Motorsport eSports schedule: Where to watch MotoGP and All-Star Battle motorsport events this weekend

The weekend brings with it British Summer Time as the clocks go forwards by an hour, though with coronavirus lockdown continuing across the nation it’s hard to pinpoint when exactly Friday ends and Saturday begins.

Perhaps the best way to identify the weekend is the arrival of the latest batch of virtual eSport events, with another bumper schedule lined up to entertain us all from the comfort of our living rooms.

Across the last two weeks, events such as The Race all-Star Battle and Veloce Esport’s ‘Not The Bah GP’ have taken centre stage in the absence of any motorsports whatsoever, and this weekend is no different.

There is no Virtual Formula One Grand Prix this weekend following the inaugural Bahrain GP last weekend, but what there will be is a new ‘Legends Trophy’ event that will feature undoubtedly the most successful and iconic grids ever seen, featuring the likes of Dario Franchitti, Johnny Herbert, David Brabham and two-time F1 world champion Emerson Fittipaldi.

With the ‘Legends Trophy’ hosted by The Race as a support event for their main All-Star Battle, the grid will boast 528 F1 starts, 24 Grand Prix wins, 2,378 IndyCar starts, 177 IndyCar wins and 17 overall or class victories at the Le Mans 24 Hours of Le Mans between them.

Here’s your full guide to the weekend’s events.

THE RACE ALL-STAR ESPORTS BATTLE 3 + LEGENDS TROPHY

When: 28 March, 4pm GMT

Where: The Race + Veloce Esports YouTube channels.

The third instalment of the All-Star Esports Battle adds more news faces, with IndyCar’s Patricio O’Ward and Formula Three’s Sophia Floersch joined by DTM champion Bruno Spengler. Before the main event - which will again be made up of two pro-driver heats, a sim-racer heat and a repechage before the final - the ‘Legends Trophy’ will see the greats of yesteryear battling it out on a platform that, for most, is completely alien to them.

LE MANS ESPORTS PRO TEAMS CHAMPIONSHIP – RACE 4

When: 28 March, 7pm GMT

Where: Le Mans Esports Series Twitch channel

With the Le Mans 24 Hours postponed until September at the earliest, the eSports Pro Teams Championship offers an alternative to the World Endurance Championship. With a sprint and endurance race on the menu, all drivers will be competing in a Ford GT around Sebring - scene of the most-recently cancelled WEC event.

INDYCAR IRACING CHALLENGE - RACE ONE

When: 28 March, 4pm ET (9pm GMT)

Where: IndyCar’s YouTube, Facebook, website and iRacing’s Twitch channel

Nearly the entire IndyCar field has signed up to take part in the first of six races, which after a fan vote takes place at Watkins Glen and will see the likes of IndyCar regulars Simon Pageneaud, Felix Rosenqvist and two-time champion Josef Newgarden take part. However, the names that really stand out are seven-time Nascar champion Jimmy Johnson and Robert Wickens, who has not driven since suffering serious injuries at Pocono Raceway in 2018.

MOTOGP VIRTUAL RACE – MUGELLO

When: 29 March, 2pm BST

Where: MotoGP YouTube channel

MotoGP becomes the latest series to enter the eSports world in an effort to fill the void left by their cancelled Grands Prix, with reigning world champion Marc Marquez set to take on regular rivals Maverick Vinales, Alex Rins, Joan Mir, Fabio Quartararo, Iker Lecuona, Miguel Oliveira and Francesco Bagnaia - although early disappointment came in the form of Valentino Rossi’s withdrawal. The event will be a six-lap race around Mugello.

FORMULA SIMRACING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 2 – SAN MARINO

When: 29 March, 6:40pm BST

Where: Formula SimRacing YouTube channel

Unlike the other events this weekend, the Formula SimRacing World Championship has been a long-running event for the last two decades that has been a home to the best sim-racers in the world. The event takes place at Imola, and features some of the leading gamers who have dominated the pro drivers in the All-Star Battle in recent weeks.