until Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League
Half of the Formula E Accelerate esports championship has now been completed, with 24 sim racers vying for their share of the €100,000 prize pool.
Reigning Formula E teams’ champion DS Techeetah has Nikodem Wisniewski and Arthur Lehouck representing it in the virtual series.
Lehouck’s got notable FE experience, having been the official simulator driver for DS Techeetah since the start of the 2018/19 Formula E season.
On top of that he’s been successful in some major sim racing events, including being one of three drivers who helped the MAHLE RACING TEAM to finish third in last year’s iRacing 24 Hours of Spa.
As of the 2020/21 season MAHLE is a technical partner to DS Techeetah, a partnership which extends from the real world to the virtual one.
Unlike with last year’s FE Race at Home Challenge, the drivers have to manage their limited battery energy over the course of the race as well as use the attack mode at the right time to help them pass their rivals.
Lehouck’s time as the simulator driver for DS Techeetah has helped him in Accelerate as he was already familiar with how to best conserve energy while still maintaining good pace.
“I have gained a lot of experience as the simulator driver for DS Techeetah,” Lehouck said.
“I know everything about energy management, which has been a great help for me in the virtual races where that is only now playing a major role.”
Unusually though his minimal experience with rFactor 2 prior to taking part in the championship means he’s been learning more at every event and has been taking advice from the team’s real life drivers Jean-Eric Vergne and Antonio Felix da Costa.
“I am taking in all the tips that help me to go faster on rFactor 2, Antonio Felix da Costa is also a great help and writes plenty of messages to me with tips,” said Lehouck.
“He is like a big brother for me, pushing me on to perform at my best.”
By comparison Wisniewski has a wealth of experience with rFactor 2 and a number of accolades to go along with it, including winning the Virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans last year.
The challenge of energy management is a new one to him though, although one he’s getting to grips with as he crossed the line in eighth in the most recent round to get his best result so far while other frontrunners ran out of energy on the final lap.
The one-shot, multiple group, qualifying format is what Wisniewski sees as the toughest part of the competition.
“Qualifying is extremely challenging, as you only have one timed lap available,” Wisniewski said.
“There is so much pressure as the grid position plays a massive role in determining the race result.
“This is because you don’t have the chance to move up much against such top-quality opposition, but I like the format and I am sure that the spectators also find it exciting.”
He has set himself the target of continuing the positive trend in the remaining rounds.
“My objective for the second half of the season is to finish in the points in each race,” Wisniewski added.
“It is such a top-quality field that it will be difficult for me to battle for a podium finish, but I think that positions five to eight are a realistic target for me.”
