Seven competitors will head to the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking on January 16-17th to compete in the grand finals of the McLaren Shadow Project.
The competition will end with the winner joining the McLaren Shadow esports team to compete in the F1 Esports Pro Series. The winner will also join its esports development programme and work with members of the McLaren Formula 1 team.
On Wednesday 16th, the round robin rounds of the grand finals will take place. Then, on January 17th, the final race off will be hosted. The competition was launched in July last year and saw over 500,000 people apply to join in.
Ben Payne, Head of Esports at McLaren discussed the programme: “We’ve been blown away by the number of talented gamers who have taken part in the competition this year. We’ve created the most open and inclusive racing esports tournament on the planet, with players competing on multiple platforms on the biggest games. This year, more than ever before, the competition shadows McLaren’s real world. We’re treating them as we would one of our Formula 1 drivers, and this is reflected in the challenging week-long Shadow finals. The semi-finals had me on the edge of my seat, so I can’t wait to see what the final brings.”
The finals will see drivers compete on the likes of Forza Motorsport 7, Real Racing 3, Project Cars 2, iRacing, and rFactor 2. The action will take place on Sparco gaming seats with Logitech G wheels, pedals, and headphones.
The finalists will have to undergo human performance testing and test their performance in the McLaren automotive simulator, before displaying their ability in an actual car through a track day at Dunsfold.
Rudy van Buren, Winner of McLaren’s Faster Gamer competition also commented: “This competition changes lives. 12 months ago I was a kitchen salesman in Lelystad, Netherlands. Since then I’ve become a simulator driver for McLaren, driven a world championship-winning F1 car at Goodwood, raced and beaten a Le Mans winner at the Race of Champions and given VIPs the thrill of a lifetime in McLaren supercars during Formula 1 race weekends as part of McLaren’s involvement in the Pirelli Hot Laps experience. My advice for the finalists is race hard and stay focused, the possibilities are endless.”
Esports Insider will be attending the McLaren Shadow Project grand finals so be sure to keep an eye for exclusive articles and interviews shortly after the tournament wraps up.
Esports Insider says: The McLaren Shadow Project, by nature, will help the team find the cream of the crop when it comes to simulation racing. Not only subjecting the finalists to in-game challenges but real life tests adds another layer to the competition and should help McLaren find the most well-rounded individual.