
Picture: SUPPLIED
Motorsport fans can look forward to a unique kind of racing when the finals kick off for the Virtual Simola Hillclimb on May 8 and May 9.
The event was organised in response to the postponement of the regular Simola Hillclimb, which traditionally takes place in Knysna around this time. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, however, the event has been postponed to September.
Then Knysna Speed Festival organisers found another way to fill the gap in the calendar.
Event partner Monarch eSports has designed a complete virtual track in the Italian racing simulator Asseto Corsa.
“The track is not laser scanned – that’s very expensive – so they [Monarch] got a few of the real-life drivers to test the [virtual] track,” said Blake Kruger, simulation racer and Hillclimb top-ten finalist.
“They got it down to a ‘T’. Thanks to the virtual nature of the event, racers will be able to compete from all over the country in the comfort of their own homes,” he added.
The opening round was on March 22, with qualifier rounds held until April 17.
“Each week they chose a different car [to drive],” Kruger said. “Your fastest time gets recorded. They total your points up and get the average per person.”
These scores were then used to pick the top ten racers to move onto the final round, which will be taking place from May 8 to 9.
The final round will be broadcast live on the Virtual Simola Hillclimb Facebook page.