3DRAP SQUADRA CORSE WINS THE SECOND LICS WEL ENDURANCE RACE

2023 Italian GT Endurance Esports Championship: “The same incredible excitement as a real race weekend”

Two cars equipped with peripherals manufactured by the company: the Viri Dashboard, the Vota Steering Wheel prototype, and the Ngasa Pedals.

3DRap is also taking part in the World Endurance LAN on Assetto Corsa, the first national championship dedicated exclusively to sim racing centers throughout Italy, organized by LICS (Italian Simulation Centers League). Although it is not an actual simulation center, 3DRap was admitted to the competition with its own “racing team,” for which the Irpinia-based company prepared two cars: Squadra Corse Yellow and Squadra Corse Red, to compete against Italy’s greatest sim racers in an exciting new challenge behind the wheel of the Porsche 911 GT3.

THE RACES

Six races in total throughout the year, lasting six or eight hours, followed by a twelve-hour final race. It starts with free practice on Friday, qualifying on Saturday morning and the race immediately afterward. Gianluca Rotello, Federico Elli, Roberto Martorana, and Lorenzo Dal Rio are just some of those who gathered at 3DRap’s headquarters to take part in the endurance races, long-distance competitions based on performance and stamina in a race that can last from 6 to 24 hours. The drivers share the car and, of course, its setup. Every hour there is a driver change and one of them takes the wheel. But the most exciting thing is having the entire team around them for support, because the races take place in simulation centers rather than in the drivers’ individual homes.

“That is exactly what makes it so great,” says Beniamino Izzo, project manager at 3DRap. “The drivers are not home alone, each shut away in their own room, but together with the entire team at the simulation center or, as in our case, at our company headquarters. They also compete in cars prepared by race engineers and mechanics, racing with the support of the team, including a spotter who monitors lap times and efficiency and provides advice, just as in real races. I can guarantee it because I experienced it in the past as a race engineer,” Beniamino Izzo continues. “We selected drivers from all over Italy to give them the opportunity to compete in our cars and challenge other Italian drivers. Being in the pits, watching the driver and seeing them win gives you the same mix of emotions you experience at the track with a real racing team. You can also enjoy the experience of a race weekend without spending thousands of euros to buy or rent cars, pit garages and mechanics to go racing. It is something all motorsport enthusiasts can do, although many are often unable to because of the excessive costs. In short, it is an experience you absolutely have to try!”

SIM RACING: A NEW WAY TO SOCIALIZE

Everything therefore becomes much more realistic. The car is simulated, but the setting is incredibly real. This is exactly what sim racing has been trying to achieve since the pandemic: moving out of people’s homes and into centers to share the excitement of a real race on the track. This also changes the image of the sim racer, who has always been seen as a solitary figure: the drivers race alongside the team and spend the entire race together. In this way, this esport also becomes a way to socialize, compare experiences and share adrenaline-fueled adventures.

“The driving rigs at our headquarters,” Izzo explains, “become actual cars that the racing team enters in competitions: the better the results, the greater the prestige for the team. One of the goals is precisely to demonstrate the competitiveness of its cars to the industry.” And so, along with the excitement, the 3DRap team also enjoys rewarding results. The great success in the championship is due in particular to the reliability and ergonomics of the peripherals used for the race: the Viri Dashboard, the Vota Steering Wheel prototype, and the Ngasa Pedals.

UPCOMING EVENTS AT OUR HEADQUARTERS

There are still many events to come before the championship concludes in October at the Le Mans circuit in France. But it is not just about racing for 3DRap! An event reserved for selected Squadra Corse drivers, influencers and customers is scheduled for Saturday, February 18, 2023, in the company’s simulation area. Participants will be able to discover new products and prototypes by 3DRap. They will have the opportunity to challenge the drivers of Squadra Corse, compare their skills and put themselves to the test. The 3DRap team has not revealed any of the participants’ names, but there is plenty of curiosity among enthusiasts, who cannot wait to enter a real racing team and take to the track.

“We are not a simulation center,” Izzo points out, “but they welcomed us with open arms, and we thank LICS for giving us the opportunity to take part in this wonderful occasion to compete against one another.” 3DRap thanks the championship organizers for the opportunity, particularly Giuseppe Mazzei, owner, coordinator and coach of the eSport oN3 simulation center in Rende (Cosenza), and Luca Alberti and Paolo Ottoboni from the D2D Simulator simulation center in Brescia, “Drink to Drive”—yes, drinking in order to drive, because on virtual tracks even having a drink behind the wheel is allowed!