Spanish Virtual Mountain Championship: do you want to be a driver?

For a price ranging from 50 to 160 euros, you can take part in a full season of the Spanish Virtual Mountain Championship (CEM), a sim racing competition that has the support of the Royal Spanish Motor Federation (RFEdA).

Esports are becoming increasingly professional, moving beyond being “car games” to become professional simulations that open up access to the sport for people with physical or financial limitations, and allow new talent to be discovered.

Within this context, the Spanish Virtual Mountain Championship (CEM) kicks off its second season. It is a virtual competition organised by Motor & Sport Real Simulation, and supported by the Royal Spanish Motor Federation (RFEdA) and the leasing and mobility company Arval.

“We love the automotive sector and are moving towards digitalisation. Through our support of the CEM Virtual, an innovative competition that we are passionate about, we bring these key points together in our strategy.” Manuel Orejas, Marketing and Business Development Director at Arval.

https://youtu.be/wjNN7nYjeaY

What is the CEM Virtual?

The CEM Virtual is a simulation championship organised by the online promoter Motor & Sport Real Simulation, and which has the official status granted by the support of the RFEdA.

It faithfully recreates the eight scoring events of the real Spanish Mountain Championship, thanks to sophisticated 3D scanning technologies to reproduce the real road climbs, the vehicles and even the weather conditions.

Who can take part in the CEM Virtual?

Any sim racer can take part in any race of the championship, or complete the full season. To do so, you only need to register on the RFEdA website and obtain a virtual accreditation. With this accreditation, you must register at www.cem-virtual.com to receive the encrypted file that gives you access to the programme.

What do I need to race?

The races are held from home, following the competition’s own virtual regulations, which are modelled on those of the RFEdA for the real Spanish Mountain Championship.

Participants need to purchase Assetto Corsa (the cost is around 20 euros) in order to install the files that modify the platform and turn it into a real simulator. The organiser also provides, within these files, the vehicle selected according to the category in which you will compete, as well as the different tracks.

To take part, each player can use their own computer and whatever accessories they wish (steering wheel, pedals…). A very powerful computer is not necessary, but a good graphics card is recommended. The average cost of a computer that can take part in this competition with confidence is between 800 and 1,000 euros. As for the steering wheel and seats, the more “professional” range can cost around 1,500 euros, and up to 7,000 euros with platform and seat included.

How is the virtual championship held?

The CEM Virtual replicates the calendar of the Spanish Mountain Championship, with well-known events such as the Estepona Hill Climb and the Fito Hill Climb, among the 8 events that make up the championship.

All the virtual events take place one week before the real event, and are broadcast live on YouTube, with commentary in Spanish and live timing. The realism that the virtual competition provides in reproducing the scenarios and vehicles, which accept all kinds of setups, even allows drivers who take part in the real competition to use the CEM Virtual as training.

The competition is run like a real one, with its race direction, marshals, safety car (sponsored by Arval), penalties… Each driver has a code that gives them access to the race. High-performance servers, hosted in Germany, make the competition possible.

How much does it cost to compete in the CEM Virtual?

Once you have Assetto Corsa and the necessary computer, plus the steering wheel and pedals, competing in the CEM Virtual has a price ranging from 48 to 160 euros for a full season, depending on the vehicle and category chosen. There is a discount of up to 20% for those who sign up for a full season.

The average age of participants in the first season was 32. There are cash prizes for the best drivers both in each race and in the season overall. At the end of the season, the winners of the main categories will be able to enjoy a real driving experience with a Renault Clio at the Jarama Circuit.

The winners of each category will also attend the Champions’ Gala held by the Royal Spanish Motor Federation at the end of each season.

–Information about the CEM Virtual: www.cem-virtual.com
–CEM Virtual on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CEMvirtual
–CEM Virtual on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CeMvirtual
–CEM Virtual on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLii8MUw5fSOKFBDEqJXIJWVge7Wwf-vpf