Skoda is hoping to fill the void of a paused World Rally Championship by letting gamers compete against top names from the world of professional rallying in its new eChallenge series. Hosted on Codemasters's DiRT Rally 2.0 video game, 2019 European Rally Champion Chris Ingram will be among a handful of pros to compete from this Wednesday in the Rally of Argentina, which is virtually filling in for the real, postponed WRC event.
To ensure equal competition - and that Skoda earns itself some virtual marketing - each competitor will use a Fabia Rally2 evo, the 279hp 1.6-litre turbocharged, purpose built all-wheel drive machine that competes in the FIA's R5 rally category. Much like Formula 1's eSports series, which is helping to keep F1 fans entertained while the season is halted, it brings the professionals into line with anyone who fancies having a go. If it's anything like F1's e-races, the pros won't exactly be leaving the gamers for dead...
The opening round of Skoda's series - which can be accessed via the latest DIRT Rally game on PS4, Xbox One and Microsoft PCs - will run for five days from the 22nd and it's accessible to registered DiRT users here. Coverage of the action will be shared onto Skoda's social media channels with a proper highlights video, confirming that this is more than just a time filler for the brand and its fans. eSports has long been a serious thing, but coronavirus has elevated its exposure enormously, so expect competitors to be going all out with the practice and preparation.
As for the real stuff, the 2020 WRC calendar paused after Mexico in March, with the following events in Argentina, Portugal and Italy all delayed due to coronavirus. The calendar is planned to restart in Kenya in the middle July, assuming the pandemic is brought under control. Until then, eSports will be the lone provider of live rallying action.
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