH GTE (S397 DLC) • Aston Martin Vantage GTE • BMW M8 GTE • Chevrolet Corvette C7.R • Chevrolet Corvette C8.R • Ferrari 488 GTE • Ford GT (LM GTE) – provided by CMS • Porsche 911 (991) RSR Provisional Calendar: 01/02/2021 | TBD by Voting – TEST RACE 01/23/2021 | 2.4 Hours of Daytona (USA) -24 hour cycle 02/20/2021 | 60 Minutes of Twin Ring Motegi (Japan) 03/13/2021 | 1.2 Hours of Sebring (USA) -12 hour cycle 04/24/2021 | 60 Minutes of Spa (Belgium) 05/15/2021 | 60 Minutes of Long Beach (USA) 06/19/2021 | 60 Laps of The Glen (USA) 07/10/2021 | 60 Minutes of Monza (Italy) 08/14/2021 | 4.8 Hours of Le Mans (France) -24 hour cycle | Driver Swap event* 09/04/2021 | 60 Minutes of Road America (USA) 09/18/2021 | 60 Minutes of Fuji (Japan) 10/23/2021 | 60 Minutes of Bahrain (Bahrain) 11/06/2021 | 100 Minutes of Road Atlanta (USA) -10 hour cycle *joint event with RCL Timetable: 11:30AM US EST|16:30 GMT – Server Reboot/Practice (2 hours) 01:30PM US EST|18:30 GMT – Qualifying (20 mins è 10 mins GTE|10 mins LMH) 01:50PM US EST|18:50 GMT – Drivers’ briefing/Warmup (10 mins) 02:00PM US EST|19:00 GMT – Race Miscellaneous: 4 Classes: LMH-Pro, LMH-Am (ABS allowed), GTE-Pro, GTE-Am (ABS allowed) Single file rolling start Live Weather 2x Fuel Free to Join! Champion Motorsports would like to thank: Ross-Alexander Smith for helping with promotion, video work and graphics material. @UnitedRacingDesign & RST R Mods for allowing the modification of their cars as well as their kind help. GET PUMPED!!
And for those that won't be able to race on Saturdays, the series will also run Thursday nights (N America Eastern zone) in the CMS NARS chapter as well
With 34 people just in the Test Race (!) we had a GREAT showing and looking forward to first race of the season!!! VWSC 2021 Championship has a beautifully balanced LMH & GTE classes. People have a plethora of choice in both classes. This first step into the future FIA ruleset for sportscar racing will be challenging to both veterans and newcomers alike! This new season takes us into uncharted territory, and you can experience it firsthand starting January 2021. Happy New Racing Year and see you at Daytona! So tune in for the first round of the 2021 Virtual World Sportscar Championship on January 23, 2021 on 2 PM US EST|19:00 GMT.
Round 1 is behind us, and what a race that was at Daytona! 36 cars with 4 full fledge classes, rain (!), high speed losses at the Bus Stop... it was GREAT start of the season! The racing circus moves to Twin Ring Motegi sponsored by URD for Round 2 of VWSC !!! So tune in for the second round of the 2021 Virtual World Sportscar Championship on February 20, 2021 on 2 PM US EST|19:00 GMT.
In the country of the Rising Sun it was the Prancing Horse's day as Brian Hall took his maiden VWSC win with Nissan having to settle for a 1-2-3 in LMH-Am. Ford would pick the win in GTE-Pro at the hands of reigning champion Cameron Sansano, with Josh Nessel capping it in the Porsche in GTE-Am for his maiden victory. 30 racecars with variable Pit Strategies caused cracking battles from start to finish among all classes. ALL class leaders won by margins of less than 20 secs (!!!) showcasing the competition among all classes. The Championship will now move back to the southern United States to the traditional meeting of Sebring for the 1.2 Hours. What's about to happen at Sebring is anyone's guess at this point, but we do expect good battles as the fight for dominance in the Championship continues… So tune in for the third round of the 2021 Virtual World Sportscar Championship on March 13, 2021 on 2 PM US EST|19:00 GMT.
