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The interconnection between the traditional world of motorsport and the eSports sector has been clear for many years and the majority of professionals in both industries. Yet, except for a few drivers or events, no broad reality has been developed to create a solid connection from simracing to on-track driving.
R1SE was born to be that connection, to be the bridge between the exclusive and expensive world of professional motorsport and the more accessible world of simracing.
Our mission is indeed: “Use the best in class digital tools to make motorsport accessible and profitable to anyone, from anywhere, at any time, actively helping true talents to emerge.”
In this article, we want to give some measures of what brought us here and give tangible examples of why we are so sure we will be able to fulfill our mission.
What we mean when we say motorsport is expensive is that starting just with the first step of a young driver’s career, karting, for a single year with a mid-level karting program the cost can reach $50,000 already.
When the young talent chooses the path of Formula the ladder typically goes on with Formula 4, then 3, 2, and eventually Formula 1. Beginning with the cost for a single season in Formula 4 the range is from $200,000 to $500,000. Formula 3 can reach the cost of $2 million, Formula 2 $5 million, and the top tier Formula 1 on average costs between $10 to $50 million. All these for just one season. On the other hand, the cost for a starting level simracing setup is only $1,000 which is 50 times lower than a single season in karting. (Source - R1SE Market research 2022)
What is fundamental to remember is how much the two realities are similar and comparable.
Not only in terms of how much simracing can replicate true-to-reality tactical responses but also and most importantly on a scientific and medical level as simracers reach the same high levels of stress and cortisol as racing drivers. (Source 2: Passafiume Noemi, Racing towards a digital future: marketing challenges and opportunities for Formula 1 and eSports [Final dissertation]. IULM University, November 2022)
Simracing is not only comparable to real-life racing but also is becoming every day more important as a training tool for professional drivers as explained by Lando Norris during an interview. He declared that simracing has been fundamental for his racing career. He learned the driving basic skills on a simulator at 13 and then experimented on track with what he learned. The simulator allowed him to learn skills that would otherwise be too dangerous to try directly on track at such a young age, accelerating his learning process and maybe also his whole career. (Source 3: Cupola, P. (2019, November 26). Lando Norris: tra la F1 reale e quella virtuale. Gazzetta dello Sport. Retrieved from https://esports.gazzetta.it/intervista/26-11-2019/lando-norris-tra-la-f1-reale-e-quella-virtuale-55377?refresh_ce)
More recently Norris even declared that he trains on the laps of his rival Max Verstappen to achieve better performances on the track. (Source 4: Delrio, F. (2019, September 18). Sim racing ed eSport: il futuro del motorsport passa dal gaming. Everyeye. Retrieved from https://www.everyeye.it/articoli/speciale-sim-racing-esport-futuro-motorsport-passa-gaming-45131.html)
With such similarity, it’s natural to wonder if there can be simracing drivers that can become professional drivers and the answer naturally is yes.
It already happened in the past with drivers like Lucas Ordonez, Norbert Michelisz, Anthony Alfredo, Ty Majeski, and Cem Bolukbasi. Our goal is to make this transition from eSports to racing the future of motorsport.
To create this bridge between the two worlds we built a new racing platform, the first of this kind in this sector, where everyone can sign up without entry barriers and earn real money.
The only requirements are having a PC able to run Assetto Corsa with no lag (therefore also a legal copy of Assetto Corsa), a reliable and stable internet connection, and an input device (we advise a full sim setup or wheel and pedals).
Once signed up and downloaded our app people can start racing on R1SE. With the official launch of our platform, there will be both free and pay-to-entry races with fees that will be proportional to the prize pool. All people will have to do is race, show their talent, and win to be able to start earning. We dream that every quarter earned on the platform will be reinvested in it by participating in new races, buying new gear for the setup, or in any kind of traditional racing activities both training and competitions.
