After two aborted attempts to stage a second event, Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) has announced that its Motorsport Games will finally return this October.
The multidisciplinary competition pits drivers of all stripes against each other, with drifting, karting, open-wheel cars, touring cars, and endurance racers all racing in their own events. Each carries its own medal, with the various attending nations attempting to top the medals table in an Olympics-style motorsport event.
In among all of those categories is an esports event, called the Digital Cup. In the original Games back in 2019, this featured Gran Turismo Sport and Cody Latkovski – a regular on the podium in official GT Sport events – won the event for Australia.
While the Digital Cup is returning for the 2022 FIA Motorsport Games, it remains to be seen what platform it will use. Gran Turismo 7 will be in full swing with its own official esports series, but as that has seemingly been rebranded to remove any reference to the FIA we may see the event run on a different title.
As with the plans for 2020 and 2021, the second Games will take place at Circuit Paul Ricard in France, moving on from Vallelunga in Italy. The FIA Grade 1 circuit recently returned to the F1 calendar in 2018, following nearly three decades on the sidelines.
Registration for the Motorsport Games will open on June 15 and run through to September 25, while competitors who want to take part are asked to contact their own national motorsports organizing body (ASN). Some ASNs may well stage their own qualification events, particularly for the Digital Cup, and an entry fee may be levied.
The reigning Motorsport Games champion is Russia, although it’s yet to be announced if the country will be permitted to return to defend its title considering both global and the FIA’s own sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine.
As for the event itself, the second edition of the FIA Motorsport Games will take place over October 26-30, covering 17 different motorsports disciplines.
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