Red Bull’s participation in the £100,000 competition has been announced one day after the new Veloce-backed team YAS HEAT.
Photo credit: V10 R-League
Red Bull Racing Esports Team is the sixth team to join the newly formed V10 R-League. An official announcement by organizers Gfinity and Abu Dhabi Motorsports Management confirmed the addition on August 13. In the invite-only tournament, held in Assetto Corsa, a total of eight teams will fight for a prize pool of £100,000.
The organization is a well-known name in the esports racing scene, winning several championships in major competitions. “By joining the V10-R League we hope to prove that our team of drivers are highly adaptable and able to compete in any new and exciting formats presented to them,” says Luke Jones, Senior Manager of Red Bull Racing Esports, in a press release.
The organization already confirmed the driver line-up on its official website. Jöni Törmälä, Graham Carroll and four-time Forza Motorsport World Champion Aurelien ‘Laige’ Mallet will start for their team.
Racing Re-defined#v10rleague #racingredefined pic.twitter.com/EAG0rNkdg4
— V10 R-League (@V10RLeague) August 5, 2020
Red Bull is going to fight against several other big names of the scene. In the initial announcement of the tournament, Williams Esports, JAESA Team Suzuki, Team Fordzilla and Racing Point Esports Team already confirmed their participation.
Veloce-backed team YAS HEAT joins as well
Prior to Red Bull’s announcement, a brand-new team confirmed to be the fifth contender in the competition on August 12. Abu Dhabi Motorsport Management partnered with Veloce Esports to found a new esports racing team called YAS HEAT. It will make its first appearance in V10 R-League.
🔥🔥🔥 YAS HEAT 🔥🔥🔥
— YAS HEAT (@yas_heat) August 12, 2020
Beyond hyped for the future of Sim-Racing in the United Arab Emirates!
We start our journey competing in the @v10rleague.#v10rleague #racingredefined #YASHEAT pic.twitter.com/tt3CQJ9YZ8
YAS HEAT is also the first team to confirm its driver line-up for the competition. Former Nitro Nights guest Jaroslav ‘Jardier’ Honzik will lead the team as a driver and brand ambassador. The Czech will be joined by Eamon Murphy, Andrea Capoccia and Simone Fedele.
According to an official statement, YAS HEAT aims to be “the leading esports brand in the Middle East.” With the help of Veloce, the organisation will also stage trials taking place within the next twelve months to find additional talents. YAS HEAT plans to take part in competitions in Assetto Corsa, Gran Turismo and Forza Motorsport in the future.
“The YAS HEAT ESPORTS team is the start of a multi-year programme and commitment to developing a globally successful virtual racing ecosystem for Abu Dhabi,” says Saif Al-Noaimi, Principal of YAS HEAT, in an official statement.
Tournament format revealed
The V10 R-League claims to “redefine racing” with an innovative tournament format. The organizers have now shared further details on how the competition will pass off. The teams will face each other in one-on-one matches in a round robin format, totalling 28 matches.
It’s the small details – Did we mention it has a V10!😍😍
— V10 R-League (@V10RLeague) August 11, 2020
This is Racing Re-defined#v10rleague #racingredfined #simracing #assettocorsa pic.twitter.com/2jVoK1pMX1
Three drivers will be chosen to compete by their teams before the match. Each match will consist of three separate rounds on a selected track. Each round will grant one point towards the teams’ standings in the league.
In round one, the drivers will head to the track in pairs to drive a head-to-head race over a set number of laps. Since three pairs will compete, the first team to win two races will win round one.
Moving on, round two will be a relay race. That means, one driver will start for each team. Each driver will race two laps before passing on the baton in the pits. The first team to cross the finish line after all the drivers raced two laps will win round two.
The final round is a team race in which all six drivers will be on track. The final placements will award a certain number of points as displayed in the table below.
| Place | Points |
| 1st | 10 Points |
|---|---|
| 2nd | 6 Points |
| 3rd | 4 Points |
| 4th | 3 Points |
| 5th | 2 Points |
| 6th | 1 Point |
The team earning the most points will win round three. In case of a draw, neither team gets a point.
HOW ESPORTS RACING MISSES ITS BIGGEST CHANCE
A driver of the day award with a cash prize will also reward individual drivers. The race will be held on the circuits of Yas Marina, Monza, Brands Hatch, Nordschleife, Spa-Francorchamps, Laguna Seca, and Vallelunga.
A time schedule has not been shared yet. Two teams are still to be announced.
