- Innovative collaboration sees Infinite Reality and FIM Speedway GP pioneer the world’s first socially interactive and fully immersive speedway experience.
- Available for free to download now on iOS devices, the FIM SGP-VERSE app offers an exciting experience across multiple touchpoints including customisable camera streams, an exclusive pit reporter feed and on-demand video content.
- The FIM SGP-VERSE also gives fans the unique opportunity for an interactive meet and greet ahead of racing with FIM Speedway’s biggest international stars including Jack Holder, Tai Woffinden, Leon Madsen, and reigning four-time world champion Bartosz Zmarzlik.
Following an exclusive preview last season, Infinite Reality and the events division of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) Sports Europe, the global promoter of the FIM Speedway GP (SGP) series, today unveiled this new, cutting-edge experience for fans. The FIM SGP-VERSE app is now available to download for free in the Apple store, to coincide with one of the biggest SGP events on the calendar, the Orlen FIM Speedway GP of Poland – Warsaw, taking place at the famous PGE Narodowy stadium on 11 May.
Through the unique virtual realm of the FIM SGP-VERSE app, fans from all around the world will have the opportunity to meet and interact with the biggest speedway stars throughout the season including 2023 Australian Championship winner and current FIM Speedway GP World Championship leader Jack Holder, who is set to meet the speedway community on the FIM SGP-VERSE app on Saturday, 11 May at 4.30 PM CET.
Holder shared his excitement about the opportunity to be the first rider to meet the Speedway GP fans in this new digital environment. He said: “I can’t wait. While we have over 50,000 spectators in attendance at the event, this is a great chance for fans from all over the world – including from Australia of course – to catch up with us online and get closer to the action. Bring on Warsaw and hopefully this year I can go one better and top the podium.”
As the FIM Speedway GP season progresses, fans will regularly have the chance to meet some of the sport’s legends, including Poland’s four-time and reigning world champion, Bartosz Zmarzlik; Britain’s most decorated speedway rider with three world titles, Tai Woffinden; and Denmark’s World Championship silver medallist and two-time European Champion, Leon Madsen. Details on how and when to connect with speedway’s biggest international stars will be communicated through the championship’s official social media platforms (@SpeedwayGP).
THE FIM SGP-VERSE EXPERIENCE
As part of FIM Speedway GP’s mission to accelerate fan engagement opportunities and support the continued growth of the sport, innovative new experiences contained within a purpose-built FIM SGP-VERSE experience include:
Customisable camera streams: Fans can be their own TV director, going trackside and behind-the-scenes with several camera feeds available to select during race evenings, including an exclusive pit reporter feed, placing them at the heart of the action with exclusive rider interviews and expert insights.
On demand video-content: Race highlights and exclusive content including Monster Energy’s Twist the Throttle – a series taking fans behind-the-scenes of a dramatic 2023 season and featuring interviews with some of the sport’s biggest stars.
An exclusive Speedway GP Museum: Fans can navigate through over 100 years of speedway history including a virtual Hall of Champions and Hall of Bikes, honouring the legends of the sport and displaying priceless memories that celebrate more than a century of racing.
These latest additions join the suite of immersive opportunities first previewed during speedway’s centennial season last year which enable seamless navigation through the experience including:
- Avatar Overhead Video and Audio Chat to provide a deeper social experience between users.
- Dynamic Camera Selection allowing users to switch between first or third-person view.
- Customisable Video Stream Feed Selection, including a trackside view, enabling users to become the directors of their own experience.
- Map Teleportation allowing for quick multi-area exploration.
- Intuitive Device Navigation for keyboard and touch devices.
Jean-Baptiste Ley, Motorsport Series Leader at WBD Sports Europe, said: “The passionate following speedway attracts has been cultivated for more than a century and its worldwide fanbase expect exhilarating experiences as standard when it comes to engaging with the sport. We’re pleased to take this next step with our partners Infinite Reality to launch something completely new and unique to deliver a whole new way to interact with the FIM Speedway GP series wherever fans are in the world, and we know that new and old fans alike will love the opportunity.”
François Ribeiro, CEO, Europe, Infinite Reality, said: “As we unveil the new FIM SGP-VERSE app and experience, we at Infinite Reality are thrilled to showcase this groundbreaking new chapter in fan engagement. This platform is not just about viewing; it is about immersive interaction that places fans at the epicentre of the exciting action of speedway racing. Our continued collaboration with Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe is built on a shared vision for innovation and a long-term commitment to revolutionising how fans connect with the sport. Together, we are setting a new standard for what a digital fan experience can be, ensuring that no matter where in the world our fans are, they can feel the rush of the race and the community of the sport like never before.”
The new FIM SGP-VERSE is available to download for free on iOS devices from the Apple App Store. Please visit www.fimspeedway.com/metaverse for more information.
Press contacts:
Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe
Laura Cueto
Events | Communications / Media Relations Manager
Infinite Reality
Gillian Sheldon
Global Head of Communications
gilian.sheldon@theinfinitereality.com
About Warner Bros. Discovery Sports:
Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) Sports Europe represents WBD’s portfolio of sports brands, channels, and platforms in Europe. It collectively reaches 130 million people every month, engaging fans and broad audiences in more than 200 markets and in 20 languages across all platforms where consumers are spending time: free-to-air TV, pay-TV, streaming, online and social. WBD Sports Europe includes the much-loved consumer brands Eurosport, Global Cycling Network (GCN), Global Mountain Bike Network (GMBN), Golf Digest and TNT Sports in the UK and Ireland, as well sports programming and content on WBD’s free-to-air TV networks and streaming on discovery+ and Max from Spring 2024 in an initial 25 markets. They connect audiences with the greatest sporting events in the world. This includes being the Home of the Olympics Games in Europe; tennis’ Grand Slams; cycling’s Grand Tours, more than 300 days of live cycling per year, the UCI Track Champions League, the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series; the PGA TOUR year-round in some markets; The Ocean Race; the Snooker World Tour; the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship; the FIM Speedway GP, Speedway of Nations and Speedway World Cup; and every major winter sports World Championship and World Cup event. WBD Sports Europe completes a full 360° offer with its Events management and promotion division, which oversees 35+ events across four global championships each year and has achieved the ISO20121 certification for sustainability of event management practices.
About Infinite Reality, Inc.:
Infinite Reality (“iR”) is an innovative technology and entertainment company specializing in the development of cutting-edge, AI-powered immersive experiences. iR’s immersive experiences enable brands and creators to fully control the ways in which they distribute content, engage audiences, and commercialize their creations while also giving them ownership over their data. With its deep expertise in Hollywood production, iR develops immersive experiences that maximize the value between brands, content, and audiences and redefine the possibilities in connected digital environments. For more, go to theinfinitereality.com.