A British man took one step closer to realising his dreams as he became one of the first sim racers to qualify for the FIA Formula E Championship Visa Vegas eRace. Carroll, along with nine other qualifiers from the Road to Vegas Challenge, will now go up against the 20 Formula E drivers in the Visa Vegas eRace for a share of the million-dollar prize fund, the biggest in eSports history. The meteoric rise of eSports is also allowing the eSports Betting industry to flourish, giving fans the chance to back their favorite competitors and potentially make a bit of cash from their victories.
Having given up his racing career on the track due to prohibitive costs, Graham Carroll, 26, is now in pole position to be considered one of the greatest sim racers in the world. Managing his career as a racing coach alongside competing in online races, Carroll moved from the race track to a gaming rig set up in his parents’ loft in his home town near Edinburgh Scotland.
Esports or competitive video games/simulators are a rising area of entertainment for many enthusiasts. At the top of the esports rankings are games like League of Legends or DOTA 2, which many players might use a dota 2 boosting to get their ranking high enough for them to be picked for a competitive team. Sim racing is a lesser-known but equally competetive area of eSports by comparison. Using a setup harkening to the racing arcade machines of old, Sim racers compete in a digital world for 1st place.
As one of 10 sim racers, Carroll will be pitting his wits against the top drivers from the FIA Formula E Championship, including Visa Driver Ambassadors Nelson Piquet Jr and Jérôme D’Ambrosio. The Visa Vegas eRace will take place at the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show in January.
Speaking following qualification, Carroll said: “When I was younger and thought of qualifying for major races, I never thought it would be from my parents’ loft. My mum and dad’s passions in gaming and racing must have played up in my genes. The prize on offer is life-changing and qualification just vindicates my decision to not give up on my dreams and I’m fully intending to win in Las Vegas.”
Visa is sponsoring the Visa Vegas eRace as part of its three season deal as Official Payment Partner of the FIA Formula E Championship.
