The negative fallout from this is kind of ridiculous because Abt wasn't cheating. You cheat to gain some kind of profit or advantage, but he says it was all intended to be transparent - no VPN, open and recorded conversations with people in on the 'joke' etc. and the intention to reveal what they had done afterwards. I can't see where there is any profit in that (there is none) and I see no reason to doubt what he says.
There is no question that it was an error of judgement, which includes a level of disrespect to his fellow competotors, but to treat him as a virtual (no pun intended) criminal is where my credulity puts the brakes on and I wonder why people are so eager to be offended and take an often invented higher moral ground so as to point the finger in disgust at something which in this case was apparently not intended. If you're into social media you'll see this kind of outraged behaviour all the time.
rFactor 2 is a game. As seriously as people like to take simulated racing it is still only gaming and not everyone feels it is deserving of the same sense of importance as real life racing. If this same thing had occurred in one of the big virtual events where prize money and respect within the virtual 'sport' (if you want to call it that) were at stake it would be a different matter. But to imply from what Abt has done that his credibility as a real life driver is tarnished is nonsense.
There is no question that it was an error of judgement, which includes a level of disrespect to his fellow competotors, but to treat him as a virtual (no pun intended) criminal is where my credulity puts the brakes on and I wonder why people are so eager to be offended and take an often invented higher moral ground so as to point the finger in disgust at something which in this case was apparently not intended. If you're into social media you'll see this kind of outraged behaviour all the time.
rFactor 2 is a game. As seriously as people like to take simulated racing it is still only gaming and not everyone feels it is deserving of the same sense of importance as real life racing. If this same thing had occurred in one of the big virtual events where prize money and respect within the virtual 'sport' (if you want to call it that) were at stake it would be a different matter. But to imply from what Abt has done that his credibility as a real life driver is tarnished is nonsense.