Usually, when an F1 race is canceled, fans are extremely disappointed. And that’s what happened when it was announced that the 2023 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix will be canceled. However, this time the majority of the people were supportive of the FIA’s decision to cancel the race, given the dire situation in the Emilia-Romagna region. The entire F1 community and fans have shared their thoughts for the people affected by the devastating rainfall and flooding in the area. However, going one step further, Max Verstappen thought of a race weekend without actual racing-a virtual sim racing event. 

Often in his free time, the 2x champion switches his racing overalls for his comfortable sim racing setup. Just like F1, he takes virtual racing seriously and participates in some of the biggest tournaments, including the recent Le Mans Virtual. However, Verstappen vowed to never again compete in Le Mans and called it a ‘clown show’ after encountering multiple technical issues. That’s why, following the cancellation of Imola GP, ‘Team Redline’ – Verstappen’s sim racing team- confirmed that they will run a virtual racing event ‘Real Races Never Quit’ in the Imola circuit. The best part is, all the profits from the event will go to the people affected in Faenza city in the Emilia-Romagna region. 

Speaking to the media, Team Redline director Atze Kerkhof credited Verstappen with the idea and explained how easy it was to compile a list of promising drivers. He said, “When the news came that the GP was canceled, Max himself came up with the idea of organizing a sim race. So this really happens on Max’s initiative.”

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The Red Bull star brought together many big names from the racing world for the event. 

Impressive line-up of drivers for ‘Real Racers Never Quit’

The ‘Real Racers Never Quit’ was created in 2020 to keep fans entertained while COVID-19 put all motorsport activity on hold. The likes of Lando Norris and Lance Stroll have also taken part before. However, the difference is that the Dutchman takes it very seriously. Maybe that’s why he was so quick to come up with the ‘Real Racers Never Quit’ contest idea for a noble cause.

The contest will include Verstappen, along with an impressive collection of professional and sim racing drivers. Some of the names include Gianni Vecchio, Enzo Bonito, Luke Bennett, Chris Lulham, Tom Burns, reigning F2 champion Felipe Drugovich, Alpine F1 reserve driver Jack Doohan and Mahindra Formula E driver Oliver Rowland, Current F2 stars Richard Verschoor, Jak Crawford, Ayumu Iwasa, Isack Hadjar and Enzo Fittipaldi, Ex-Red Bull junior Antonio Felix da Costa among others will be in action on Sunday. 

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The event will take place on Sunday, May 21, at 11:45 AM EST on Team Readline’s Twitch channel.