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Lamborghini wants to take you sim racing, then to Bologna

Everyone's going sim racing, it's true, but not everybody's including a trip to Lamborghini HQ in in Sant'Agata Bolognese.

Tim Stevens Former editor at large for CNET Cars
Tim Stevens got his start writing professionally while still in school in the mid '90s, and since then has covered topics ranging from business process management to video game development to automotive technology.
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Tim Stevens
2 min read
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The author, hounded.

 Tim Stevens/Roadshow

It gives me great pleasure to see all the excitement around sim racing, and with more and more manufacturers getting in on the game, there's an increasing number of opportunities for would-be racers to strut their stuff. Now Lamborghini's adding another top-shelf competition to the mix, one that could get you a trip to visit the factory in in Sant'Agata Bolognese -- assuming global travel is a realistic thing by September.

Called The Real Race, Lamborghini's first major foray into esports got a high-profile kickoff with a race attended by numerous Lamborghini professional drivers, like Dennis Lind, celebrities like Ducati MotoGP rider Pecco Bagnaia, and a few outclassed journalists -- like me.

Yes, I was part of the ceremonial opening round of The Real Race, which took place on the morning of May 28. The first track? Monza -- where else? That most iconic Italian circuit of them is a wonderful place to let the V10s of the Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo really sing.

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This could be you but you're playing.

 Tim Stevens/Roadshow

I managed to qualify 18th out of the near-30 starters, not too bad considering the strength of the field. I won't spoil the rest of the race, but suffice to say that while it was... eventful; I had a solid finish amid the chaos. Chaos that you can see for yourself! Lamborghini is cutting that first round together into a star-studded broadcast, hosted by none other than Formula One stars David Coulthard and Emanuele Pirro, plus Lamborghini CEO Stefano Domenicali.

The event broadcast goes live at 1 p.m. ET, but the real fun begins afterward, when you can sign in to Assetto Corsa Competizione and try to qualify yourself. Five rounds will span the next two months, culminating in a final round in Bologna on September 18. Top qualifiers from the previous rounds will get their tickets stamped, while the top three racers at that event get to run some laps in a  GT3 Evo racer.

Yeah, modern race sims are damned good, but nothing beats the real thing.