Prodigy Racing League launches, blending esports and motorsports
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Racing Prodigy is putting gamers in the driver’s seat with the launch of its Prodigy Racing League. The PRL will recruit players from four different racing games — iRacing, Street Kart Racing, rFactor 2 and RaceRoom — for an opportunity to race real cars in its league.
Starting June 19 through October, 15 players will have 12 chances to earn a spot at the league’s first Prodigy Week. This first in-person event will put gamers behind the wheel of Radical SR1 race cars at Atlanta Motorsports Park. The PRL partnered with Pit Fit to give participant resources to train their technique, fitness and communication ahead of the October 30-November 1 event. The company plans to hold a second Prodigy Week in early 2024 with an additional 35 qualifying drivers.
These Prodigy Week events will create a talent pool of 50 eligible drivers which the PRL team can draft ahead of its first full U.S. season in 2024. Currently, the PRL plans to draft24drivers, all of whom will be paid to compete.
Currently, the PRL will operate each of the six teams — with four drivers each — that will participate in the league. However, this could change between now and October.
The Prodigy Racing League is not the first time motorsports has looked to gamers as potential talent. Racing Prodigy’s CEO David Cook previously led Mazda’s competitions that pitted gamers against top racers in real life.
“I worked with some of the best iRacing participants at Mazda. They just showed up at the race trackand we had no understanding of their capabilities. They were always quite competitive and generally they were more competitive than Mazda’s other
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