26/10/2024

FIA Motorsport Games 2024: Opening ceremony of the International Motorsport Games (PHOTOS)

The third FIFA Motorsport Games will be held from October 23 to October 27, 2024 in Spain. Valencia and the Ricardo Tormo Circuit host this world’s only event that brings together athletes from all over the world in racing disciplines.

Daniel Ballarin

Motorsport Photographer

Ekaterina Sergeeva

Journalist

The Games under the auspices of the FIA are an analogue of the Olympic Games, only in the discipline of motorsport. The first games were held in Rome, Italy, in 2019 and included six disciplines according to the regulations, and in 2023 there were already sixteen motorsport disciplines. This year, the number of disciplines has increased by nine positions. Racers from different countries compete in racing disciplines at the Riccardo Tormo Circuit in Valencia. This circuit is popular in Spain and it hosts races of such championships as Superbike, Moto Grand Prix and other top disciplines of motorsport and motorsport.

In 2022, the competition set a new record for the number of countries participating in a single motorsport event. 463 athletes from 72 different countries competed for more than four days at the Paul Ricard circuit, the Vienna A Autocross Circuit and the surrounding territories. Then the Italian national team won, winning three gold and one silver medals.

Now the baton has moved to Spain, where the number of categories has expanded again, covering the entire range of motorsport: from circuit racing to electric street racing, including auto slalom, go-karting, go-karting, esports, off-road racing and rally.

The FIA’s traditional motorsport game categories such as GT, GT Sprint, Car Touring, Formula 4, drift, and esports continue to be popular. In addition, there is a new opportunity to win a medal in an esports rally.

Karting will feature both junior and adult sprint categories. Endurance karting competitions will be attended by men’s and women’s pairs aged 14 years and older. An innovation in this discipline will be the Mini go-kart, designed for young riders aged eight to 11 years.

The largest number of new competitions were organized in rally categories. Rally 2, Rally 4 and the Historic Rally were divided into three stages: for gravel specialists, for asphalt specialists and for all-around athletes on both surfaces. This creates a total of nine medal opportunities. In addition, a new category has been created.“All Rally Stars”, available to drivers from the FIA list who are currently not eligible to participate in Rally 2 or Rally 4.

The Junior and Senior Cross Car categories are also returning, and with them the new Cross Car Eco category, complementing the existing electric car competitions in slalom and karting slalom.

In esports, GT Esports racers will once again have the opportunity to compete for gold in the Assetto Corsa Competizione, but there will also be a separate competition in which racers will compete in the virtual version of FIA Formula 4 on iRacing. In the Esports GT category, slightly longer races will be held, including a mandatory pit stop. In the FIA F4 Esports category, shorter sprint races will be held, providing more action.

In addition to the prestigious trophy, which will go to the winning country in the overall standings, regional awards will be awarded for Africa, the Americas, Asia-Pacific, Europe and the Middle East/North Africa.

The NewStar Trophy will also be awarded for the country whose emerging talents have shown themselves most clearly in the mass categories, and the AllStar Trophy for the country whose achievements in the categories for more experienced drivers have been the most significant.

As for the teams from the former CIS countries, for example, the Armenian team participates in the games. Argentina’s team turned out to be numerous. Well, the teams of Italy, Spain, and Germany claim the highest positions in the overall standings at the end of the Games. But it is possible that this year we will have a surprise, which may be presented by some team that is not among the obvious contenders for victory in the overall standings.