Porsche have confirmed its line-up for next month’s virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans, with antipodean duo Jaxon Evans and Matt Campbell at the forefront of the manufacturer’s big signings.
The unique event is set to take place on the original June 13-14 slot of the real-life Le Mans 24 Hours which has been postponed until September amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Porsche Junior driver Evans will team alongside Australian racer Campbell in the #92 entry.
The duo have a wealth of sportscar knowledge with the latter boasting an impressive CV which includes a victory at French classic in the GTE Am category back in 2018 as well as being a two-time winner of the Bathurst 12 Hour.
Together they will be joined by professional sim racers Mack Bakkum and Jeremy Bouteloup.
Porsche Formula E pairing Andre Lotterer and Neel Jani will team up with fellow sim racers Mitchell De Jong and Martti Pietilä in the #91 Porsche 911 RS.
Porsche factory drivers Nick Tandy and Ayhancan Guven will both make appearance in the #93 entry while ex-Supercars racer Simona de Silvestro has been recruited to pilot the #94 car.
Porsche Motorsport Esports manager, Marco Ujhasi insists the combination of factory Porsche drivers and development racers teamed in each car with a pair of professional sim racers will see a unique opportunity where the worlds of real-life motor racing and sim racing converge.
“The know-how from the racetracks and the skills required on simulation platforms come together in the newly-founded Porsche Esports team,” he said.
“This unique synergy opens up new possibilities for everyone involved. Just like in real-life racing, the virtual motorsport marathon requires not only a perfect setup and decent pace but also a little bit of luck.”
Porsche Motorsport factory director Pascal Zurlinden added:
“Under the current circumstances, the virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans offers an excellent opportunity to reach many fans around the world.
“Le Mans is considered the most traditional long-distance race and the digital version can now attract a completely new target group to professional motor racing. I’m curious to see how the combination of works drivers and elite sim racers will work.”
The German giants are the first major manufacturer to have confirmed its driver combinations. More names are expected to be announced over the coming weeks in the build up to the event.
Comments 1