Paul Jeffrey
Premium
Is the non stop thrill of endurance racing just your thing? Fancy taking up the challenge of battling a grid full of top quality long distance drivers in rFactor 2? Well the RDLMS by Vesaro might just be for you....
Here at RaceDepartment we are synonymous with top quality league racing. We have the skills, the resources and the desire to produce some of the best online league racing you can find anywhere in the world of virtual motorsports, and what's more, we have some pretty epic prizes on offer too!
After a longer than usual break we are proud to announce the return of the legendary RaceDepartment Le Mans Series, this time generously supported by our good friends Vesaro and Thrustmaster.
As an added bonus we can confirm signups and skin submission deadlines have been extended to the end of Friday 24th February. You can sign up HERE.
So what is the RDLMS by Vesaro and what do you need to do to get in on the action and stand a chance of winning an epic prize? Read on to find out...
The Series
Designed to mirror the world of professional endurance racing, RDLMS by Vesaro is a challenging series of races held over 6 to 24 hours designed to be the ultimate test of skill and endurance. A virtual mirror of the European Le Mans Series, we will be hosting professionally run and professional broadcast races using rFactor 2 and supported by premium sim racing peripheral manufacturers Vesaro and Thrustmaster. The name of the game is to prove you are the best of the best. The stakes are high and the prizes are unbelievable.
The Cars
In order to mirror the best of the best from the world of the European Le Mans series RaceDepartment are exceptionally pleased to confirm the use of the often underrated Endurance Series version 1.00 mod by the Enduracers Modding Team. We will be hitting the track using the awesome LMP2 prototype cars and the equally exciting GTE Grand Touring GT cars. With machines from the likes of the legendary Ferrari, Aston Martin, Chevrolet, Porsche and BMW stable making up the GTE grid we are sure for a tight battle out on track.
Prototype fans can enjoy the breakneck speed and awesome downforce on offer from such prominent manufactures as Ligier, Lola, Oreca and Zytek as they weave their way through packed grids of cars in the battle to be crowned overall RDLMS by Vesaro Season 7 Champion.
Whichever class you choose, you can be sure the competition will be hard, clean and fair. Season 7 is going to be awesome!
The Tracks
RaceDepartment have spent a long time planning this new season, and we hope from the selection of tracks we have made available for this new championship we've picked some of the best, most engaging locations on which to hold the upcoming league. In many championships at the moment you will find the same selection of tracks doing the rounds, this is something we have consciously tried to avoid this year. Of course no endurance championship would be complete without Le Mans, and this theatre of speed will take pride of place in our series as well with a 24 hour epic due to make up the fourth round of the title battle. But what of the other tracks?
We open the championship on March 4th with the Thrustmaster 6 hours of Imola at the former home of the European Grand Prix on the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, or Imola for short. From that "mini" endurance event the teams and drivers head over to another Formula One classic, the challenging and iconic twists and turns of the beautiful Interlargos circuit in Brazil, for a slightly longer 12 hour test of man and machine. Because RDLMS will feature real time weather it would be fair to say you can expect some wet and wild action during the race, opening up the chances for a mixed result come the end of activity. Round three sees the cars take to the track for the Thrustmaster 6 Hours of Silverstone in Great Britain, another track simply perfect for this kind of racing and sure to attract some exciting action as the sun goes down in Northamptonshire.
As mentioned earlier, round 4 is the best of the best, the ultimate challenge and arguably one of the most demanding events in the whole of sim racing... the Thrustmaster 24 Hours of Le Mans. Some will be going flat out for a full day and night, others will be grateful to finish the race in one piece, all will be guaranteed an exceptionally satisfying experience. 24 hour races are something everyone should try at least once.
