G2 Esports dominates Race of Champions qualifying

Two members of the organization will race in one of the most prestigious racing competitions worldwide.

Photo credit: Virtual Open Wheel Series Wiki

Nils Naujoks and Arthur Kammerer from G2 Esports have secured a spot in the Virtual Race of Champions. The qualifying for the event ended on June 25. Both qualifiers are about to compete against two former eRace of Champions winners on Sunday, June 28. Only the winner will face the elite of the racing world.

Esports racers from around the world were challenged to drive a hot lap on the 2019 ROC course in Assetto Corsa. G2 Esports’ sim racing team manager Nils Naujoks and G2 driver Arthur Kammerer were able to set the fastest time. Kammerer was just two thousandth of a second faster than Team Simpact’s Ethan Dean in third place.

Nice man! Only problem is you won’t have 1200 attempts this time, just 1…😉
— Jaaames (@JaaamesBaldwin) June 26, 2020

The G2 members will race against two esports racers who already competed in the real-world ROC in 2019. The first one is World’s Fastest Gamer James Baldwin. The Briton won the eRace of Champions 2019 which is the esports counterpart to the Race of Champions.

So I’ll be competing in this week’s Virtual @RaceOfChampions – First round being against the winner of this week’s eROC qualifier😝

I had a go myself, 49.801, KTM X – Bow around Wembley⬇️ pic.twitter.com/OFAGQLE66E
— Jaaames (@JaaamesBaldwin) June 23, 2020

The second driver is no other than Enzo Bonito who shocked the racing world at the Race of Champions 2019. The Italian was able to knock former F1 pilot Lucas di Grassi as well as IndyCar champion Ryan Hunter-Reay out of the competition. Enzo also won the eRace of Champions in 2018.

Big upset! Sim racer @EnzoBonito17 takes the scalp of @LucasdiGrassi! #ROCMexico @McLarenShadow pic.twitter.com/MMa98Pd4lP
— Race Of Champions (@RaceOfChampions) January 19, 2019

It is going to be a tough challenge for the G2 contenders. The winner will compete against the best real racing drivers in the Virtual Race of Champions.

What is the (Virtual) Race of Champions?

The Race of Champions is a prestigious event which annually takes place in a different location around the world. It welcomes the best drivers from various racing classes since 1988. Among the racers who already competed in the race are F1 legend Michael Schumacher, seven-time MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi and eight-time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen.

The tournament is being held in an unforgiving knockout format. Two drivers race against each other on parallel tracks in similar cars. The contenders must prove their skills in various vehicles from buggies to high-power racing cars.

The winner can call himself the “greatest racer in the world” and line up with former successors such as David Coulthard, Juan Pablo Montoya, and Sebastian Vettel.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the event cannot take place on the real asphalt this year. The competition will be held online thus wearing the name “Virtual Race of Champions”. The format will remain the same. It will take the competitors to the most iconic tracks of ROC’s history in Assetto Corsa.

A stacked field of racers

The line-up for this year’s edition is impressive. Many great names from various racing classes have gathered again. So far, these drivers have been confirmed to take part in it: