iRacing VLN Endurance Championship announced

iRacing and the VLN Series announced the creation of the iRacing VLN Endurance Championship for their online racing simulation.

The VLN or “Veranstaltergemeinschaft Langstreckenpokal Nürburgring” is a German organization of motorsport clubs of which each hosts one event of a ten-race series held on the Nürburgring Nordschleife.

The “VLN Langstreckenmeisterschaft Nürburgring” participants range from amateurs in small road legal cars with roll cages and harnesses to professional factory teams racing Group GT3 cars. The VLN series is closely associated with the 24 Hours Nürburgring and uses a similar rulebook. However, while most of the VLN members compete in the Nürburgring 24h, it is not part of the VLN championship.

Since last year, iRacing features a high-quality laser scanned version of the Nürburging Nordschleife. In combination with its 60,000 active racers and superb competition backend, it forms the perfect platform for an official virtual VLN championship.

The iRacing VLN Endurance Championship will be officially sanctioned by the Association of Nürburgring Endurance Cup Organisers. The championship will start on May 15 and will end eight races later on October 23. All the races will start at  14:00 GMT and will be broadcasted live on iRacing.com/live and www.vln.de.

 

Collaborating with the VLN series to make an official online series is one more way we separate ourselves from the other ‘games’ out there. Our version of the track is millimeter accurate and to now have an official VLN series just adds to the immersion for our members,” said Tony Gardner, President, iRacing.com. “Our iRacing members can’t get enough racing at the Nürburging and have been requesting a real VLN series since the day we announced we were adding this historic track – I know they will be excited to race in the iRacing VLN Endurance Championship.

“We first met with iRacing at the 2014 SimRacing Expo here at the Nürburging and immediately realized this would be a great partnership, offered Marius Golombeck, from VLN. “Now with the addition of the new generation GT3 cars, the Audi R8 LMS and the Mercedes-AMG GT3, the timing couldn’t be better to launch the official iRacing VLN Endurance Championship. Without a doubt this is going to be an exciting partnership and a fantastic way to promote sim racing.“

 

Competitors in the real world VLN Endurance Championship have also taken notice. Maro Engel, driver of the #6 Black Falcon Mercedes-AMG, and Laurens Vanthoor, driver of the #5 Phoenix Racing Audi R8 LMS, are both active iRacers who currently compete in the VLN Endurance Championship. Having turned many laps on iRacing’s rendition of the Nürburging as well, Engel and Vanthoor are in the unique position of knowing just how exciting the VLN series is and what it will mean to iRacers.

 

“Having raced on both the real Nürburging and on iRacing, I know that this new virtual series will be fantastic. It will be a fantastic way for sim racers around the world to get a real taste of the VLN series,” said Engel. “It’s amazing to be able to race my Mercedes-AMG GT3 car in iRacing, at the Nürburging, and I’m looking forward to this new series.”

“The VLN Endurance Championship is a very challenging series, and unlike any other series in the world. It’s exciting that so many more people will be able to experience it through iRacing,” said Vanthoor. “iRacing keeps getting better and better – first they built the Nürburging, then my Audi R8 LMS and now a true VLN series – these three together really make for some great racing.”

 

iRacing VLN Endurance Championship:

Rules:

Official Webpage – www.iRacing.com