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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.
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 27 2020, @09:27PM (1 child)
It wasn't just any bad word, Larson used Ethanol-fueled's favorite word that starts with n. Sponsors didn't want to be associated with Larson after the incident. Chip Ganassi suspended Larson initially, then fired him after the sponsors started pulling out. It's a shame that it overshadowed what should have been a very cool event. The other issue was that a lot of drivers had connectivity issues, so the cars were flickering during the race. It was on the 2.5 mile high-banked oval at Monza, which has somewhat similar characteristics to Daytona but is rarely used. It has virtually zero chance of happening in real life, but it would be very cool to see a stock car race with restrictor plates on Monza's high speed oval. I was actually very excited to watch it, but it was frustrating to watch because of all the internet connectivity issues. After the event, I found out that Larson had stupidly used that word during the race.
Larson is a good enough driver that he should get another shot in the cup series. But he'll need to rehabilitate his image enough that sponsors are willing to associate with him. And it even dumber for Larson to use that word. He should have known about Bubba Wallace losing Blue Emu as a sponsor about a week earlier because Wallace rage quit at Bristol. If you're driving the 1 or the 42 for Ganassi, you're in a really good car. While Larson showed brilliance at times, he was also frustratingly bad at other times. It's fair to ask whether drivers like Ross Chastain, Chris Buescher, or Matt DiBenedetto would be just as good as Larson was in the 42 car. For this year, Ganassi first asked Carl Edwards about coming out of retirement, then hired Matt Kenseth.
There are a lot of really good young drivers and some very successful experienced drivers who would be willing to get back in a car. If you make yourself toxic to sponsors, teams won't have any problem replacing you. It was a huge overreaction for Blue Emu to drop Bubba Wallace, who is a very likeable driver and easy to root for. Larson is a complete idiot for not being on his best behavior after seeing Wallace lose a sponsor.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 27 2020, @09:35PM
And I forgot to clarify, Larson didn't use the word on national TV. The event was streamed online on platforms like YouTube. Fox wasn't televising the Monza race. Fox showed the Pro Invitational Series, but there have been a lot of other events that have just been streamed online. For that matter, I don't think any of F1's virtual races are on TV, but they do get streamed online. I believe NBC has broadcast some of the virtual IndyCar races, though. Being a driver requires being marketable for sponsors. I don't think NASCAR has reinstated Larson, but even if they have, it's going to be awhile before he's going to have any good sponsorships.