FPAK, ACP and Sports&You launch Portugal’s first National Sim Racing Championships

The Portuguese Automobilism and Karting Federation (FPAK), the Automobile Club of Portugal (ACP) and Sports&You are joining forces to organise and promote Portugal’s first National Motor Racing Simulation Championships - a competitive scene widely known as Sim Racing.

With the backing and formal recognition of the International Automobile Federation (FIA), these inaugural National Motor Racing Simulation Championships were introduced on Wednesday at an event held at the Virtual Autodrome of Lisbon.

Razão Automóvel, acting as Media Partner to the National Motor Racing Simulation Championships, attended the launch event. A number of well-known figures from Portuguese motorsport were also present, including Pedro Lamy, Armindo Araújo, Miguel Barbosa, Bruno Magalhães, Bernardo Sousa and Mário Silva.

Portugal’s National Sim Racing Championships and the rise of Sim Racing

In recent years, Portuguese Sim Racing has shown notable growth. These Portugal championships - the first to be officially recognised by FPAK - represent an important milestone for the wider eSports community, because Sim Racing now gains the status of a federated discipline.

Carlos Barbosa, President of ACP, argues that: “This eSports phenomenon has seen unparalleled growth, and we could not remain indifferent to it”.

How can you take part?

The Portuguese Motor Racing Simulation Championships are open to anyone interested, provided they hold Portuguese nationality or have tax residency in Portugal. All entrants will need to obtain the “E Licence” (free of charge) - created specifically for this purpose - through the FPAK portal.

At the outset, two championships will be run: one for single-seaters using a Formula 3 car, and one for GTs (team-based endurance races). In both cases, participation will be via the iRacing platform, a leading simulation software, with each competitor using their own personal computer.

The winners will be officially recognised as Portuguese Champions and will attend the FPAK Champions’ Gala alongside the winners from national competitions in the “real world”. Cash prizes totalling around €10,000 are also planned, to be split across the two competitions.

How will it work?

Pre-qualification and divisions

Between 18 and 21 September, pre-qualification will take place through an always-on timed practice session. Every driver must set the fastest lap they can, as this will be crucial in determining which division they compete in. Each division will contain 25 competitors. At the end of the season, promotions and relegations between divisions will be applied according to the final standings.

Calendar and race formats

The opening round of the Portuguese eSports Speed Championship, which uses the Formula 3 car, will be held on 6 October at the Silverstone circuit. The sixth and final round of this championship is scheduled for 15 December at the Oulton Park layout. Each event includes two races, one lasting 25 minutes and the other 40 minutes.

The Portuguese eSports Endurance Championship begins on 25 October with a 4-hour race at the American Road Atlanta track. It then features four more rounds lasting between 6 and 8 hours, and concludes on 18 December.

An expansion of the competitions into other virtual motorsport disciplines - such as Rallying, Rallycross or Hill Climb - “is already being studied”, along with the possibility of including video game consoles.