eSports
Team Redline claims the crown at the star-studded Le Mans Virtual Series finale
The final round of the Le Mans Virtual Series, the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual, came to an electrifying end as #2 Team Redline and Felipe Drugovich, Felix Rosenqvist, Luke Bennett, and Chris Lulham triumphed at the world’s biggest and most prestigious endurance esports race after 24 hours of hard virtual racing at the legendary 13.6km / 8.5 mile Circuit de la Sarthe track. It was Drugovich’s second consecutive win at the virtual 24-hour event.
The GTE category was won by the #888 Ferrari 488 GTE of Romain Grosjean’s R8G Esports (Alexander Smolyar, Scott Andrews, Timotej Andonovski and Erhan Jajovski), while BMW Team Redline’s #71 of Rudy van Buren, Lorenzo Colombo, Kevin Siggy and Enzo Bonito took GTE championship honours.
180 racing and sim racing stars from across the globe tested their endurance in the 45-car field on 164 different simulators across the world. Two-time F1 World Champion Max Verstappen, former F1 and current IndyCar star Romain Grosjean, FIA F2 Champion Felipe Drugovich and FIA F3 Champion Victor Martins were among those who pitted their individual sim racing talent and team’s strategy against the famed 24-hour endurance race on a challenging and intense track. In second and third places were #20 Porsche Coanda – the position enough to ensure they claimed the championship title – and #53 AMG Team Williams Esports.
The twice-round-the-clock endurance race saw plenty of action including:
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A strong performance from #2 Team Redline which saw them crowned as winners of the final race of the Le Mans Virtual 2022-23 season
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Mika Hakimi in the #22 Rocket Simsport entry secured the fastest lap at 3:22.324 in the LMP category
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Charlie Collins in the #77 Proton Coanda Esports entry secured the fastest lap at 3:47.632 in the GTE category
We’re sharing the highlights of the race for news interest–you can see the full post-race report below. A full 52-minute highlights TV show will be available on TV and OTT channels in the days following the event.
24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual – Post Race Report
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The 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual, the fifth and final round of the Le Mans Virtual Series, kicked off Saturday 14th January with 180 drivers in 45 cars across the LMP2 and GTE classes taking to the start line. The drivers used 164 different simulators located in 38 different countries across the globe.
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Two-time F1 World Champion Max Verstappen led a star-studded driver line-up that featured names from across motorsport, including F1 and current Indycar star Romain Grosjean, FIA F2 Champion Felipe Drugovich, FIA F3 champion Victor Martins. Global motor manufacturers such as BMW, Ferrari and Porsche joined Alpine and Mercedes-AMG to enter esports teams.
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The challenging circuit also saw sim racing stars including Autosport Award recipient for Esports Driver of the Year James Baldwin, and former 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual winners such as Jeffrey Rietveld, Joshua Rogers, and Nikodem Wisniewski.
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The race started dry and saw spots of rain throughout the race, but the majority of the race laps were completely dry.
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The LMP classification saw a fierce battle between #2 Team Redline and #20 Porsche Coanda for first place throughout the race, with Team Redline ultimately taking first place with a lead time of 21.109 seconds ahead of Porsche Coanda.
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#53 AMG Williams and #36 Alpine Esports saw an intense, down-to-the-wire battle for 3rd place, with Nikoden Wisniewski from AMG Williams ultimately claiming the podium position.
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Joshua Rogers from Porsche Coanda spoke after the race about the team overcoming the challenges of the race to claim their place on the podium “It was obviously a fantastic prep, effort, and event for us. Unfortunately, things didn’t quite go our way on the whole but I’m proud of us as a group and how we came together in these difficult times to regroup, refocus to deal with what we had and try to make the most of the race from there. Congratulations to Team Redline on the win, they did drive a fantastic race.”
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The GTE classification saw the #888 R8G Esports take the chequered flag first with the #71 BMW Team Redline and the #89 BMW Team BS COMPETITION coming in second and third respectively.
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Charlie Collins from #77 Proton Coanda Esports secured the fastest lap at 3:47.632 in the GTE category.
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Erhan Jajovski from R8G Esports spoke after the race about his team’s victory “I don’t know what to say, I’m lost for words to be honest. In this race, there were a lot of ups and downs but in the end, we never gave up, we gave everything in our power. I’m so glad for myself and everyone in the team.”
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LMP Teams Championship top three after the race: #20 Porsche Coanda – 94 points, #1 Team Redline – 78 Points & #2 Team Redline – 73 points
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GTE Teams Championship top three after the race: #71 BMW Team Redline – 119 points, #888 R8G Esports – 81 points & #26 Sim Maranello – 61.5 points
eSports
PandaScore’s premade esports BetBuilder breaks onto the scene
After a highly successful launch of its dedicated esports BetBuilder, PandaScore’s premade BetBuilder – or Prebuilt markets– is live across its full client base.