Back to the southern United States to the traditional meeting of Sebring for the 1.2 Hours, good battles but among all strategy was key to the race. In a race where each class saw its leader change at least 4 times it meant that strategy... and yes.. mistakes was what was at stake at Sebring. Newly to the Hypercars/GTEs combos the drivers were getting their gloves very wet trying to negotiate a circuit where LMHs are struggling to pass GTEs due to the nature of the cars having very similar apexes and exits. The lower downforce cars (from the retired LMP2s) needed sometimes multiple corners to get passed. Norm Graf would take his first win in the Championship in LMH-Pro, while Wayne Hutchison would benefit from the mistakes of others to take the win in Am. In GTE, it was also the first win for a determined Jon Uyan to win at all costs even after getting involved in other cars' messes. Matt Buice would have a challenge all the way to the end but finally prevailing of John Maher in Am. With the Le Mans date now moved further causing further chaos in modern calendars of all racing series, VWSC is also a victim. Thus, the new calendar has shifted things around which means now Spa is the following round instead of the tight corners of Long Beach. But not to worry since the drama is expecting to continue... So tune in for the fourth round of the 2021 Virtual World Sportscar Championship on April 24, 2021 on 2 PM US ET|18:00 GMT.
Back to Europe for the traditional meeting of Spa-Francorchamps for the 60 Minutes, good battles but among all persistence and tyre management were keys to the race. In a race where each class had a battle for the lead with less than 10 secs gaps up until 20 mins before the end, it meant that strategy and perseverance were the names of the game. In a track that should have been relatively "easy" and facilitating multiclass racing, LMHs and GTEs found themselves many times "at odds" with each other at the end of Kemmel straight producing some spectacular accidents (even the leader, Ahmed Abdalla falling victim to one)! However, through an amazing display of car control Ahmed Abdalla would keep his car drifting away from the barriers (Quite literally!) to take take his second win in the Championship in LMH-Pro, while Ross Smith would drive a staggering recovery race from his early mistake to take the win in Am. In GTE, it was the second successive win for a man on a mission: Jon Uyan to win the Championship. John Maher would overcome Matt Buice and the rest taking his blood back from Sebring and finally earning that top spot. Drama is expecting to continue at the tight corners of Long Beach. What is expecting to happen is anyone's guess at this point... So tune in for the fifth round of the 2021 Virtual World Sportscar Championship on May 15, 2021 on 2 PM US ET|18:00 GMT.
The tight corners of Long Beach offered plenty of excitement and frustration to the drivers as LMHs and GTEs tried all to navigate the course without stepping on each other. The results were surprising given the notorious nature of "hard to overtake" nature of the track where it say upsets of the poleman from all classes except the GTE-Am. Jamie Zolecki got the pole, win and the fastest lap of his class in a dominant weekend getting his first ever win in VWSC in the process! In a battle against nerves and loss of concentration in traffic it meant that strategy and patience were the names of the game. LMHs and GTEs found themselves many times "at odds" with each other producing some accidents with leader, Ahmed Abdalla falling victim to one. However, a "battle of the crews" fight was what it came down to decide the winner between Yassin Marzoug and Wouter de Bruijn with the latter's crew beating him in the Pits and taking his first win and 1st for McLaren in the LMH era. Ross Smith would drive a staggering race to beat teammates Guilherme Bencke and Wayne Hutchison to take the win in LMH-Am while only 54 seconds seperated the Top 3 places! In GTE-Pro, it was the third successive win for a man on a mission: Jon Uyan to win the Championship. Cameron Sansano would come from the back of the grid to take 2nd with a dissapointed Vasilis Katerinakis taking a "dissapointing 3rd" after a spin while he started on pole and led for the majority of the race. From West Coast to East Coast and up to the finger lakes region for that beautiful time of year, Watkins Glen will host the 6th round of VWSC... So tune in for the sixth round of the 2021 Virtual World Sportscar Championship on June 19, 2021 on 2 PM US ET|18:00 GMT.
