Celebrities will control futuristic real-life cars from their homes in a unique race.
Photo credit: Das Race / Twitter
A new event called “Das Race” will combine the world of virtual and real racing. The race tournament will air on on Twitch. The event is a collaboration between Veritas Entertainment, Optimist Inc., and Iconmobile Group.
TWELVE celebrity racers
— Das Race (@das__race) July 14, 2020
SIX remote-controlled cars
ONE ridiculous idea
Get ready to redefine racing. https://t.co/hvMo74vgaE pic.twitter.com/Ff5gOxxXi4
“Nobody has built something like this before”
Twelve North American celebrities are going to compete. “We focus on having a varied starting field,” Dorian Gorr, Managing Director at Veritas Entertainment tells OverTake. Some names have already been revealed: Fifa content creator Mike LaBelle, Sneaker Artist Kickstradomis and Rocket League pro PhantomACE will join the line-up. “We want to show that racing can be more than a niche. That’s why a varied mixture is more important to us than showing racing pros,” Gorr says.
🔓 DRIVER UNLOCKED [1/12]: @MikeLaBelle
— Das Race (@das__race) July 16, 2020
Mike might have the FIFA finesse, but can he do New York proud on our racetrack? pic.twitter.com/F5W4BLGrNJ
The participants will take control of real RC cars which are around 30 centimeters long and can drive up to 40 km/h. They are equipped with cameras and made to survive tough collisions.
The vehicles are going to race on a real-world track in a studio in Los Angeles, California, being remotely controlled via a gamepad from the celebrities’ homes. “We’re bringing together the excitement of real-life sports combined with the excitement of esports,” says Toygar Bazarkaya, Chief Creative Officer at Optimist.
The track is equipped with special features. There are several power-ups which can be picked up by the cars. These grant the drivers advantages like a speed boost for their car, a slow effect to all other drivers or the option to invert another player’s controls.
Dorian Gorr describes it as a “way cooler version of Mario Kart, but in real life.” The circuit will also include shortcuts which can give a “high reward to those who master them”. “The shortcuts are corners and sections which will be harder to drive. There is a risk of not making it through without damage, which might cost you some places. It’s high risk, high reward,” Dorr tells OverTake.
You can watch the first event live on lvlglobal’s Twitch channel on Saturday night. “Afterwards, we’re going to record season 1 with several episodes which will air in August,” says Dorian Gorr.
