Formula E has pioneered electric car racing on city streets, and this weekend Las Vegas hosts another landmark for the fledgling series — this time in the virtual world.
The Vegas eRace will pit 20 Formula E drivers against 10 fans as “Sin City” becomes “sim city” in a unique $1 million event, where all competitors will use a simulation cockpit.
The format will largely mirror that of a Formula E race weekend, with two practice sessions before a qualifying round, followed by a further qualifying race. The top 10 finishers will then go forward to a 28-lap final.
“This is an amazing idea and a fantastic new concept and I’m so excited,” Nelson Piquet Jr., the world champion in the inaugural 2014-15 Formula E season, said in a statement.
“I think it’s brilliant what Formula E is doing combining the worlds of real and virtual racers and bringing such a big prize money to eSports.”
The Brazilian, who drives for Chinese team NextEV NIO, says the US is “the perfect place for the eRace.”
“I think this is going to be really fun with all the drivers together,” added the son of three-time F1 world champion Nelson Piquet.
eSport fans can watch all the action unfold on Twitch, a video streaming website dedicated to gaming.
CNN’s Supercharged will bring you all the action and reaction to the race and news from CES in this month’s show, which debuts on January 21.