2020 has been a boom year for sim racing, and thanks to the V10 R-League that doesn't look like slowing down.
When real racing was sidelined, drivers took to Twitch and iRacing to keep their skills sharp. There was even a virtual 24-hour Le Mans race.
Now a whole new racing series is set to raise the bar for what is possible in sim racing.
What is the V10 R-League?
Devised and produced by Gfinity and Abu Dhabi Motorsport Management (ADMM), the V10 R-League is a unique racing series.
Raced in a custom-built single-seater V10-powered car that looks like the kind of thing an engineer would design if they didn't have regulators looking over their shoulder, it promises action from start to finish.
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It also sounds like racing should. The roar of the V10 sends shivers down the spine of any race fan.
If it's a brand new car though, who is racing it?
Big teams promise big things
So far four of the eight teams have been announced, and it's enough to get the mouth watering.
Giant car companies are featured in the shape of Ford and their Fordzilla esports team.
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Big racing teams are in, with Williams & Racing Point both signing up.
The elite driver programme Jean Alesi eSports Academy has partnered with Suzuki to enter.
And that's just the start!
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With four more teams to announce, and each team providing three drivers for the competition, the racing potential is off the charts.
Racing redefined
When you think of a racing championship, you think of every team lining up on the grid together and spending two hours zooming round a track. Then the next week it's the same thing, but on a different piece of tarmac.
The V10 R-League is different.
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Described as head-to-head and team vs team, what is on offer could totally change the way motorsport fans and sim racers think about esports.
Teams are set to go through three head-to-head challenges per race week, giving a singular win, loss, or draw result that then gets sorted into a league table.
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With three drivers it also minimises the risk of one error leading to calamity for the team. Seven matches means that while you can absorb a poor week of racing, too many any it quickly becomes a problem.
The exact format and challenges have not been announced yet, but given Gfinity's stated goal that "For a long time we’ve wanted to do something only possible in the gaming sector of motorsport" it is something race fans shouldn't miss.
How to watch the V10 R-League
Season 1 of V10 R-League starts today! You can watch all eight teams in action at 7pm BST on BT Sport 2.
Those in the US can watch on ESPN3, while in the Middle East it will be available on STARZPLAY Arabia.
READ MORE: Full broadcast schedule for V10 R-League