All systems go for season two of the IMOCA Virtual Series championship by CORUM L'Épargne!
by IMOCA Globe Series 12 Feb 2023 00:02 NZDT
IMOCA Virtual Series season 2 © IMOCA Globe Series
Building on the success of season one of the IMOCA Virtual Series championship by CORUM L'Épargne, title partner CORUM L'Épargne is renewing its partnership with Virtual Regatta for the 2023 season.
Packed with events, this second edition has got off to a flying start with the year's first major competition: The Ocean Race, which set sail from Alicante (Spain) on 15 January 2023.
You don't change a winning formula: for the second year running, the IMOCA Virtual Series by CORUM L'Épargne is offering Virtual Regatta players the chance to do battle virtually in the same races as the skippers competing in the physical championship. To spice things up, Virtual Regatta is also offering a 100% virtual race created especially for the championship. A title will be up for grabs for the e-skipper who scores consistently well throughout the season.
A first successful edition
With more than 210,000 players, the season opener for the IMOCA Virtual Series by CORUM L'Épargne proved to be a real hit among Virtual Regatta's extensive community of players. Though the majority of e-skippers participating in the championship are French, the concept was also popular elsewhere, especially in Germany, Spain, the United States and Italy. Of the four championship races available on Virtual Regatta Offshore in 2022, the Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe attracted the greatest number of players with over 500,000 boats on the water, including 187,140 players in the IMOCA Class. With numbers 72% up on the 2018 edition of the virtual transatlantic race, there is clearly growing enthusiasm for IMOCA, boosted by the launch of the virtual championship in the spring of 2022.
Gearing up for a fine vintage in 2023
The 2023 season sprang to life in mid-January with the start of The Ocean Race, Virtual Regatta stepping up to the role as the event's official game for the fourth consecutive year. With the IMOCA fleet currently making for Cape Town (South Africa), finish venue for leg two of The Ocean Race, the first race of the 2023 IMOCA Virtual Series by CORUM L'Épargne has already attracted more than 64,000 single players.
In addition to this crewed round the world race with stopovers, the epilogue for which will be disputed in Genoa (Italy) on 1 July after 7 legs, there is a packed event schedule for this year's virtual championship. On the menu: the Guyader Bermudes 1000 Race (Brest - Brest), the start of which will take place on 7 May; the Rolex Fastnet Race (Cowes - Cherbourg) from 22 July and the Défi Azimut - Lorient Agglomération (Lorient) from 19 September. The Vendée Globe e-series (Cape Horn - Les Sables d'Olonne), a 100% virtual race, will also set sail on 20 September.
Two transatlantic races will round off the year in style: the Transat Jacques Vabre, which will set sail from Le Havre on 29 October 2023, and the Retour à La Base (Martinique - Lorient), which is set to leave the Caribbean in early December. A wonderful programme awaits then for the several thousand e-skippers, who will all be aiming for a podium finish in the season's races and the overall ranking.
Top prizes and an exceptional experience
Like last year, CORUM L'Épargne will reward the performance of the top-scoring e-skippers participating in the IMOCA Virtual Series by CORUM L'Épargne with a substantial array of prizes. Indeed, the investment firm, which has been a strong presence on the offshore racing scene since 2018 alongside Nicolas Troussel, will once again create a bridge between the physical and virtual worlds by inviting the outright champion of the 2023 edition to come and sail aboard their IMOCA, which is sure to be an exceptional experience! Who will succeed 'Busso-BHT/LinkedOut', winner of the 2022 edition of the IMOCA Virtual Series by CORUM L'Épargne? Verdict at the end of 2023!
Philippe Guigné, founder of Virtual Regatta: "Following on from the success of the first IMOCA Virtual Series championship by CORUM L'Épargne on Virtual Regatta, we're thrilled to be working with the IMOCA class and CORUM L'Épargne once again on this second edition.
This year, there will be even more new features for an even more realistic virtual experience! We're expecting more than 200,000 participants on Virtual Regatta Offshore over the next six months. eSailing is constantly evolving and it's attracting a growing number of enthusiasts! The Virtual Regatta Offshore game gives everyone the chance to do battle against racers from the physical world, as well as fellow enthusiasts from all over the globe. Thank you to our partners IMOCA and CORUM L'Épargne for renewing their trust in us."
Antoine Mermod, President of IMOCA: "We're delighted to be renewing our partnership with CORUM L'Épargne and Virtual Regatta for this second season of the IMOCA Virtual Series championship. More than 200,000 players took part in 2022 and we're expecting even more in 2023, thanks to The Ocean Race, which is currently being contested, as well as a record season that boasts no fewer than five other events, two of which are transatlantic races. The best of luck to the players who, like the sailors, will have to be thoroughly committed and perform consistently well to win the Virtual IMOCA Champion title 2023."
Lucie Odoux, Head of Sports Sponsorship at CORUM L'Épargne: "At CORUM L'Epargne, long-term commitment is the keyword. We support savers with realising their projects and preparing for their future. Innovation lies at the heart of the links we have been forging with Virtual Regatta since 2020. Our partnership has prompted us to offer e-skippers a new set of experiences and this year we're really pleased to be able to launch the 2nd edition of the IMOCA Virtual Series by CORUM L'Epargne."