As my readers know, I focus a lot on the world of Gran Turismo and F1 Racing. However, I believe that the way forward for the future of Sim Racing eSports has already been achieved, and the top of the podium is the FIA Gran Turismo Sport Championships.
The Gran Turismo Championships (GTC) is a series of professional virtual racing tournaments that developer Polyphony Digital has been hosting in various cities around the world since 2018. Tokyo, Nurburg, Paris, New York, Monaco, and now Sydney are just some of the stopovers for the GTC World Tour events so far.
They treat these competitions like serious business too. All of these tournaments around the globe are spectacles like any sporting event, and what sets the GT Sport community apart is that it is officially certified by the FIA (Federation Internationale de l’Automobile). The FIA governs the real-world F1, World Rally Championship, and more. The fact that they are now enforcing these real-world motor sport rules and regulations adds a level of legitimacy to this growing virtual world of racing.
The GTC (Gran Turismo Championships) are split into two series. There’s the Nations Cup, where drivers compete individually representing their home country, and all driving the same racing machine to level the playing field, leaving only the skill of the driver and the track. Then there’s the Manufacturer Series, where drivers compete in teams of three on behalf of one of the participating manufacturers (Chevrolet, BMW, Mercedes, Toyota etc.) Entrants are selected for the live World Tour events via rankings from a dedicated online series within GT Sport’s ‘Sport’ mode. There are five territories: North America, Europe/Middle East/Africa, Central and South America, Asia, and Oceania. Anyone over 18 can have a shot.
What I personally love about this is that even if I know that I will probably not be as adept in racing, I can participate in a smaller version of these major tournaments that takes into account my local region. This allows me to race on the same tracks with the same cars as the champions and compete with all registered drivers in my local region (most likely the Southwestern). Another great part of this is the ease of access. All the user has to do to start testing their mettle is to own a copy of the game, a small price for the enduring enjoyment of simulation racing. Below I have compiled some of my favorite things to do when logging in to my account, such as seeing the latest rankings, tracking my progress, and exploring the world of motorcars and racing events.
The current Nations Cup schedule, including the dates, times and brief rules and regulations 
The home dashboard where I can choose to participate in AI competitions, online and local tournaments 
A photo of a race I did in an Le Mans style setup 
The current calendar for when the Nations and Manufacturer Series take place 
The manufacturer series, showing the events time and location
Taking all of this into account, it is astounding on the level of detail that has been put into this racing game. And the developers at Polyphony appear to spare little expense. In addition to the live studio audience, races are broadcast live via YouTube simultaneously in seven languages, with a two-person commentary team for each audience respectively. There are partnerships with Toyota, TAG Heuer watches, Michelin tires, and Puma sports gear just to name a few.
All of this combines a high budget and an immense amount of marketing that make Gran Turismo Sport the racing game for anyone wanting to jump into the world of virtual and simulation racing.
ESports: The World of Sim Racing 