Shannons Nationals eSports winner to get a Formula 4 test drive

With the Supercars category launching an eSports this week the competition is hotting up in the virtual category with the Shannons Nationals adding an eSports round at Sydney Motorsport Park this year.

Taking place at their event on 21-23 September, a company called Motum Simulation will be providing outstanding full motion VR Racing Simulators for the finals at the event.

But it’s not just a virtual joy ride.   The winner gets a test day in an Aussie Formula 4 car

Shannons Nationals Director Michael Smith talks about it as a game-changer;  “We’re really excited to be working with the team at Motum Simulation to have Esports officially on the Shannons Nationals card on 21-23 September,” he said.

“Online racing is serious business and something that is giving many young people a chance to show off their driving skills from the comfort of their own home, particularly when you have access to simulators like Motum’s, which are fully immersive.

“We are also planning on showing the final race between the top three of the weekend on the Shannons live stream on Sunday to give everyone a chance to see how this newest addition to the Shannons Nationals unfolds.”

The man behind the simulators, Motum Simulation Managing Director Steve Hoinville was excited about the potential within the eSports community for the event “There are more and more people embracing online racing and it’s a very competitive world,”

“We’re excited to see Shannons Nationals host such an event on the national stage, highlighting that Esports is a growing and evolving industry that has huge potential around the world. It furthers Motum’s latest program to meld the two worlds of motor racing, the virtual and the physical, that we launched last December at Etihad Stadium with the hugely popular inaugural VSR Showdown.”

If you’re looking to take part, you can register online 

How works

• Qualifying will take place on Friday 22 September at Sydney Motorsport Park at Round 6 of the Shannons Nationals
• Qualifying sessions can be booked online, more information shortly via thenationals.com.au and www.virtualsimracing.com.au
• Competitors will also have the opportunity to qualify online prior to the Shannons Nationals event – the top online racers will be fast tracked into the Saturday and Sunday finals
• The event will be CAMS sanctioned and have its own Race Director, regulations and driver briefings to ensure a professional environment for all competitors
• The top three racers across the weekend will make the final race on Sunday shown on the Shannons Nationals live stream, with the event also being streamed on the iRacing Esports Network.
• Competitors to use iRacing software to qualify and race
• Competitors will pay a small entry fee to take part ($30 payable at Sydney Motorsport Park on the day)

The equipment

• Motum’s MP6-VR simulators are full motion, professional racing simulators with VR headsets
• 6DOF (Degrees of Freedom) for the most accurate, multi-axis motion experience
• The MP6 simulator has an incredible motion envelope of up to:
  • +/- 30 degrees of pitch and roll
  • 45 degrees of yaw in either direction
  • 400mm lateral and longitudinal travel
  • 380mm vertical travel.
• Fully adjustable steering wheel and pedals, plus surround sound system to provide the driver real world audio and feedback alongside the motion to provide most realistic and fully immersive experience available on the market today.