Huttu on Le Mans: We want to fight for the win

Huttu on Le Mans: We want to fight for the win

rFactor 2

We talked to racing esports legend Greger Huttu about 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual and racing with Max Verstappen and Lando Norris.

Photo Credit: Team Redline / Studio 397

Finnish esports racer Greger Huttu is a veteran of the sim racing scene. With five iRacing world championships, other major titles and multiple world records under his belt, the 40-year-old is also one of the most successful esports racers of all time.

On the upcoming weekend, Huttu will compete at the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual for Team Redline alongside his prominent team mates: Formula 1 drivers Max Verstappen and Lando Norris as well as Huttu’s fellow sim racer Atze Kerkhof are joining him to claim the victory for the organisation.

“Our goal is to be fighting for the win”

“Atze, Lando and Max are very quick of course, so I’m just trying to keep up with them,” says Huttu while being confident when it comes to his team’s chances: “Our goal is to be fighting for the win at the end of the race. I hope we can keep the car clean and avoid any issues, and I think we can be up there.”

Huttu and his team will face many strong racers and sim racers at the virtual event, such as former Formula 1 world champion and two-time champion of the real 24 Hours of Le Mans Fernando Alonso, World’s Fastest Gamer 2019 James Baldwin, and many more.

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“The competition is very strong. There are many quick sim racers and now the real racers have had more time to practise with sims so they will be super quick, too. I think experience can help in a race like this, even if it’s a virtual race,” Huttu explains.

The Finnish esports racer is happy to be part of the event: “It’s great because I haven’t done many Le Mans races before, and this will be the biggest virtual Le Mans race yet with a fantastic entry list. So I’m definitely thrilled to be able to participate.”

“The hardest challenge is staying concentrated”

Being an experienced racer, Huttu knows what endurance races are all about: “I think the challenges are similar to other 24h races. Keeping the car running for the whole race and staying out of trouble. Surviving the changing conditions with night time and possibly rain.”

“I think the hardest challenge is staying concentrated and being able to push for the whole duration of the race without making mistakes. Especially in the night and late in the race when you might be a bit tired already,” the 40-year-old admits.

While staying focused all the time might be hard, practice seems to go well for Huttu and his team mates: “Luckily the other guys had already worked on a good setup for the car, so I’ve just been getting up to speed and finding the lap time. Then you also need to do laps in changing conditions of course. Preparation has been good so far, although you always hope for more practice time!”

Greger Huttu definetly seems to be ready for the competition. Team Redline is looking strong and determined to fight for the prestigious win on the virtual Le Mans track. But what would Huttu do, if he really managed to win? “First get some sleep and then party for a week!” That sounds like a good idea.

You can follow the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual live on stream starting on Saturday, June 13 at 3.00 PM CEST via Motorsport.tv.

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