JACKSONVILLE, FL, June 1, 2023 – Racing ProdigyTM, a groundbreaking sports,
entertainment, and media property, today announced the formation of the Prodigy Racing
LeagueTM (PRLTM), the world’s first e2RealTM sports league. The racing league has been built to
make motorsports more accessible using esports as the pathway to racing cars on real tracks.
This greatly reduces the financial barriers to pursuing a career in motorsports, leveling the
playing field and enabling millions to pursue their dreams.
Racing Prodigy’s CEO David Cook laid the foundation for the company’s vision. Previously, he
led the first competitions at Mazda where many of the world’s best racing gamers (sim racers)
competed against the company’s top real-world racers in real race cars. Cook saw firsthand sim
racers beating the real-world racers, revealing that the skill set from virtual racing directly
transfers to real life. This realization showed that the access problem of real motorsports can be
solved, creating the opportunity for seismic change in a sport that most young people only
dream of pursuing.
“At Racing Prodigy, we are lowering the financial barriers to enter motorsports to the same level
of traditional sports. Gamers just need a console, mobile device, or PC with a wheel and pedals
to participate in esports tournaments, which is how we open the sport we love from the few to
the many,” said Cook. “The PRL is the new home for racers of all backgrounds and abilities,
where they can chase their motorsports dreams from the screen to the track. We believe
everyone should have an opportunity to participate in motorsports, and today is a momentous
step forward.”
Four game titles – iRacing, Street Kart Racing, rFactor 2, and RaceRoom – have joined Racing
Prodigy to offer the opportunities of turning dreams to reality. The global search for racing
prodigies begins with iRacing on June 19. Gamers must be at least 13 years old and register
before the qualifying stage concludes on June 26. Racing Prodigy will livestream its semi-finals
and final races on July 1 and July 2. Additional free-to-enter and pay-to-enter tournaments will
be announced in the coming weeks.
Additionally, Racing Prodigy welcomes three Official Partners to Prodigy Racing League,
including SIM-LAB, GRID Engineering, and Asetek SimSports®. These foundational partners
are supporting the sim racing community and generously providing their innovative, high
performance, industry leading products as prizes for tournament winners and select
participants.
How It Works
Prodigy Racing League participants will compete in esports racing tournaments among the four
celebrated gaming titles across 12 tournaments from June through October.
Fifteen of the top performers will be awarded a Prodigy PassTM, the “golden ticket of
motorsports,” to compete in real Radical SR1 race cars at Prodigy WeekTM. The event will be
hosted October 30 through November 1 at Atlanta Motorsports Park, a two-mile racetrack
designed by Formula One premier architect Hermann Tilke. Each racer will receive expert
instruction on racing technique, fitness, and communication.
Following the first Prodigy Week, Racing Prodigy plans to host a second Prodigy Week in early
2024 with an additional 35 Prodigy Pass winners, creating a pool of 50 of the world’s most
talented drivers from which PRL teams will draft. The plan is for those drafted to receive a paid
contract to compete in PRL’s first real-world racing series in the United States, to be launched in
2024.
