Steve Worrell
Premium
The FIA and Nacon have joined forces to launch the FiA Rally star programme which aims to detect the next rally talent.
I must admit, I have had somewhat of a WRC 9 addiction in recent months, I love rally but have always struggled to find a title I really love, and honestly WRC 9 is the first since RBR which I can say I truly love. If you have played previous WRC 9 titles, forget what you know, this one is different. The physics are greatly improved and it looks visually impressive too.
Looking good - WRC9 Is a good looking, underrated rally sim (in my opinion)
It’s likely to be the case that with this improved platform to work on the FiA have decided it’s time to see if there are talents out there in the virtual world which could make the leap to the real world environment. Enter, FiA Rally Star. If you are aged between 17-26 you have the chance to take part in this programme and ultimately win two full seasons as a WRC Junior driver. That is quite an incredible prize, if the winner manages to do well in those two seasons, who knows where that could take them in the future.
We have obviously seen drivers move across from esports and simracing to real world racing before, most recently of course with James Baldwin doing a fantastic job in the British GT last year, but forgive me if i’m wrong I don’t recall seeing the leap happen on the rally circuit, but now’s the time.
M-Sport Fiesta Rally3 - A new car for the simulation
To take part you must jump through a couple of hoops, and i’m still a little unsure why the first hurdle is part of the process, but it’s there, so we have to talk about it. Rather than just hoping into the game and jumping into some challenges, you have to buy an “add-on” to the base game. It’s £7.99 for me here in the UK, and from what I can see it gives you access to the Fiesta M-Sport 3 car and the Rally Star challenges. I mean, great another car to play with, but if like me, you bought this game for the WRC cars and I can’t really see myself using this car outside of the challenges if i’m honest. Add to that, I can’t seem to select it in game currently so one can only assume it unlocks after the first challenge is available. I guess they need to fund this programme somehow, so I will give them the benefit of the doubt here.
The second hoop you must jump through is signing up on the FiA Rally star website . It takes roughly 2 minutes to do so, so it’s not a big deal. I guess I would have just preferred it if the whole process was done in game. Speaking of which, there isn’t anything in the game to tell you when the next challenge is coming up, for that you need the website.
Start your engines - Challenges start next week, good job I spotted this when I did.
Every 2 weeks there will be a challenge in the game for those with the Rally Star add-on. If you have the add-on and signed up on the website you will be able to enter the challenge where you will have up to 100 practice runs and 5 timed runs in which to set your fastest time. The fastest drivers from the challenges will qualify for a continental final which is when the drivers get their first taste of driving a real car in the form of the LifeLive TN5 Cross Car. Presumably from there the contestants will be given a number of challenges and the highest scoring drivers will be taken to the final.
What's waiting for the finalists - Continental finalists will be put through their paces in this, the LifeLive TN5 Cross Car
This is a great opportunity for young rally drivers all over the globe and one I wish I was still young enough to be eligible for. The challenges start next week and run through to August so there should be ample opportunity for people to get involved. For a full list of scheduled events from the Rally Star Programme visit the FiA Rally Star Website.
You can buy WRC 9 here (it’s on the epic games store, don’t buy WRC 8 on steam like I did)
The FiA Rally Star Programme website - https://fiarallystar.com/en
For more WRC 9 Conversation join the WRC Forum on RD here.
- Win 2 seasons in Junior WRC
- WRC 9 game and additional add-on required
- Access to new M-Sport Fiesta Rally3 in-game
I must admit, I have had somewhat of a WRC 9 addiction in recent months, I love rally but have always struggled to find a title I really love, and honestly WRC 9 is the first since RBR which I can say I truly love. If you have played previous WRC 9 titles, forget what you know, this one is different. The physics are greatly improved and it looks visually impressive too.
Looking good - WRC9 Is a good looking, underrated rally sim (in my opinion)
It’s likely to be the case that with this improved platform to work on the FiA have decided it’s time to see if there are talents out there in the virtual world which could make the leap to the real world environment. Enter, FiA Rally Star. If you are aged between 17-26 you have the chance to take part in this programme and ultimately win two full seasons as a WRC Junior driver. That is quite an incredible prize, if the winner manages to do well in those two seasons, who knows where that could take them in the future.
We have obviously seen drivers move across from esports and simracing to real world racing before, most recently of course with James Baldwin doing a fantastic job in the British GT last year, but forgive me if i’m wrong I don’t recall seeing the leap happen on the rally circuit, but now’s the time.
M-Sport Fiesta Rally3 - A new car for the simulation
To take part you must jump through a couple of hoops, and i’m still a little unsure why the first hurdle is part of the process, but it’s there, so we have to talk about it. Rather than just hoping into the game and jumping into some challenges, you have to buy an “add-on” to the base game. It’s £7.99 for me here in the UK, and from what I can see it gives you access to the Fiesta M-Sport 3 car and the Rally Star challenges. I mean, great another car to play with, but if like me, you bought this game for the WRC cars and I can’t really see myself using this car outside of the challenges if i’m honest. Add to that, I can’t seem to select it in game currently so one can only assume it unlocks after the first challenge is available. I guess they need to fund this programme somehow, so I will give them the benefit of the doubt here.
The second hoop you must jump through is signing up on the FiA Rally star website . It takes roughly 2 minutes to do so, so it’s not a big deal. I guess I would have just preferred it if the whole process was done in game. Speaking of which, there isn’t anything in the game to tell you when the next challenge is coming up, for that you need the website.
Start your engines - Challenges start next week, good job I spotted this when I did.
Every 2 weeks there will be a challenge in the game for those with the Rally Star add-on. If you have the add-on and signed up on the website you will be able to enter the challenge where you will have up to 100 practice runs and 5 timed runs in which to set your fastest time. The fastest drivers from the challenges will qualify for a continental final which is when the drivers get their first taste of driving a real car in the form of the LifeLive TN5 Cross Car. Presumably from there the contestants will be given a number of challenges and the highest scoring drivers will be taken to the final.
What's waiting for the finalists - Continental finalists will be put through their paces in this, the LifeLive TN5 Cross Car
This is a great opportunity for young rally drivers all over the globe and one I wish I was still young enough to be eligible for. The challenges start next week and run through to August so there should be ample opportunity for people to get involved. For a full list of scheduled events from the Rally Star Programme visit the FiA Rally Star Website.
You can buy WRC 9 here (it’s on the epic games store, don’t buy WRC 8 on steam like I did)
The FiA Rally Star Programme website - https://fiarallystar.com/en
For more WRC 9 Conversation join the WRC Forum on RD here.
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