Munich. Impressive premiere in the double-cone building at BMW
Welt. On Thursday, BMW hosted its first major sim racing event in
Munich (GER). BMW SIM LIVE 2019 saw ten of the best sim racers in
the world go head to head with ten BMW works drivers, passionate BMW
Motorsport fans, media representatives and influencers in exciting
races. While victory in the Pro Race and a winner’s cheque for
10,000 Euros went to Mitchell deJong (USA) of VRS Coanda Simsport in
the BMW M8 GTE, the Fan Race was won by Michi Hoyer (GER). BMW
Motorsport and BMW M presented the BMW M2 CS Racing to the public
for the first time, following which the future entry-level model in
the BMW M Customer Racing range made its virtual racing debut.
The newly-developed sim version of the BMW M2 CS Racing was used on
the rFactor2 gaming platform for two races involving media
representatives and fans who had qualified in advance via BMW
Motorsport social media channels. This is the first time that a new
BMW Motorsport race car has been presented in both real and virtual
form at the same time. On Friday, the BMW M2 CS Racing will have its
world premiere in front of customers. In the Pro Race and the Works
Drivers’ Race, the participants took to the virtual track with the BMW
M8 GTE on the iRacing platform.
“That was a successful premiere for the BMW SIM LIVE end-of-year
event,” said BMW Group Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt. “We
witnessed great motorsport in today’s races and saw how much of a buzz
BMW cars create on the virtual track too. The fact that we launched a
real and a virtual race car – the BMW M2 CS Racing – simultaneously
for the first time just goes to show how important the greater
involvement in sim racing is to us. Simulation plays an increasingly
important role at BMW Motorsport and in the BMW Group. Furthermore,
with sim racing we are lowering the barriers that must be overcome to
enter the world of motorsport. It is fantastic to be able to bring our
works drivers together with sim pros, our fans and representatives of
the media. This kind of thing is only possible in a virtual world.”
Stefan Ponikva, Vice President BMW Brand Experience, said: “Our
vision is clear: As a premium automobile manufacturer with strong
motorsport DNA, BMW wants to play the leading role in the field of sim
racing. As a modern and innovative brand, we are also entering the
world of virtual racing as a credible key player. Through this
commitment, we want to impassion young target groups, like generation
Y and Z, and let them be thrilled by the brand. I would like to thank
iRacing, rFactor2 and Fanatec, who have all contributed to the
successful premiere of BMW SIM LIVE.”
The Pro Race at BMW SIM LIVE 2019 was especially exciting. The sim
racers produced some thrilling battles with the BMW M8 GTE at ‘Daytona
International Speedway’ in a race that showcased the high standard of
their driving. DeJong crossed the finish line in first place, followed
by Laurin Heinrich (GER, Williams eSports) and Maximilian Benecke
(GER, Pure Racing Team) in second and third who received cheques over
5,000 and 2,500 Euros respectively.
DeJong said: “The day was pretty awesome for me. We got to meet the
factory drivers and all the other sim racers. It was a privilege to be
here. And we had a really fun race to cap it off. It really went well
for me – and it was really exciting.” Sim influencer Jimmy Broadbent
(GBR) claimed victory in the Media Race, while Hoyer came first in the
Fan Race.
Note to editors: In our video “THE FOUR DIMENSIONS OF BMW SIM”, BMW
works drivers Philipp Eng (AUT), Maximilian Günther (GER) and
Alexander Sims (GBR), sim racers Alexander Voß and Laurin Heinrich
(both GER), and engineers from BMW Motorsport and BMW production
development, reveal the importance of simulation. You can find the
video at the following link: