Top Global eSports Racers To Complete May 25 in 'Virtual Battle of the Brickyard' at IMS
May 25, 2019 | By McLaren Racing
To celebrate the kick off to their respective upcoming seasons, Logitech G, a brand of Logitech, and leading innovator of gaming technologies and gear, and the McLaren Shadow Project, the most inclusive and diverse esports racing competition on the planet, have partnered to bring life to “The Virtual Battle of the Brickyard.”
This special, one-off competition will kick off at 2 p.m. (ET) Saturday, May 25 during the 103rd Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge and pit three of McLaren Shadow’s best drivers against three of Fernando Alonso’s FA Racing esports team and three drivers from the Lazarus team, playing Forza Motorsport 7.
The “Battle” will happen in the Logitech G/McLaren tent, located in the Midway Lot at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
McLaren Shadow will be represented by Igor Fraga, (2018 G Challenge Latin America winner and McLaren Shadow Season 1 Champion), Olli Pahkala and Bono Huis. Fernando Alonso FA Racing team will be represented by Jamie Chadwick (W series driver), Kristian Kwietnieski (2018 G Challenge European winner) and Matt Malone. Team Lazarus will be represented by Dean Bodle, Eamonn Murphy and Tyler Jones.
“If you enjoy racing, you absolutely want to check out this competition,” said Andreas Schicker, head of esports at Logitech Gaming. "One of the things that's exciting about eRacing is that it's accessible to everyone, whether as racers or spectators. The highly competitive nature and high-speed spectacle of the sport combined with the authenticity of the games that are being played provide an exciting experience for everyone.”
“This Battle of the Brickyard creates an exciting opportunity for us to connect with fans who have a passion for both virtual and real-world racing,” said Ben Payne, Head of esports at McLaren. “We’re always looking for ways to raise awareness of our pioneering esports program McLaren Shadow Project and partnerships with our gaming partners such as Logitech G. Our activation at the Indy 500 will demonstrate the connection between sim and real-world racing, introduce fans to some of the best eRacers in the world, and encourage more players to test their race skills.”
In addition, the event will include special appearances and competitions to celebrate the success of eracing. NTT IndyCar Series drivers scheduled include Josef Newgarden, Conor Daly and Colton Herta.
McLaren Shadow Project Racers
BONO HUIS
As a five-time F1 sim racing champion and last year's winner of the Formula E Visa Vegas eRace, the 25-year-old Dutch native has proven himself as a top-level racer. Huis, who was named after the U2 singer, started virtual racing at just 10 years old, and he returns to the F1 Esports Series looking for success.
OLLI PAHKALA
The 29-year-old veteran sim driver secured third place in the 2014-2016 iRacing World Championship Grand Prix series and was also a semi-finalist in the 2017 Visa Vegas eRace. Pahkala is the founder of the Finnish Sim Racing Federation in his home country and was part of McLaren Shadow’s debut F1 Esports team last year along with Enzo Bonito and Bono Huis.
IGOR FRAGA
The winner of last year’s McLaren Shadow Project, the 21-year-old Brazilian beat out more than half a million contestants for the crown. Igor got his start in karting and then transitioned to virtual racing, where he quickly ascended the ranks, claiming several titles including the inaugural FIA Gran Turismo Nations Cup.
FA Racing Team
KRISTIAN KWIETNIESKI
Kwietnieski is fresh out of the Logitech G Challenge, having been crowned Logitech G Paris Games Week Champion in 2018 and made the McLaren Shadow semi-finals in the same year, heading to the McLaren Technology Centre in the UK.
MATT MALONE
Streaming on Twitch since 2014, Matt Malone was the first iRacing streamer to achieve partner status. Creating and growing an online racing community has been his goal since day one. Road racing, oval racing and everything in between, Malone takes to the track in almost any type of car. Two-time Daytona 500 winner, 12 Hours Sebring winner and Mazda overall champion are just a few items on his racing resume. Jumping into the world of eSports, Malone is excited to be FA Racing's U.S. ambassador.
JAMIE CHADWICK
Brit Jamie Chadwick joins FA Racing Logitech G, bringing with her a host of on-track success into top-flight Esports. The 20-year-old is a British F3 race-winner, the incumbent MRF Series champion and W Series competitor. She’s looking to use that experience as she competes in iRacing for the team this year. A relative newcomer to sim racing, Jamie is looking to learn and learn fast as she becomes a part of “hero” Fernando Alonso’s eSports team.
Team Lazarus Racers
DEAN “DEANO” BODLE
Since back before some competitors were born, Bodle has been a fixture at the pinnacle of racing eSports. One of the “OG’s” of the racing community, Dean returned to full-time competition in 2017 after a nearly seven-year hiatus. He made a splash in first event back, the 2017 ForzaRC Porsche Cup Grand Finals, racing his way to a semi-final appearance. Since that event, Bodle has been a regular fixture at live events on Forza Motorsport, capping off last year with the ForzaRC World Championship held at the Gfinity Arena in London. An IT Analyst by day, Bodle uses his analytical skills to hit apex after apex, earning him the nickname ‘DeanoBOT’ from his peers for his almost robotic consistency.
EAMONN “MURPHY” MURPHY
Murphy’s ability to adapt to many different titles on different platforms sets him apart from many of his fellow competitors. With wins under his belt on Project Cars, Raceroom, iRacing and others, Murphy is a master of adapting to new challenges. His most recent success was in the Logitech G Challenge, finishing fourth in the Paris Games Week Final, and qualifying for the BELCAR Esports Final event at Circuit Zolder. More impressively, Murphy is quite handy behind the wheel of a real car, making his way to Stage 2 of the 2018 Want2Race Contest as well as spending his spare time rallying in his native Ireland, driving a Subaru Impreza and a Peugeot 205 around the tricky and technical Irish roads. Now, he sets his sights onto Forza Motorsport, the franchise where his racing esports career began.
TYLER “DIABLO” JONES
Hailing from the state of Maine, Jones is one of the veterans of the racing world with nearly 10 years of experience, competing on variety of titles, including Forza Motorsport, iRacing and GT Sport. He developed his love for racing from a young age, racing motocross all across New England in his grade-school years. Tyler has been a presence at nearly every Forza event in the past few years, with his best result being a victory in the 2016 Audi le Forza final in San Francisco. After the 2018 ForzaRC season came to a close, he hung up the gloves on full-time competition and transitioned into a management role for Lazarus Racing. For this weekend, he steps back into the driver’s seat and hopes to remind everyone of what he’s capable of.