Spearheaded by ex-Minardi Formula 1 racer Alex Yoong, the E1 Championship returns today (7th September 2022) with participating drivers fighting it out for a prize pool of $20,000.
Using Sector 3 Studios’ RaceRoom sim, the E1 Championship has pitched itself as an esports competition for Asian-Pacific-based drivers. However, for its fourth incarnation, there will be an influx of European talent, including the likes of Jack Keithley, Christopher Högfeldt, Bence Bánki and Moritz Löhner (absent for Round 1), among others.
The European contingent has extensive experience in RaceRoom, with Keithley the reigning REMUS GT3 Champion, Högfeldt the ADAC GT Masters Esports champion and Löhner a multiple champion across both DTM Esports and ADAC GT Masters Esports.
Top European teams Williams Esports and TX3 are also set to join the fray, with real-world racing teams Mumbai Falcons – which won the Formula Regional Asia Championship with Arthur Leclerc – and Black Arts Racing, also returning.
Other notable entries include the Azlan brothers – Naquib and Nabil – driving for SEM9. The pair drove in the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual earlier this year, with Naquib’s SEM9 Flash Axle team finishing an impressive fourth overall.
Using RaceRoom’s new Formula Raceroom-X22 car, can reigning teams champion Team Flash, and defending drivers champion Muhammad Ibrahim, hold off the European newcomers? With seven rounds across seven weeks it’s set to be an intense fight all the way to the chequered flag.
E1 Championship 2022, sanctioned by the Motorsports Association of Malaysia, gets underway from the Sepang International Circuit today at 2pm BST/9pm MYT/3pm UTC. Races will be broadcast live on E1 Championship’s Facebook page, Traxion.GG’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.
E1 Championship 2022 Entry List
| Car No | Driver Name | Age | Country | Team Name | Country |
| 12 | JYN MAZVILTON | 22 | Singapore | TEAM FLASH | Singapore |
| 44 | MUHAMMAD THASBEEH | 20 | Singapore | TEAM FLASH | |
| 4 | JOSH PURWIEN | 19 | Australia | BLACK ARTS RACING | Hong Kong |
| 43 | KALEN CHIN | 15 | Australia | BLACK ARTS RACING | |
| 3 | MIKKO NASSI | 33 | Finland | SAFEHOUSE | Korea |
| 33 | INIGO ANTON | 18 | Philippines | SAFEHOUSE | |
| 17 | NAQUIB AZLAN | 21 | Malaysia | SEM9 | Malaysia |
| 11 | NABIL AZLAN | 20 | Malaysia | SEM9 | |
| 88 | LANCE LAU | 35 | Brunei | APEX ERACING | Brunei |
| 22 | BEN SEEK | 28 | New Zealand | APEX ERACING | |
| 10 | MOHAMMAD DZIKRI | 23 | Malaysia | APEX RACING ACADEMY | Brunei |
| 55 | JULIAN KUNZE | 31 | Germany | APEX RACING ACADEMY | |
| 9 | MIHAI NEG | 20 | Romania | TX3 | France |
| 74 | CHRISTOPHER HOGFELDT | 26 | Sweden | TX3 | |
| 19 | MUHAMMAD IBRAHIM | 20 | India | MUMBAI FALCONS | India |
| 28 | BENCE BANKI | 23 | Germany | MUMBAI FALCONS | |
| 32 | PRESLEY MARTONO | 22 | Indonesia | JMX PHANTOM | Indonesia |
| 6 | RUSSELL REYES | 24 | Philippines | JMX PHANTOM | |
| 99 | JACK KEITHLEY | 24 | UK | WILLIAMS ESPORTS | UK |
| 98 | MARTIN STEFANKO | 24 | Czech Republic | WILLIAMS ESPORTS | |
| 15 | AXEL NOCOM | 10 | Philippines | TEAM EGG | Malaysia |
| 16 | BERNARD CHAN | 34 | Malaysia | TEAM EGG |
