eSports
Team Redline claims the crown at the star-studded Le Mans Virtual Series finale
![](https://europeangaming.eu/portal/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/cover-1.png)
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
IESF Kicks off Bidding Process for 2025 and 2026 Events
![](https://europeangaming.eu/portal/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/sdyuuiewudjnas.jpg)
The International Esports Federation (IESF) has officially launched the bidding process for the next two editions of the World Esports Championship and Regional Qualifiers. Cities interested in hosting IESF’s flagship event can learn more about the bidding process on the IESF Events Bidding Process page.
WEC, a long-standing tradition of competitions watched across the world, creates a direct opportunity for the host to link its city brand to the IESF Realm, multiple game titles, and some of the world’s best athletes.
IESF remains open to discussions with any cities, regions, or countries worldwide that are interested in hosting the World Esports Championship or Regional Qualifiers. We welcome inquiries from all potential hosts to explore the opportunities and benefits of bringing these premier esports events to their locations.
IESF General Secretary Boban Totovski said: “After Bali, Iasi, and Riyadh this year, we are all looking forward to our next host for the 17th World Esports Championship. We already have many cities waiting for the process to start bidding and we are all very excited to start the negotiations and discover where will the IESF flag go on the 19th of November in Riyadh, on the closing ceremony”
IESF assesses potential hosts based on several criteria, including how well they align with regional and national development plans, as well as the long-term strategic goals of the IESF vision and mission. The host city is expected to meet all requirements set by IESF. The final selection of the host city is made by a vote from the IESF Board.
The 2023 World Esports Championship in Iași, Romania, was a unique experience, attracting over 100,000 attendees and amassing an impressive 35 million viewers across all platforms. This year, the championship moves to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, promising to be the biggest event yet with a record 130 nations and over 600 players competing, solidifying Riyadh as this year’s Esports capital.
Which city will rise to become the next epicenter of esports excitement?
eSports
Skyesports Championship 2024: Aurora Gaming and 3DMAX Become First Teams to Advance to the Playoffs
![](https://europeangaming.eu/portal/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/sdafjlksajoidlkmdn.jpg)
The Skyesports Championship 2024, a $300,000 international Counter-Strike 2 esports tournament, is taking place at the Taj Lands End, Mumbai from July 24 to 28. As the Group Stage nears its conclusion, two teams have advanced to the prestigious Playoffs, where they will battle for glory and a shot at the lion’s share of the prize pool.
Serbia’s Aurora Gaming and France’s 3DMAX Vie for Glory: First Teams to Reach the Playoffs
Aurora Gaming and 3DMAX have earned this accolade with flawless records so far in the Group Stage.
The 11 participating teams, which include prominent esports organizations from Mongolia, France, Turkey, India, and Russia, have been split into two groups: A and B.
In Group A, Aurora has secured their spot in the Playoffs after convincing victories against Parivsion, ENCE, and True Rippers, standing first in their group with a 3-0 record. With their advancement to the next stage, Aurora is eyeing a consecutive third trophy in Skyesports’ IPs, having previously won the $350,000 Skyesports Masters 2024 and the Skyesports Grand Slam 2024 in Pune, India.
All eyes are still on Group A as teams like The Mongolz and ENCE have to battle it out on Day 3 to make it to the Playoffs.
In Group B, 3DMAX has triumphed over Amkal, DMS, and Revenant Esports, securing a 3-0 record at the top of the group.
The action continues in the Skyesports Championship on Day 3, as the final day of the Group Stage will decide who will join 3DMAX and Aurora Gaming in the Playoffs. Fans can catch all the action live on the Skyesports YouTube and Twitch channels.
Unlike the Group Stage, the Playoffs will take place on the main stage at the prestigious 5-star hotel, the Taj Lands End in Mumbai, India.
Group A Standings
Group B Standings
eSports
THE DOTA 2 VIRTUAL HALL OF FAME: GG.BET AND DOT ESPORTS PRESENT 50 WORLD RECORDS
![](https://europeangaming.eu/portal/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/dota2.jpg)
Dot Esports, the leading esports news outlet, and betting brand GG.BET have created a virtual hall of fame to celebrate 50 Dota 2 World Records. Check it out to discover the stories behind the most impressive feats in the game’s competitive history and watch videos of when they happened.
The Dot Esports team have painstakingly selected and presented Dota 2 records in 5 categories: players, teams, tournaments, content creators and talent. You can find a list of the extraordinary individuals and organizations in each one, as well as dive into the events that have made Dota 2 a Tier-1 esports discipline on the world stage.
GG.BET press office: “Although Dota 2 was released over 11 years ago, it continues to rank among the top games in the esports community. As we wait for the biggest tournament of the year, The International 13, to kick off, we’ve decided to look back and reflect on the most remarkable milestones throughout the competitive history of Dota 2. Did you know that the fastest time a match was won was in less than 8 minutes? Or that there’s a team that’s played 2813 professional matches? The experts at Dot Esports will tell you all about this and much more in our joint project. We’re delighted to support the creation of such insightful content.”
Jody Rones, CRO at Dot Esports: “From its humble beginning as a fan made mod to one of the largest games in the world, DotEsports is thrilled to partner with GG.BET to shine a light on DOTA and its community as it passes its 11 year mark. From the content creators, to the team, players, tournament organizers, shout casters and more, they’re a key part of what makes this esport great, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to give them the recognition they deserve with the launch of the collaborative DOTA World Records.”
50 Dota 2 World Records is already available on the Dot Esports website in English and Ukrainian.
Before the end of the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive era and the transition to CS2, Dot Esports put a spotlight on 50 CS:GO World Records in collaboration with GG.BET. This project got a great reaction not just from the esports community, but from the players and teams themselves.
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