Motorsport UK, the governing body of motorsport in the UK, has partnered with Formula One team Williams Racing to select drivers to represent the country in two sim racing events taking place at the 2024 FIA Motorsport Games.
In addition to selecting UK representatives, the two parties will join forces to provide training for the sim racers competing at the event.
The 2024 FIA Motorsport Games will feature two sim racing competitions, one involving GT3 cars on Assetto Corsa Competizione (ACC) and one involving F4 cars on the iRacing platform.
The third FIA Motorsport Games is set to take place in Valencia, Spain from October 23rd to the 27th. Including both sim racing competitions, the event sees drivers compete across a total of 27 motorsport disciplines.
The selection process for both events will feature online qualification followed by a selection day taking place at Williams’ headquarters in Grove, UK.
The esports portion of the FIA Motorsport Games gained traction in 2022 when UK-based sim racer James Baldwin took home the gold medal after achieving victory in the GT3 race. The FIA has stated that ‘more than 100 drivers are expected to compete’ throughout the event.
Motorsport UK and Williams are no strangers to the world of esports. In January, the governing body partnered with sim racing platform Simracing.GP to launch the British GT Esports Cup. In June, the F1 team became the first team in the Prodigy Racing League, an event which aims to transition drivers from virtual to real-world racing.
Hugh Chambers, CEO of Motorsport UK, spoke on the collaboration: “Esports, and its presence at the FIA Motorsport Games, truly showcases how innovation is shaping motorsport and its future.
“Williams Esports are renowned for offering elite training, and this will be of huge benefit to our drivers going for gold in Valencia.”