Silverstone to host McLaren’s World’s Fastest Gamer esports championship

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Silverstone to host McLaren’s World’s Fastest Gamer esports championship

Dominic Sacco
2 min read | 23 May 2017

McLaren has confirmed the first qualifying event for its gaming initiative World’s Fastest Gamer.

A four-week online championship (open to competitors worldwide) will be broadcast from Silverstone after the Formula 1 British Grand Prix in July. Gamers will compete using the simulator platform rFactor 2 and play a range of racing games.

Qualifying will be open to all interested gamers, with the top 20 drivers racing each weekend for points towards the Silverstone Championship.

The overall winner will secure a one-year contract with McLaren and work as a simulation driver/tester for the British racing brand.

McLaren will announce three more ‘Official Qualifying Events’ for Worlds Fastest Gamer in the coming weeks with other third parties: one mobile-based qualifier and two more based on console platforms. In future years McLaren and World’s Fastest Gamer partner, IDEAS+CARS, will approve multiple stakeholders to hold qualifying events.

Executive Director of McLaren Technology Group, Zak Brown, said: “McLaren group is proud to welcome Silverstone to World’s Fastest Gamer. We have great relationships with the guys there and know they have renewed plans to bring a new and younger audience to motorsport in the UK and beyond.

“McLaren is seeing many strong brands come to us to get involved in this new initiative. We only see interest growing from here.”

Silverstone Circuits CEO Stuart Pringle said: “Silverstone has been the home to GT Academy since its inception and we wanted to get involved in the next high profile Motorsport Gaming ‘Franchise’ from day one.”

IDEAS+CARS CMO Darren Cox added: “Silverstone has seen what gaming can do for its brand in the past and their new commitment will hopefully mean a flood of motorsport brands now committing to esports racing.

“Over the coming years McLaren and I envisage that multiple entities globally will hold ‘Official Qualifying Events’ for World’s Fastest Gamer. There is no better example of open competition in motorsport and it delivers the best job in esports.”

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