Enzo Bonito and Kevin Siggy have been teammates for almost two years. But from the way they interact with each other, you’d think they grew up in the same home.
This isn’t the first time I’ve chatted with the Team Redline roster. Last year, we talked about the team’s epic Le Mans Virtual Series championship. Bonito had joked then, referring to Siggy as his “little brother.” And to be honest, I get the vibe that not much has changed between the two. If anything, they’ve only grown closer.
Considering both have been nominated for this year’s Autosport Esports Driver of the Year, I had to be cheeky and ask:
What does it mean to share this nomination with your teammate?
“He’s out there performing on every level and now he will have the chance to do it in real life, as well. And that’s the really great thing about the simulator, that you’re performing on a top level on a sim and you get the chance to drive in a real car,” Bonito, of course, is referring to Siggy winning the DTM Esports Championship, which affords him the opportunity to drive for a full-season campaign in the 2023 DTM Trophy.
“I admire him a lot. I’ve done it in the past, as well. And I want to continue to do it, but he’s one of the few guys that has done it and I really admire him.”
Siggy’s admiration for his big brother was replicated.
“We’ve been working together a bit more closely this year. And we kind of got into a really tight bond together as friends and as colleagues. I’m really happy for [Enzo] as well that he got nominated because I think he’s one of the best drivers in the world of sim racing.
“I’m gonna try and beat him in the nomination phase, of course,” Siggy laughed.
“But I wouldn’t mind him beating me in this kind of scenario because everybody knows who he is and what he’s capable of. He’s one of the best drivers out there and also one of my great friends. So, I’m more than happy to share it with him.”
Both Siggy and Bonito accomplished their dreams of earning a drive in a real car, which speaks volumes to their talent in the sim. In order to trade in a rig for fresh tires, drivers must be at the top of their game in the virtual world. Something that both Redline teammates proved this past season to earn them a shiny nomination for the elite esports award, too.
Bonito’s success in both the VCO ERL competition—specifically being able to perform in a variety of cars on all tracks while using different platforms—and winning at the Rennsport summit undoubtedly shot him into the spotlight this past season.
His teammate, Siggy, started the year off with a bang, too. And I’m not talking about a wild New Year’s party. He was the man of the 24 Hours to cross the chequered flag and claim the #71 GTE car’s crown. Along with the DTM championship, Siggy and his team won the Formula Pro Championship.
Even off the grid, he grabbed another victory by graduating from university, actually.
“The whole season, in a sense, was literally amazing,” he reflected.
And so, an Autosport Award would be the beautiful red[line] bow to top off an incredible season for both of them.
“It will mean a lot. I always like to strive for getting a lot of respect for my name. It’s obviously nice to be recognised and maybe have some potential future offers for anything that’s happening on the horizon, like real-life motorsport,” said Siggy.
After 10 years of sim racing, Bonito echoes how much the award would impact him, too.
“I think it’s something that I’ve had in my mind as one of the biggest wins ever,” he gleamed. “It’s very important today as a sim driver, being able to drive everywhere you go, as in different simulators and different cars on different tracks. To win this award, you see the people who are nominated are the ones who can pretty much drive everything.”
To round out the four nominees for the 2022 Autosport Awards Esports Driver of the Year, alongside Bonito and Siggy are James Baldwin (Mercedes-AMG/Veloce) and last year’s winner Frederik Rasmussen (Red Bull Racing).
This award inspires confidence and encourages sim racers to continue pushing, not only virtually, but also in the real world.
That’s something Team Redline has done masterfully this past season, and with Enzo Bonito and Kevin Siggy being recognised for the Esports Driver of the Year Award, there’s no telling what the two brothers will continue to accomplish in (and out) of the simulator for years to come.
Be sure to get your vote in for Enzo, Kevin, James or Frederik as this year’s Autosport Awards Esports Driver of the Year. Voting closes TONIGHT at 23:59, Wednesday 23rd November.
