Lamborghini Lays Rubber Into the Esports Phenomenon With a Virtual Race

But for those who missed out, today’s a lucky day.

Lamborghini has announced “The Real Race,” its entry into the realm of esports, a virtual competition built around the Huracán that will allow drivers of every stripe a chance to take the wheel. In addition to positioning the marquee nameplate in the wildly popular category of esports, the virtual competition represents a marketing maneuver for the brand as well, increasing Lamborghini’s visibility with legions of younger consumers, some of whom—one day, perhaps—may be in a position to purchase an actual car.

One of the Huracáns that will race in the virtual realm

Lamborghini

“It is an extension of our brand, an opportunity to reach Generation Z,” Lamborghini’s CMO Katia Bassi told Adweek. “We know for sure that those who are going to watch and participate in esports are people who love Lamborghini, so for us it’s the most important thing—more than the business.”

Like every brand in the super-luxe category, Lamborghini’s been broadsided by Covid-19. In March, its upholstery department at its Sant’Agata Bolognese, Italy, factory stopped stitching car seats and began making face masks instead. But Bassi is focused on a post-pandemic world when she’s confident that sales will pick up again. Meanwhile, though e-racing was already an initiative she’d been working on for over a year, and there’s no better time than now—with millions of people still sitting at home—to get the Lamborghini name out there.

Lamborghini developed the Real Race in partnership with computer racing simulator Assetto Corsa Competizione, an offshoot of video-game developer Kunos Simulazioni. The inaugural race in the series begins at noon today, Eastern Time, and will feature a 24-driver mix of professional racers and participants the company has selected from a pool of automotive journalists and influential YouTubers.

Watching is free, and fans who feel ambitious enough can also sign up to participate in four remaining races. And there’s a big incentive to do so: Lamborghini will treat the top three players from the final to a three-day trip to Italy in September, where they can train with the company’s official drivers and even get a spin in an actual Lamborghini race car on the company’s own track.

It is, Bassi said, an “opportunity to make your dream come true—the opportunity to drive your dream car.”

But even if that “driving” is only on a computer (via the Real Race series or on the racing game that Assetto Corsa Competizione sells for $44.95), the esports initiative should deepen the engagement that racing fans and gamers alike can have with the Lamborghini brand.

“Esports is more than a trend,” Bassi said. “It’s becoming even more relevant than physical sports. At Lamborghini we watch very closely and we want to be meeting the opportunity to be a part of and reach a new generation.”

CMO Katia Bassi hopes esports will allow Lamborghini to reach new customers.

Lamborghini

As a category, esports had already grown by 12% between 2018 and last year, when its volume surpassed $1B for the first time. But the coming of Covid-19 has accelerated that trend. Forced to cancel their real-world competitions, sports including soccer, Major League Baseball and the NFL have turned to online competition to retain fans. In March, traffic to video-game streaming platform Twitch surged by 23%.

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