Nestled in the Eifel mountains in western Germany, the Nürburgring Nordschleife is one of the most famous circuits in Europe and has long been one of the definitive tests of skill, speed and endurance for automotive manufacturers and racing drivers across the world. Now it’s going to host round 3 of the 2021-22 Le Mans Virtual Series on Saturday, November 13 which presents the drivers on the entry list – both professional and sim – with a whole new challenge.
The 8 Hours of Nürburgring will take place on the 21 km/13 mile Nordschleife (literally, northern loop) which features over 100 corners, sweeping curves, rapidly changing weather, dramatic climbs and drops, and a straight over 1.6 km/one mile long. It is a notoriously difficult and challenging track and not as regularly used as some other European circuits either in the real or virtual worlds so maximum concentration and competitive spirit will be required as well as a steady touch on the wheel and pedals. In addition, LMP2 cars have never raced on the Nordschleife in real life so there are no recorded laps to reference…it will truly be a race into the dark for many!
IndyCar star Felix Rosenqvist and Bono Huis, this time teamed with Collin Spork, in the No.123 Team Redline LMP2 will be looking to repeat their victory in the last round at Spa, while the No.2 Floyd ByKolles-Burst trio of Dillmann, Pedersen and Simončič will surely be hoping to go one step further than the 3rd and 2nd places achieved so far.
GPX Rebellion Williams No.22 will feature the considerable talents of Williams F1 reserve driver Jack Aitken alongside Jiri Toman and Marcell Csincsik, while FIA F2 star Liam Lawson is racing in the No.11 Red Bull Racing Esports entry with Alex Siebel and Dennis Jordan.
Young Argentinian driver Franco Colapinto has fast made a name for himself in endurance racing and now he’s bringing that same racing flair with him to the No.31 Team WRT SIMTAG Esports, the team hoping for a better run than in the last two rounds to complement the FIA WEC LMP2 world championship title just won by Team WRT.
In GTE, the fight is going to be as close as ever and the No.71 BMW Team Redline plus the No.91 Porsche Esports entries are currently the teams to beat. Two GTE pole positions from two races, a 2nd place at Monza and a win on the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit for Kevin Siggy, Enzo Bonito, and Rudy van Buren in the BMW tied them in the standings with the Porsche of Mitchell DeJong, Mack Bakkum and Martin Krönke. This will definitely be a battle to keep a close eye on. Endurance racer Alessio Picariello joins GR Wolves Racing in the No.87 Porsche 911 RSR GTE with Turkka Hakkinen and Philipp Puschke, the team looking for a better result in this longest race of the series before the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual in January.
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