AXLE SPORTS TO PARTICIPATE IN LMP & GTE CLASSES IN NEW LE MANS VIRTUAL SERIES

KUALA LUMPUR (22 September 2021): Following its success in the EERC European Endurance Championship 24-hour race in June, Axle Sports is set to take on the upcoming Le Mans Virtual Series, which starts on 25 September.

Axle Sports, led by Alex Yoong, is honoured to be part of one of the biggest sim racing events in the world, having been selected as one of only 31 teams to compete for the second season in a row. Yoong has fond memories of the world's oldest active sports car endurance race, having won Rookie of the Year when he first competed at Le Mans in 2006.

The newly renamed and expanded Le Mans Virtual Series is a global, elite series of five rounds, kicking off on 25 September with a four-hour endurance race at Monza.

Yoong believes the team will perform better this year and is ready to take on opponents from around the world. "I'm really proud of what Axle Sports has achieved in esports in a really short time. When we entered last year, we were new to rFactor 2 and did not know what to expect. But now, with a year's experience under our belt, we have become a leading rFactor 2 team in the region, with multiple victories not just here but also in Europe. Our aim is to win. Our aim is to show that we have the talent in Asia Pacific to take on the best teams in Europe and beat them," he said.

Axle Sports will rely on one of Malaysia's fastest sim racers, Naquib Azlan, who won his second eRacing GP Global Edition championship in May 2021. "I'm delighted to be part of this team and I can't wait to share the stage with some of the best drivers in the world," said Naquib.

Naquib Azlan will be joined by Josh Purwien (Australia) and Team Flash driver Muhammad Aleef (Singapore) in Car #21 in the LMP class, while Alister Yoong (Malaysia), Mikko Nassi (Singapore) and Inigo Anton (Philippines) will compete in the GTE class in Car #61.

The first four rounds, held between September and December, will take place strictly online, with the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual as the climax of the premier endurance esports championship. The finale will be a live, televised event at the 2022 Autosport International motorsport show in Birmingham, UK, on 15 and 16 January 2022, with 50% of the total US$250,000 prize fund available for the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual standalone race. For more information, visit lemansvirtual.com.