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posted by Fnord666 on Wednesday May 27 2020, @06:58PM   Printer-friendly
from the echeating dept.

Audi parks driver for using a ringer in charity esports race:

The combination of racing drivers and esports is turning out to be full of drama. When COVID-19 put a stop to real-world racing in March, professional series moved the action, using sims like iRacing and rFactor 2 along with streaming platforms like Twitch to give drivers something to do and fans something to watch. But the transition hasn't been a smooth one for some of the professional drivers, particularly those who had little interest or experience in the simulation side of things before the pandemic.

Audi's Daniel Abt is the latest to discover that it's not just a game when you're being paid to show up. The latest incident took place on Saturday in Formula E's Race at Home challenge, where the sport's real-world stars show up to compete in rFactor 2 to raise money for UNICEF. Set in a virtual version of Berlin's Tempelhof airport, Abt qualified well and raced to third place, a performance that was in stark contrast to his previous esports races. This, and the fact that he was obscured from view in his video feed, raised suspicions among some of the other drivers.

Those suspicions had merit. When the esports race organizers investigated, they checked IP address data and discovered the presence of a ringer—sim racing professional Lorenz Hoerzing, who raced pretending to be Abt. Disqualified from the race, Abt was ordered to donate $10,817 (€10,000) to charity. (Hoerzing was also stripped of his sixth-place finish in the companion event held for professional sim racers, and banned from competing in that series again.) After admitting he swapped in Hoerzing, Abt apologized in a statement on Sunday.

"I would like to apologize to Formula E, all of the fans, my team and my fellow drivers for having called in outside help during the race on Saturday. I didn't take it as seriously as I should have. I'm especially sorry about this, because I know how much work has gone into this project on the part of the Formula E organization. I am aware that my offense has a bitter aftertaste, but it was never meant with any bad intention. Of course, I accept the disqualification from the race. In addition, I will donate 10,000 Euros to a charitable project," he said.

[...] While these esports sim racers might just be a game to some, racing drivers are professional athletes under contract to big organizations. And when you're being paid to represent a big brand, there are consequences for making it look bad. Unsporting conduct, smoking weed, and even speaking out politically will get you in hot water in professional esports, and although Abt wasn't signed by Audi to play rFactor 2, he was still representing the organization—which bears his family name, no less—on Saturday. At a time when Twitch streams are bringing many racing stars closer to their fans, it seems like a shame that drivers of the caliber of da Costa and Vanthoor are retreating over someone else's mistake.


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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 28 2020, @02:40AM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 28 2020, @02:40AM (#1000034)

    Racing is stupid. Virtual racing is just as stupid. The technology used in the cars is cool sometimes, but the driving is more boring than most other sports, like in-the-stadium-baseball-level boring. Not as bad as golf, but nearly.

  • (Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 28 2020, @07:47AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 28 2020, @07:47AM (#1000083)

    I don't share your opinion but I do understand it. Racing can be dull at times when it's just a single file procession around the track. That's been an issue for NASCAR at some of the intermediate tracks like Kentucky. While I love the actual venue, the Monaco Grand Prix tends to be a pretty dull F1 race. Qualifying is exciting but overtaking is virtually impossible during the race so it ends up being really boring. Racing is most entertaining when there are good battles on track, but that's not always the case. Some tracks like Bristol and Martinsville generally do produce good races just because passing is difficult and there are so many cars on a short track. But tracks like Pocono and New Hampshire tend to produce rather lousy races. I actually enjoy baseball, too. It's the first sport I paid attention to. It can be frustratingly slow at times, but I still enjoy it. It's a matter of individual preference and I agree that golf isn't fun to watch on TV.