New Sim Racing Venue Launched to Send Young Talent Into Motorsport

Young UAE racing enthusiasts dreaming of a career as a Formula One driver have been given new incentives with the launch of a new esports centre designed to speed up the journey into competitive motorsport.

Immersive Esports, a state-of-the-art destination for sim racing enthusiasts, now open on Dubai’s Umm Suqeim Street, offers 30 race simulators, MotoGP simulators and Virtual Reality treadmills spread over two floors.

It has been established by Dubai-based automotive events and motorsports consultancy Pole Position, the pioneer of sim racing in the UAE, whose long-term goal is to deliver a young Emirati driver into Formula One.

“Immersive Esports is an important part of this strategy, and its goal is to give drivers the tools they need to achieve their dreams by making a name for themselves in the motor racing world,” said Pole Position Founder and CEO Ryan Trutch.

Yashish Manohar, the first UAE-based sim-racing driver to transition to real-life racing, says the new esports centre can help others keen to follow his path.

“It provides a very realistic racing experience and will help young drivers develop the skills they need to jump to real-world motorsports,” said Manohar, who was introduced to sim racing by Pole Position during the pandemic.

After some impressive displays during the first Renault Clio Cup Middle East season, he looks set for a bright future. Last month, the 17-year-old member of the YAS Heat team finished third overall and second in class in the new series at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit and Dubai Autodrome.

“Yashish is a shining example of how sim racing can propel young people of determination into the world of competitive motorsport,” said Trutch, who will launch an Immersive Esports franchise in the coming months, allowing others to buy into the concept.

Sim racing, or eMotorsports, is virtual car racing in which a computer simulation on a PC or games console realistically creates the experience of real-life motor racing.

It has continued to boom since its initial growth in popularity during the pandemic, leading to the emergence of sim racing series that have attracted top drivers, including double Formula One world champion Max Verstappen.

“Fundamentally, sim racing is the cheapest form of motorsport,” says Trutch, backed by 37 years of experience in UAE motorsport. “It has millions of enthusiasts worldwide and allows young people to engage with a generation of gamers while lowering the entry barriers into motor racing.”

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