In a race of patience and resilience Watkins Glen offered plenty of action and many close calls between LMHs and GTEs as it once again proved that the new regulations of LMHs are finding at times at odds with the slower class due to the similar racing lines. Tripoloski GorillAAAH Nissans would make a come back taking 1st (Marouane el IDrissi) and 3rd (Yassin Marzoug) with independent Ferrari entry of Norm Graf just splitting the two finishing less than 0.5 secs separating them. In LMH-Am it was smooth sailing for Ross Smith and Snake Eyes Racing. In GTE-Pro Jon Uyan would drive from pole to a win that was largely battled between the Ferrari's and the Ford's crews. Cameron Sansano would pit for tyres ultimately to prove fruitless though as he got tangled in an accident towards the end of the race. John Maher would take his second GTE-Am win overcoming the likes of Jamie Zolecki and Matt Buice finishing 2nd and 3rd respectively! In a battle against nerves it meant that clear mind and patience were the names of the game. Championship leader, Ahmed Abdalla fell victim to another accident that will will see him give up for the first time the Championship lead. Norm's Graf 2nd place was enough to propel him to the top of the standings 2 points clear of Abdalla. From the United States crews will travel to Europe for the last leg of the European races with Monza and Le Mans coming up. 2 fast circuits the one home to the prancing horse will definitely have some people watching... So tune in for the seventh round of the 2021 Virtual World Sportscar Championship on July 10th, 2021 on 2 PM US ET|18:00 GMT.
An incredible 2021 inaugural 60 Minutes of Monza saw Storm Rider Racing Nissan’s Jason Whited claim his first VWSC win for 2021 from the Tripoloski GorillAAAH Nissan of Yassin Marzoug and the Snake Eyes Racing (Am!) Nissan of Guilherme Bencke, as an engine failure saw the Ferrari of Championship Leader Norm Graf forced to retire. The race was turned on its head by the hot temperatures and the menacing pace up front that pushed overheating in some cars and fuel strategies concerns across the grid. James Foster (Team Maranello Concessionaires) and Brian Hall were all forced to Pit at the last lap. That left George Angelidis to be the leading Ferrari at a disappointing 5th, after he struggled with his own issues of overheating. But for Whited it was led from pole to the finish not relinquishing the lead once. The American held on brilliantly to take a sensational win in, as Tripoloski GorillAAAH Nissan’s Yassin Marzoug closed on at the later stages finishing second, 2 secs off the lead. Vasilis Katerinakis too his maiden win in VWSC GTE-Pro, CMS and sim racing in a Pro class for the SMR Corckscrew Motorsports Ford, holding off the leading Aston Martin of newcomer but menacing fast Jamie McKie in P2, after the Scot had to pit one more time for fuel. Cameron Barker completed the podium ahead of Cosimo Streppone, with the CMS Pro Ferrari of Jon Uyan a disappointing 6th after the 2-stop strategy proved a bad call. Cameron Sansano would also suffer as a kerfuffle in the Pits would see him drop from the lead to the bottom of the standings. Meanwhile in GTE-Am, John Maher showed another dominant performance to win in Am, while pole sitter Gilles Lalonde made a mistake at Ascari losing his wing. Ed Jones and RCL’s Roland Hagenaars complete the podium. This race marked the first time in the LMH era that a McLaren and Ferrari haven’t finished on the podium. The Championship will now move next to France for the blue ribband event, the 4.8 Hours of Le Mans in unprecedented times and conditions since the event will be run in the hot French August. What's about to happen at Le Mans is anyone's guess at this point. So tune in for the eighth round of the 2021 Virtual World Sportscar Championship on August 14th, 2021 on 11 AM US ET|15:00 GMT.
