Of all the Virtual Sports, I think Virtual Motor Racing is the least satisfying in terms of 
it being an actual recreation of a real sporting event. It’s nothing to do with the graphics or sounds as such, but simply the fact that through necessity, the races are so short that it never really feels like it is realistic, as you get with some other Virtual Sports.
The first thing to note here is that Virtual Motor Racing is conducted over a simple, almost oval-shaped track, similar to how NASCAR and IndyCar race in the United States. There’s no twisting circuits, chicanes or similar as you would find in Formula 1 or Touring Cars for example and there’s no teams, just simply 12 drivers in 12 different coloured cars in each race. The good news is that with 12 drivers competing, there is a decent spread of odds on the different markets available.
In this fifth article of our series looking at Betway’s Virtual Sports offering, we will take a look at the pros and cons of Virtual Motor Racing and how well it compares with some of Betway’s other Virtual Sports offerings. So let’s begin by taking a look at the basics of Virtual Motor Racing on Betway.
Virtual Motor Racing
- Time Between Events – 3 Minutes
- Number of Runners – 12 in each race
- Tracks: 1 – Monsanto Park Circuit
- Race Length: 2 laps
- Time Split– 1 min 15 seconds for betting – 1 min 45 seconds for the race & results
Bets Available
- Race Winner
- Each Way Bet (1/5 odds on first 3 places)
- Top 2 Finish
- Forecast
- Tricast
- Reverse Forecast
- Combination Forecast
- Combination Tricast
Highlights
You begin. Virtual Motor racing with a shorter than usual countdown to the start of 
the race. Most Virtual Sports offer around one and a half minutes to place your bets but in Virtual Motor Racing, that is cut down to around one minute and 15 seconds, which means that you do need to be relatively quick placing your bets, especially if you are perusing through the markets as those 75 seconds can go very quickly.
However, a quick tip here is to bet on the later races as you have much more time to look at things in races taking place after the current one. You can also access multiple selection bets by betting across multiple races (such as accumulators for example) which may be of interest to punters that enjoy this particular form of betting.
As the 75 seconds to the start of the race counts down, you are shown a preview of the 12 drivers that are competing in the event. Each driver has a different coloured car and number and the odds for that driver are also displayed (in decimal format) next to their name. The preview scrolls through two drivers at a time in the countdown and usually you can get through each driver twice before the race starts.
Each race in Virtual Motor Racing is conducted over two laps and is from a standing start, meaning you see the race in full. As the race begins, you will see the cars speed away from the grid and the graphics here are very nicely done and look very realistic. A list of the current positions of each of the 12 drivers is displayed on the left hand side of the screen, while the raxce details and Event ID are listed in the top right corner.
At the foot of the screen is the Lap indicator which shows you which lap the race is on and whereabouts the cars are currently on the track. This will fill in yellow as the cars move around the rack and complete their two laps.
The positions of the drivers in a race can change quite frequently, especially when they are bunched together, but even in races where there is one driver seemingly running away to victory, the other drivers can catch them before the line and overhaul them. This can be frustrating but similarly, also adds to the excitement of the game, especially when the driver you have backed is the one chasing down the leader.
After the race is completed, you are shown a replay of how the cars crossed the line and then the results of the race are displayed with the top three drivers shown, their odds and what the payouts would be for a Forecast or Tricast bet for a unit stake. This remains on screen for a little while until the next race starts.
Who will Virtual Motor Racing betting appeal to?
I doubt that Motor Sports fans are going to be too enamoured with the way that Virtual Motor Racing is set up as it is so fundamentally different to their particular sport that it is more like a greyhound race than a car race. That said, this means fans of race betting in any form will certainly enjoy Motor Racing in Virtual Sports, especially considering it has more competing drivers than many other race-based events.
The fact that you have 12 drivers in each race means that there is a really nice spread of odds on every race which makes this very appealing to punters that like to back longer odds selections. It is also a good choice for punters who like to back favourites, but at slightly longer odds than you would get in events with fewer competitors. The favourites in Virtual Motor Racing still tend to be around the 3/1 to 5/1 mark which is a decent price.
What is a bit disappointing is that there is no top 3 betting available on Virtual Motor Racing when it is available with other Virtual Sports, although you can still bet on any of the 12 drivers achieving a top 2 finish in the race (as well as the standard Each Way bet for the top 3 paying out at 1/5 the odds).
So if you are a fan of longer odds betting and want an immersive race game that isn’t bogged down by the technicalities of reality, then Virtual Motor Racing could well be a great choice. The same is true if you are a greyhound or horseracing punter that likes this form of betting.
What are my chances of winning on Virtual Motor Racing compared to other Virtual Sports?
Obviously with 12 competitors in each event, your chances of picking a winner in Virtual Motor Racing are slimmer than if you were betting on an event with fewer competitors (such as Speedway or Greyhounds). However, the up side of this is that the odds on your selections tend to be much better, even for the favourites for each race, so when you do win, you tend to win more money than you do backing runners in events with fewer competitors.
