ESPN to air virtual The Race All-Star Series

ESPN will begin broadcasting a virtual auto racing competition on Saturday. The Race All-Star Series' All-Star Cup and Legend Trophy will air live on ESPN2 starting at 12 p.m. ET, Torque Esports announced Friday.

The All-Star Cup pits the leading real-life drivers from Formula 1, Formula E, IndyCar and other series against the world's top sim racers. The Legends Trophy race features former F1 world champs Emerson Fittipaldi, Jacque Villeneuve and Jenson Button, and former Indy 500 winners Juan Pablo Montoya, Dario Franchitti, Helio Castroneves, Gil de Ferran and Tony Kanaan.

Points are distributed each week. The eventual series winners will receive $30,000 for the charities of their choice. "For more than 40 years, ESPN has been the leader in sports with its groundbreaking coverage, and we're immensely proud to have The Race All-Star Series -- Fully Charged by ROKiT Phones now shown live on the network," Torque Esports president and CEO Darren Cox said in a release.

"When we debuted our esports racing events, our live streaming numbers were off the charts, and now our agreement with ESPN along with our entire international broadcast package is taking virtual racing to an unprecedented global audience." --Field Level Media