Kiwi-led sim-racing team Virtual Motorsports have launched a 5 Hour of Spa iRacing endurance event to raise awareness of Men’s Health.
The ‘Racing Sims Enduro for Mens Health’ will be held this Saturday and is open to up to 58 ardent Kiwi sim-racers with no prerequisites required.
The race will be run on the Spa-Francorchamps circuit used for the Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix.
Two generations of V8 Supercars will be used – 2019 and 2014 – with an open set-up.
To add to the realism, Australian-based iRacing club Oceanic Sim Racing will operate a virtual race control and implement a manual safety car when needed.
The two causes for the event are Tough Talk and The Barter Barber. Commentating the event will be Men’s Health advocate Ben Atkinson. Atkinson has launched mental health initiatives such as a 71-hour sit-in event and a school lunch scheme which has donated over 63,000 meals for Kiwi school children.
Racers will be given a choice to design a custom livery through iRacing’s elaborative paint-scheme programme. Virtual Motorsports are encouraging all entrants to create a livery the inspires and portrays the message of supporting Men’s Health.
While most teams will be racing from the comfort of their homes, some racers will be battling it out live at Racing Sims in Christchurch and Rush Sim Racing in Auckland. These locations will also be open to the general public, and spectators are welcome to catch a glimpse of the action in person.
The race has already enticed the interest of some big names in Kiwi Motorsport, notably Supercars driver Andre Heimgartner who will be racing at Rush Sim Racing in Auckland.
For those unable to enter or wish to watch from home, Virtual Motorsport will steam the full race via their Facebook page.
The primary message of the event is to encourage people to dissolve the stigma that men are not affected by mental health and shouldn’t show emotion.
Donations can be made here: http://form.jotform.com/203197718375868