Playing FIFA won't get you a contract with Real Madrid. Playing Tony Hawk Pro Skater won't get you into the X-Games. Playing Call of Duty won't make you a Navy SEAL. But, if you're good enough, talent in a racing sim could mean you got what it takes behind a real racing car.
Last week, McLaren took this idea another level when they announced Gear.Club, a free-to-play mobile game, will join the roster of games in its "World's Fastest Gamer" racing game contest, where the winner of the competition will have a chance to be flown to McLaren's legendary racing headquarter for "the most extreme job interview of their life."
McLaren's World's Fastest Gamer format is as follows. Registration for the Silverstone esports Championship, on rFactor 2 platform for PC, opens on Aug. 1. First, time trials will be open to all registered drivers. However, only the 20 fastest will be able to make it through to qualifying.
The SIlverstone esports Championship will have a total of four 30-minute races–Rd. 1, Aug. 13, Silverstone GP; Rd. 2, Aug. 20, Zandvoort; Rd. 3, Aug. 27, Silverstone International; Rd. 4, Sept. 3, Silverstone National.
The driver that accumulates the most points after Rd. 4 will not only be crowned Silverstone's esport Champion, but will laso qualify to be in the WFG finale at MTC in September.
Next, the CJ Wilson Racing 570 Challenge brings McLaren's World's Fastest Gamer contest to Forza Motorsport 6 on Xbox One. While the Silverstone esports Championship was dedicated to Europ, the CJ Wilson is American-centric. This time, there are a total of five events, each featuring two 15-minute races. Race 1 of each event will be determined by qualifying while Race 2 will be based on the results of Race 1.
The CJ Wilson Racing 570 Challenge opens registrations June 19 while qualifying opens July 3. Drivers will be racing in the GT4-spec 2015 McLaren 570S Coupe. Rd. 1 begins July 11 at Daytona - Sports Car Circuit (10 laps); Rd. 2, July 25, Sebring - Full Circuit (8 laps); Rd. 3, Aug. 8, Road America - Full Circuit (8 laps); Rd. 4, Aug. 22, Sonoma - Full Circuit (10 laps); Rd. 5, August 29, Road Atlanta - Full Circuit (12 laps).
Complementing the Silverstone esports Championship and CJ Wilson Racing 570 Challenge is Gear.Club, bringing competitive racing to your mobile device. Like in the CJ Wilson Racing 570 Challenge, players will once again compete in a Mclaren 570S GT4. McLaren hopes the mobile contest will effectively remove any barrier that may keep them from discovering the next driving talent.
“I would love to see a gamer from a country that does not have a motorsport tradition qualify for the finals," said McLaren Executive Director Zak Brown. "Our competition is focused on skill and determination, not merely the ability to have the best equipment. The 570S GT4 looks amazing in Gear.Club and we’re excited to have more people drive it in the virtual world.”
“When we decided to produce Gear.Club we always wanted to have an esports element to the game," said CEO of Eden Games, David Nadal. "This is just the first step – but what a step! To be the first mobile partner of McLaren’s World’s Fastest Gamer is a real honour for us. And of course in the final we will be cheering on our gamer to become an F1 simulator driver!”
Given the precision and accuracy necessary in the physics engine of driving games, it's interesting that McLaren would support a mobile game, which inherently only features laggy tilt controls or awkward touch arrows. Still, Brown noted the competition is based on skill, not "equipment." If all competitors are all playing on a mobile device, then at least the playing field will be more or less level.
The Gear.Club qualifying events begin July 27 and the races will feature three distinct new tracts designed specifically for this contest. Got what it takes to become the next official McLaren Honda simulator driver? Learn more about Gear.Club and check out Mclaren's World's Fastest Gamers contest.
