It took me a few days of pondering. But eventually I decided to give it a go! I'm registered for the Lamborghini The Real Race eSports series!
Why was I so hesitant at first? Well, because this is the first time I'm stepping into the unknown world of eSports. I've been keeping up with several competitions, but I'm always a few seconds adrift from the professional lap times. On average, anything between 1.5 to 3 seconds. But I figured waiting wouldn't make me any faster.
Unfortunately, I missed the first two qualifyings. Mea culpa… My private life took over for a few weeks, and I haven't been able to spend enough time behind the wheel.
But I'm already on the leaderboard for the Barcelona Hotstint.
What's the Lamborghini The Real Race?
In short, it's Lamborghini's Super Trofeo esports championship on Assetto Corsa Competizione. The ultimate goal is to become the new Automobili Lamborghini Esports driver. In this fourth season, Lamborghini promises to put together a bigger and more exciting championship.
And what better way to include some physical events that 'collide' with real-world racing?
The qualification process happens over several rounds at several tracks, with obviously one goal: being the fastest driver online. It includes two stages:
- Hosting qualifying
- Qualification race
Once qualifying is done, the competition moves over to the Regional finals. Only the top 24 drivers can make it to the qualification race. And believe me ... That's plenty difficult already!
Hotstint at Barcelona
A little late to the party, I started my first hotstint qualifying at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
I've done some laps in the Super Trofeo Huracán, but it's been a while. And, I'm going to be straight with you. I don't like the car. The Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo Evo 2 is a dated version of 2021, and it's just not on the same level as the recently released 2023 model.
It suffers notoriously from understeer at corner entry and an unpredictably snappy rear end.
So, for Barcelona, the extra difficulty lied in the fact that the session was at night. I don't particularly have experience at night driving, making it even more challenging with a car that I can hardly keep on track.
My first outing was calm and composed. I focused mainly on staying well within track limits and not making mistakes over the 20-minute hotstint. A first attempt wasn't all that bad, placing myself 35th on the leaderboard. I later tumbled down to 40-something as more drivers took to the track.
But I understood that I had more potential, given that I could tweak the setup and push just a little harder.
During my second attempt, I lowered my lap times drastically, going from an average of 1:49.7 to an average of 1:48.5. I did manage to get a bit more stability from the Huracán Super Trofeo Evo 2, which gave me more confidence and consistency. Unfortunately, I almost spun at turn 10 on the very last lap, not allowing me to put in a 12th lap time like the top 20 did. If not for that dumb mistake under braking, I might have moved up several places altogether.
Surely, after a few other attempts, I managed to get my lap times well in the 1.47's, allowing me to put in a 12th lap time. At the end of the hotstint window, I was able to qualify in 49th place. Not bad for my first go at esports, but not close enough to the top 24.
Barcelona itself is a track I love. I've been there in real life on two wheels, and the famous MotoGP track is one that I absolutely adore. In the game, it's similarly fun, even on four wheels. But it's the kind of track that exposes the Huracán Super Trofeo Evo 2's weaknesses. The understeer is a problem in post corners. But after a while, you get used to early entry points and finding stability under braking. What catches me out more than anything else is the snappy rear end. The high-speed, tire-demanding nature of the first and last sectors make the car nervous, twitchy, and plain unpredictable.
In the end, I also watched the online race and to my surprise, those 1.47's I was doing would have put me in a reasonable position.
Hotstint qualifying at Spa
Not too long ago I wrote about my 'love' for Spa. So, I knew that I would stand a good chance of improving my position compared to Barcelona.
That was until I saw that the hotstint was in full wet conditions. Yeah...
I'm not the worst wet-weather driver, but I must admit I lack experience. If I've done 10 races in the wet, I would probably be overstating. And Spa is tricky in dry conditions, it's even worse when it's full wet.
My first attempt wasn't all that bad. Again, I tried to focus on racing lines and making sure every lap counted. The Lambo actually handles nicely in the rain. The understeer isn't really a problem anymore and the rear is planted more firmly. For these sessions, I just ran the preset Wet setup, and it seemed well balanced.
Traction is one of the biggest struggles, though. After turning the TC down to 4, I was able to get a decent enough drive out of corners, but I still lack a little bit of pace. At the time of writing, I'm placed 54th, way off the pace and down the order. And I have to be fair, I don't see myself reaching the top 30 anytime soon. There are still two days left to set a stint, so I will be sure to give it another try and hope to qualify!
But overall, I'm pleased with my potential to get further up the order over time. Sadly, the qualifying is almost over, so after Spa, I won't be able to try again. Hopefully, I'll be better prepared next year after some more miles with the (unfamiliar) Huracán.