After the teams and drivers have regrouped the racing continues at a pace with round five, the penultimate event of our racing season here in RDLMS by Vesaro. Heading out of the usual comfort zone of European Grand Prix venues, the teams head over to the race of all races in the United States - the exceptionally enjoyable Road America for a 6 hour sprint race in one final chance to keep your car in contention for victory spoils. The Thrustmaster 6 Hours of Road America is swiftly followed by our season finale over in Japan. Love it or hate it, the Fuji International Speedway will be home to our final 12 hour endurance test as the teams and drivers fight it out amongst themselves in order to secure the honour of becoming the seventh RaceDepartment Le Mans Series by Vesaro World Champion.
Rest assured all the tracks that make up RDLMS 7 by Vesaro have been thoroughly tested and liveried specifically for the championship, to help ensure you have the very best experience possible.
The Prizes
We could not be more pleased to offer up some of the most impressive prizes on offer anywhere in sim racing today. Thanks to the exceptional support of our partners Vesaro and Thrustmaster we are able to offer both participants and viewers some truly top quality sim racing gear during the season.
With Vesaro partnering up to become overall sponsor of the championship this year we have something truly special on offer. One lucky person will be able to take home the unbelievable prize of an incredible purposely built racing rig, custom-made for RaceDepartment and retailing at no less that £4,500 (€5,200 or $5,500)! This rig simply screams of quality construction and would make an enviable addition to anyone's sim racing setup. Complete with a massive list of accessories I'm sure that no other racing league will be offering something as unbelievable as this during the year ahead. You can find out more about exactly what is included in the package by reading our announcement article here.
Furthermore everyone's favourite wheel manufacturer Thrustmaster have very kindly offered their support with sponsorship of the individual rounds that make up the seventh season of RDLMS. Thrustmaster have agreed to supply an enviable package of sim racing equipment to the value of over €1,250! With such massive prizes on offer and such an incredible on track experience waiting ahead of us, why not join in the action yourself?
You can find out more about exactly what is included in the package by reading our announcement article here.
These high value prizes can be won by participating teams but also spectators and fans of the series can have a shot at winning these amazing items!
All you have to do to have a chance to win is either sign up as a RDLMS participant or follow and subscribe to our Twitch and Youtube channels and watch our thrilling action packed broadcasts which will be live streamed with professional commentary.
The Vision
The RaceDeparment Le Mans Series by Vesaro is a return to form for rFactor 2 and RaceDepartment endurance racing leagues. We aim to provide the most professionally run, competitive and rewarding endurance racing league available in sim racing today. We have pulled out all the stops to ensure RaceDepartment are right at the very top of the pile when it comes to organised online league racing.
Not only have we spent considerable time and resource to ensure all the individual elements of the series come together in perfect harmony for lights out at Imola, but we've also pulled together an impressive broadcasting team who are simply chomping at the bit to get you involved in the action every step of the way. We will have a high quality HD broadcast from every minute of every round of the upcoming series, with an incredible production team, a hard working and dedicate technical squad ensuring everything works like clockwork behind the scenes, a grid full of top quality teams and drivers and some awesome partners in the form of Vesaro and Thrustmaster, all you need to do is sit back, relax and enjoy the show.
Getting Involved
Places are still open for the upcoming RDLMS Season 7 by Vesaro. If you are a team or driver (Premium Membership required) looking to get involved in the action then head over to our Team and Driver Matchmaking thread to see what opportunities are available for you today. You can sign up HERE. At RDLMS we welcome teams and drivers of all different skills and experiences. All we ask is you ensure you have enough practice to stay safe out on track, and more importantly you have a great time while racing here at RaceDepartment!
With the long awaited return to form for RDLMS by Vesaro just around the corner we simply can't wait. Can you?
The RaceDepartment Le Mans Series by Vesaro begins with the Thrustmaster 6 Hours on Imola on March 4th. Drivers and teams can register for the league here and find out all you need to know about the series here.
Looking forward to RDLMS 7? Will you be taking part in the series or watching on from the sidelines? Which of the awesome prizes would you like to win this season? Let us know in the comments section below!
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