When the COVID pandemic brought international motorsport to a standstill in 2020, Paul Ryan Media worked with our colleagues at The Race Media to create an award-winning esports series featuring the biggest stars in the sport.

Launched on the eve of the canceled opening rounds of the 2020 Formula 1 and IndyCar championships, the esports series brought together the world’s best esports racers, modern-day racing stars, and motorsport legends who had scored F1 World Championships, World Rally Championships, Indy 500s and 24 Hours of Le Mans wins and more.

With 15 events over a 16-week period, the esports series was streamed live around the globe on YouTube and broadcast across 80+ major networks including ESPN and Eurosport to reach more than 610 million homes. 

Paul Ryan Media was tasked with handling the global PR and social media for the championship – collaborating with racing legends including Mario Andretti, Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel, Jenson Button, Emerson Fittipaldi, and many more.

The drivers were not the only stars to join the championship – factory teams from key manufacturers including Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Aston Martin, Bentley, and Hyundai also took part in the esports races – for many it was the first time they had ever raced in a purely digital environment.

The esports series won a prestigious Sports Industry Award in the UK - beating the likes of the NFL, UFC, Rugby League World Cup, and Cricket England.