The virtual 24 hours of Daytona attracts beautiful people

Obviously, the starting list will have nothing to do with that of the 24 Hours of Le Mans virtual last June. But the 24 Hours of Daytona racing, the first special event of the year in the car simulation game, brings together some of the best simracers on the planet, as well as well-known drivers.

55 cars divided into three categories will share the show. The LMP2s will represent the premier category, with Dallara P217s. The GTE category will see BMW, Porsche, Ferrari and Corvette while the GT3 will notably offer Lamborghinis and BMWs.

In LMP2, we can count on the presence of Fernando Alonso and Rubens Barrichello, 17th in the virtual 24 hours of Le Mans, who will once again be associated. On the French side, the Le Mans simracer Maxime Brient, 14th with Toyota at the virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans, will represent the Mivano team. The French F1CS team is fielding two LMP2s and a Corvette in GTE while Krom Esport is entering an LMP2.

RLR M-Sport, known as a prototype in ELMS notably, runs two cars. Note also the presence of the Argentinians from Juncos Racing, who entered a Cadillac Dpi during the last real 24 hours of Daytona.

In GTE, the stars will undoubtedly be Max Verstappen and Daniel Juncadella, second in the first round of the BMW Sim Cup last weekend. They will represent Team Redline, which Juncadella has just joined, third in the virtual 24 hours of Le Mans in GT last year. They will benefit from the official support of BMW Motorsport. The German brand will enter three other cars in the category, entrusted to Team Redline, BS Compétition and Team BMW Bank.

Another “star” in a BMW, the driver ofIndycar Alex Palou recently joined Team Fordzilla and will compete in his first virtual race with the team this weekend. Former Indianapolis 500 winner Tony Kanaan will drive a Corvette. Let's not forget the team of Romain Grosjean R8G Esport, which also enters BMWs in the hands of juniors, who will be accompanied by Mathias Beche, ex Rebellion driver and third in the virtual 24h of Le Mans in GT.

Among those involved, several will ride for humanitarian causes. The French team Rabbit, for example, are entering three Ferraris in GTE for the 24 Hours for Anna, a project initiated two years ago by a Frenchman with the aim of curing a child suffering from a serious illness.

The start of the race will be given on Saturday at 15 p.m., to follow on YouTube.