Pierre Fillon: “Important for the ACO to develop eSports”
- Published on 15 / 01 / 2022 at 19: 09
Pierre Fillon (right) at the Virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans (Photo: François Flamand / DPPI)eSports are highlighted this weekend with the second edition of the Virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans. Pierre Fillon, the President of the ACO, spoke about the desire to develop this format.
What is your view on the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual?
The first Virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans (June 13 and 14, 2020) were a good surprise since we were voted the best eSports event of the year globally. It was a great event of an opportunity that appeared with Covid. We had plans in eSports, but they are now much more ambitious. We therefore launched the Le Mans Virtual Series championship with this final, as in a World Championship format. The enthusiasm remains intact, even more important, with a higher level. Max Verstappen is present, Alex Palou also or the Montoya family (Juan Pablo and Sebastian. Editor's note). It is important for the ACO to develop eSport which is part of theEndurance in the same way as reality.
Can we see a link between this enthusiasm for the Le Mans Virtual Series and that of the new era of Endurance?
There is no direct link, because the influx of manufacturers is mainly due to the regulations that we have put in place, the alliance with the United States or even the reduction in costs. However, it is obvious that the Virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans, through the influence it was able to have, helped to shed light on the real 24 Hours of Le Mans and the World Championship. It's also interesting for us to reach out to the younger generation, passionate about eSports, and introduce them to our discipline.
Is there the idea of one day allowing a Simracer to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans?
It's an ambition. The day we have done this, we will have perfectly succeeded in developing eSports. We will work, when the eSport championship has grown, to one day allow the winner of the Virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans to get into a seat.
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Perhaps we can draw inspiration from this as well? Here, a real 24-hour race, here, no slow zones with a speed limit close to that of a sick snail! Here, no VSCs causing a team to lose a race because they're not behind the correct VSC or because they're stuck at a red light in the pit lane.