The Great Steppe Rally Takes Place in Both the Real and Virtual Worlds
This year, virtual racing joined the Great Steppe’s sports program. The tournament was held in digital format at a phygital sports center in Elista.
In Kalmykia, the Great Steppe Rally brought Russia’s cross-country rally championship in the truck category to a close. The event also served as a proving ground for new technology, including a KAMAZ truck with independent suspension, and introduced a new way to compete for speed: digital racing.
The Truck Category Goes Digital
Participants gathered in Elista to compete for truck-category awards in both the physical and virtual worlds. This year, the racing tournament was held in digital format for the first time. The competition used Commanders of Off-Road, a Russian video game developed by FOXHOUND studio. The experiment was deemed a success, and plans are already underway to build on it. Game developers are ready to recreate real cross-country rally routes in a virtual environment for other online competitions. Before long, Kalmykia’s landscape could become part of a new video game.
A Three-Way Agreement
One of the rally’s major events was the signing of a cooperation memorandum between the race organizer, the Interregional Association of Cross-Country Rally Athletes (NP ROSRR), FOXHOUND, and the Ministry of Sports of the Republic of Kalmykia.
The memorandum was signed by Konstantin Batyrov, the republic’s minister of sports; Dmitry Peretyatko, CEO of the Interregional Association of Cross-Country Rally Athletes (ROSRR); and Alexander Gorbachenko, CEO of FOXHOUND.
The parties will work together to recreate real-world routes digitally, including sections that run through Kalmykia. To make the virtual versions as accurate as possible, they plan to use data collected directly in the field. This should help the game faithfully reproduce the distinctive features of Kalmykia’s landscape and rally routes.
The game chosen as the foundation for the project, Commanders of Off-Road, features truck racing across Russia, online competition against other players, upgrades to crew members’ skills, and opportunities to master different vehicles. Developed by FOXHOUND for a broad audience, the game puts competition at its center.
The joint project is intended to bring together three elements: automotive racing simulation, accurate digital recreation of routes and landscapes, and phygital sports. The experience will feel like a video game, but it will also connect to real-world competition. Phygital sports combine physical activity with digital competition. Kalmykia’s Ministry of Sports sees this format as a way to draw attention to traditional cross-country rallies through virtual races and reach a wider audience of fans.
Kalmykia Sets Its Sights on a Global Audience
The virtual racing project in Kalmykia shows how a Russian-developed video game can help expand the audience for sports and promote a region. Such initiatives can also give a boost to the IT industry, spur the development of new digital solutions, and strengthen the republic’s tourism potential.
For rally drivers, digital competitions could offer an additional way to train. Although they cannot replace physical exertion or the ability to handle real-world driving conditions, they could be a useful way to maintain skills and stay sharp between major races.
But the project’s main goal, of course, is to reach new audiences and promote Kalmykia as a destination for major sporting events. If real-world rally routes become available in the game, players from other cities and countries will be able to explore them virtually. This could expand the Great Steppe Rally’s audience and generate greater interest in Kalmykia.
