The World Rallycross championship has become the latest professional motorsport series to launch an official Esports league in the absence of real racing due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The RX Esports Invitational is the first rallycross competition of its kind, as World RX joins the likes of NASCAR, IndyCar, and Formula 1 in launching a new virtual series during their respective championships’ downtime.
Sim racers will have the chance to compete alongside World RX’s real-world stars in the new series, which has been launched by World RX promoter IMG, Motorsport Games, and Codemasters – the creator of the Dirt Rally 2.0 game, which will serve as the platform for the competition.
The events will take place on PC via Steam on the dates of selected rounds of the 2020 World RX schedule that have already been postponed – April 19 (Barcelona) and May 2-3 (Montalegre) – with a qualifying event going live on March 28.
World RX drivers taking part have yet to be announced, but drivers from other motorsport disciplines are expected to be involved too.
“We hope that by offering fans around the world the chance to engage with World RX via an alternative Esports series, we are providing a small level of enjoyment in these difficult times,” said Paul Bellamy, senior vice president of motorsports events at IMG.
To enter, players on the PC Steam version of Dirt Rally 2.0 need to go to the ‘My Teams’ section of the game from 10am UK time on Saturday and select the specially marked promotional RX Esports tile from the events screen.
