A total of 463 athletes will travel to the historic port city of Marseille for Wednesday evening's opening ceremony, a significant increase compared with the 192 that contested the inaugural FIA Motorsport Games in 2019. This is thanks to the introduction of 10 new disciplines, which have greatly enhanced the event's global reach. Indeed, 72 FIA National Sporting Authorities (ASNs) will participate, 29 of which are new for 2022.
In terms of machinery, a line-up of 16 disciplines ensures that a vast number of cars from a plethora of manufacturers are involved, with activities centred on Circuit Paul Ricard, Veynes and St. Baume. The most diverse is rallying, with 14 marques present across three categories: Rally2, Rally4 and Historic Rally. In contrast, a number of categories – including Karting, KCMG Formula 4 and Auto Slalom – are single-make, with all competitors using the same equipment.
The latter of those will use the Opel Corsa-e Rally, a fully electric machine that gets serious performance from its 260 Nm of torque. Indeed, the entry list for the event is diverse and moves beyond traditional manufacturers: the Esports contest will use gaming rigs supplied with the latest components by industry leader Fanatec, with the action taking place on acclaimed sim Assetto Corsa Competizione.
Fanatec Esports is one of six returning disciplines from 2019; the others are GT, KCMG Formula 4, Touring Car, Drifting and Karting Slalom. As already mentioned, they are joined by no fewer than 10 newcomers. All three rally categories are set to make their FIA Motorsport Games debut, as will a pair of Cross Car disciplines catering for both juniors and seniors. There are three new Karting categories, as well as Auto Slalom and GT Sprint.
Five medallists from the inaugural edition will be back for another attempt in 2022. The only returnee who can lay claim to a gold is Dmitriy Illyuk, who will once again represent Ukraine in the Drifting category. Belgium has a pair of silver medallists: Gilles Magnus will hope to go one better in Touring Car, while Antoine Morlet switches to Karting Endurance having finished as Karting Slalom runner-up in 2019. Finally, Australia will be represented by father-son duo Stephen and Brenton Grove, who took bronze last time around in the GT Cup.
There will be plenty of opportunities to follow this year's FIA Motorsport Games. Live coverage of the event will begin on Friday 29 October, kicking off an extensive on-site studio broadcast. The first competitive action will get underway at 18:00 CEST when the GT qualifying race takes place, after which all competitive action will be shown live. There will also be regular highlights from the off-track disciplines, providing a full picture of the multi-disciplinary event.
Viewers can tune into the FIA Motorsport Games YouTube channel and Facebook page to watch coverage, while there will also be regular updates on Twitter and Instagram. For an even more in-depth experience, fans can follow live timing via the event's official website.
If you’d like to watch in person, you're in luck: the FIA Motorsport Games is free to attend. Simply register here to receive your ticket and join us for a packed weekend of racing at Circuit Paul Ricard. https://www.fiamotorsportgames.com/marseille
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