The 2020 24 Hours of Le Mans was postponed from its scheduled dates of 13 and 14 June to 19 and 20 September as a result of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in France. In place of the postponed race, the automotive group the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO), the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) and Motorsport Games elected to organise a simulation event called the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual rendering the Circuit de la Sarthe on the "rFactor 2" gaming platform on the original dates. The event received support from developers Studio 397; its sponsor was the Saudi Arabian Federation for Electronic and Intellectual Sports initiative.