PandaScore’s Prebuilt markets give operators the ability to tap into the rich storytelling behaviours that are key to esports engagement, through ready-made BetBuilder wagers in a simpler, sweeter fashion.
Prebuilt markets are available across all three major titles: Counter-Strike, Dota 2 and League of Legends. Additionally, Prebuilt markets will launch with the inclusion of Valorant, and PandaScore’s trailblazing Valorant player props – a hotly sought-after feature as bet volumes on the game continue to grow.
PandaScore’s Prebuilt markets are live with two primary premade options for bettors to choose, both a combination of Match Winner 2-way and player props. On these markets, Antoine Vallespir, PandaScore Product Manager stated “we’re starting with two MVP-focused storylines: a team’s star player popping off and carrying his team to victory, and a star player being shut down, with his team unable to win.”
This combination serves as a key starting point based on extensive user research over the last six months of PandaScore’s BetBuilder product. Esports bettors were combining these two markets to the point where it was almost a compulsory combination.
Along with tailoring Prebuilt markets bets to specific teams and players within teams, operators will be able to create wagers that develop and tell the story of a competition during its lifecycle. Additionally, part of the product’s strength is also that it’s incredibly flexible: PandaScore will be updating and rolling out new combinations based on BetBuilder feedback.
Prebuilt markets are also one of the simplest integrations available to operators. It functions like any other single market: if you know how to integrate a Winner 2-way market, you can integrate our Prebuilt markets.
PandaScore CEO Flavien Guillocheau commented that “tailored, personalised experiences are not the exception, but the expectation in modern entertainment – the same goes for betting. We confirmed the popularity of our BetBuilder, and with it comes freedom of choice but complexity of product. Prebuilt markets allow you to switch from the complex to the simple, to offer operators easy access to a market-leading product and to give all types of esports bettors the most exciting betting opportunities in esports.”
eSports
DATA.BET Launches Esports Bet Builder
The company advances the betting experience for esports fans
DATA.BET, a leading esports betting provider, releases Bet Builder, designed to create highly customized compound bets within a single match, offering a thrilling experience for professional bettors and avid esports enthusiasts.
Unlike traditional express bets, which span across multiple events, Bet Builder operates within a single event. It allows players to tailor their bets with flexibility, making it ideal for skillful users who deeply understand the game and seek a more personalized and strategic betting experience. With Bet Builder, users can bet on a wide range of markets within a single event, freely combining their selections without any restrictions.
In addition to its powerful functionality, this product is versatile in its integration. It can be seamlessly connected to any platform via API, allowing operators to offer this premium feature without technical limitations.
The novelty is already available for Counter-Strike 2 and will soon expand to cover other popular esports titles such as Valorant, League of Legends, and other disciplines.
“Our Bet Builder is a game-changer in the esports betting landscape,” said Rostyslav Likhtin, Head of Product at DATA.BET. “We’ve developed a sophisticated mathematical model that allows us to offer this feature on compound events without compromising on profitability. Beyond providing a unique experience that boosts engagement rates, loyalty, and expands the user base, it also significantly increases the operator’s turnover from the existing audience. Additionally, Bet Builder helps attract new players who are eager to explore combined bets on popular sports, allowing them to become more familiar with these disciplines.”
eSports
BETBY EXPANDS ESPORTS PORTFOLIO WITH LAUNCH OF eSTREETBALL
BETBY, a leading provider of premium sportsbook solutions, has announced the addition of eStreetball to its BETBY Games esports content portfolio, further enhancing its impressive lineup of e-simulator sports. BETBY Games now features nine different sports, hosting over 50 tournaments across various disciplines.
The newly introduced eStreetball title brings players the excitement of three unique tournaments: NBA All-Star, NBA All-Classic, and CBA All-Star. Combining state-of-the-art graphics with extensive betting options, the game delivers an exhilarating and immersive experience for esports enthusiasts.
Each eStreetball match offers rapid gameplay, with games concluding in just seven minutes. For an enhanced betting experience, the game provides more than 10 betting markets, including options like winner, total points, home total, away total, handicap, odd/even, and race to points. This latest addition follows a series of recent updates to BETBY Games’ esports portfolio, showcasing the company’s commitment to delivering innovative and engaging content for its partners.
Kirill Nekrasov, Head of BETBY Games, commented: “We were thrilled with the success of our recent Classic eBasketball release, which motivated us to accelerate the launch of new content for this game. We’ve now introduced another basketball-based sport, and I’m confident it will resonate with both casual players who enjoy quick bets and instant outcomes, as well as esports enthusiasts who are always eager for new disciplines.
He added that: “We are continually striving to innovate and enhance our offerings, aiming to provide the best possible esports experience for our partners and their players. The introduction of Streetball to BETBY Games’ e-simulator portfolio reflects our dedication to the esports sector. By delivering top-tier content, we empower our partners to differentiate themselves in the market while keeping players engaged, particularly during periods when live sports events may be limited.”
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