Many issues plague 24H Le Mans Virtual 2023

The 24H Le Mans Virtual 2023 did not go as planned over the past weekend. During the race, the host game, i.e., rFactor 2, had different issues with the game server, which the developer Motorsport Games later stated was due to security breaches.

But, by the time repairs were made and everything was back to normal, the damage was done. Drivers and teams, including two-time Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen, were unhappy with what happened.

24H Le Mans Virtual 2023

This event was supposed to be the culmination of the esports racing calendar. It was also supposed to be one of the most important tournaments in simulation racing, for the best players were competing against each other, both professional esports players and professional drivers in the real world.

These drivers had to play on simulators during a unique 24-hour session, just as in the real 24H Le Mans. Teams competed for a share of a juicy $250,000 prize pool and the prestige of winning this tournament.

The Virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans 2023 is a competition organized by Motorsport Games and Automobile Club de l’Ouest. These come together to hold a crossover event, i.e., a series of sim Racing consisting of five rounds. As mentioned, the best simulation and real-life racing drivers are the participants. This test of endurance and skill is played on real-world simulation tracks.

The participating drivers were:

• James Baldwin
• Felipe Drugovich
• Max Verstappen
• Romain Grosjean
• Felix Rosenqvist
• Victor Martins
• Gustavo Menezes
• Andy Priaulx
• Jimmu Broadbeng
• Tomas Enge
• Daniel Juncadella
• Sebastian Priaulx
• Beitske Visser
• Luke Browing
• Bruno Spengler
• Alexander Smolyar

The event was very well organized, there is no doubt about that. In addition, multiple media coverage platforms covered, analyzed, and commented on the race.

Organizers allege DDoS attacks

The event organizers pointed out that all the problems in the tournament were due to a DDoS attack. They pointed out that one of the teams had inadvertently shared the IP address of the unsecured race server, which allowed it to be attacked.

But even without this attack, disruption was almost inevitable. Fellow competitor and former F1 driver Romain Grosjean (who advises the organizer of the Motorsport Games series) likened the disconnects to “real-life mechanical failures” often seen in all forms of auto racing.

To put some context, a DDoS attack:

“Is a type of cyber attack that attempts to make a website or network resource unavailable by collapsing it with malicious traffic so it cannot function properly. For example, in a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack, an attacker overloads his target with unwanted Internet traffic so that normal traffic does not reach its intended destination.”

Verstappen retirement

In addition to leading the race, Verstappen and his team, No1 Redline, had been leading the 24H Le Mans Virtual 2023. But, more than a dozen teams suffered a temporary disconnection during the race. Although almost all players were reinstated to their original position, Verstappen was relegated to a few places.

This caused the fury of the two-time Formula 1 world champion, who went into the pits and retired his car. Furthermore, Verstappen said:

“You prepare for five months to try to win this championship, you’re leading the championship, you try to win this race that you prepare for two months, and they handle it like this.”

“It’s a shame for all the effort we put in as a team. I hope the organizers consider where they propose this race because, on this platform, it’s not going to work.”

“That’s it, game over. I think I have a better chance if I go to Vegas and go to the casino. I have a better chance of winning.”

Header: Le Mans Virtual | Twitter