Sort of F1 related
Esports Driver Wins Professional Racing Debut
James Baldwin won the opening race of this season's British GT Championship Series. This was his first professional outing, as competing in the real-world race was part of his prize for winning the World’s Fastest Gamer competition. To be clear this is a team competition where his teammate Michael O'Brien also drove the car, but that doesn't diminish this remarkable achievement. Here's a full account of the results and here's a recap of the action from the folks at World's Fastest Gamer:
British gamer James Baldwin has stunned the racing world by scoring victory in his first-ever real-world professional race.
Last October, Baldwin battled nine other gamers in a 10-day tour from Las Vegas through to California in a series of online and on-track racing tests to earn a real-world racing contract worth more than US$1 million.
The 22-year-old shocked the competition on Saturday when he recorded the fastest qualifying time – only to lose his fastest lap due to a track limits infraction. His second fastest lap was still fast enough to start from fourth on the grid aboard the McLaren 720S GT3 machine run by the team co-owned by 2009 Formula 1 World Champion, Jenson Button.
Baldwin made a strong start from fourth on the grid and spent his 30-minute stint pushing hard for third place. The Jenson Team Rocket RJN team gained a position on the pit stop when Baldwin handed over the McLaren to teammate Michael O'Brien.
Resuming in third spot, O'Brien gained a position on track, and the duo then took the lead when a rival received a penalty forcing them to the pit lane.
Despite a late-race full-course-yellow, O'Brien held the lead to earn him and Baldwin an incredible victory.
Esports Driver Wins Professional Racing Debut
James Baldwin won the opening race of this season's British GT Championship Series. This was his first professional outing, as competing in the real-world race was part of his prize for winning the World’s Fastest Gamer competition. To be clear this is a team competition where his teammate Michael O'Brien also drove the car, but that doesn't diminish this remarkable achievement. Here's a full account of the results and here's a recap of the action from the folks at World's Fastest Gamer:
British gamer James Baldwin has stunned the racing world by scoring victory in his first-ever real-world professional race.
Last October, Baldwin battled nine other gamers in a 10-day tour from Las Vegas through to California in a series of online and on-track racing tests to earn a real-world racing contract worth more than US$1 million.
The 22-year-old shocked the competition on Saturday when he recorded the fastest qualifying time – only to lose his fastest lap due to a track limits infraction. His second fastest lap was still fast enough to start from fourth on the grid aboard the McLaren 720S GT3 machine run by the team co-owned by 2009 Formula 1 World Champion, Jenson Button.
Baldwin made a strong start from fourth on the grid and spent his 30-minute stint pushing hard for third place. The Jenson Team Rocket RJN team gained a position on the pit stop when Baldwin handed over the McLaren to teammate Michael O'Brien.
Resuming in third spot, O'Brien gained a position on track, and the duo then took the lead when a rival received a penalty forcing them to the pit lane.
Despite a late-race full-course-yellow, O'Brien held the lead to earn him and Baldwin an incredible victory.