The RCCO World eX series is back for 2022, with Williams Esports’ Martin Štefanko aiming for another successful campaign after taking the Drivers title in its first season last year.
World eX Season 2 consists of ten rounds, visiting tracks such as Spa-Francorchamps, Daytona International Speedway and Monza. Each round is hosted by one of the participating teams, with tonight’s event hosted by Williams Esports,.
Using the all-electric eX ZERO car for rFactor 2, the grid will be divided into PRO and ESPORTS categories. Some of the world’s best racing and esports drivers – including Jack Aitken, Risto Kappet and Zak O’Sullivan – go head-to-head in order to qualify for the Nürburgring Nordschleife Super Final on the 13th of December.
The eX ZERO car is the brainchild of former DTM champion and World eX co-founder Mike Rockenfeller, with physics input from Romain Grosjean and rFactor 2 specialist – and World eX participant – Devin Braune. Weighing just 1,000kg with 1,000bhp on tap, the eX ZERO can accelerate to 300kmh from rest in less than ten seconds, so will provide a stern challenge for the world’s best esports drivers.
The World eX series was formed to help promote the use of zero-emissions mobility solutions and clean energies worldwide, with each team aligned to an environmental cause or project. The overall winning team claims the #racingfortheclimate jackpot for their cause – the jackpot being a cash sum which grows with every racing lap completed. Last season’s cash prize amounted to €12,875.
Each of the nine teams, including organisations led by 24-Hours of Le Mans winners Frank Biela, Tom Kristensen and Patrick Long, is obliged to nominate one PRO driver and one ESPORTS driver for every eX Prix. Teams who qualify for an eX Prix Final will automatically book a spot in the Super Final.
The host team for each eX Prix can field a further two ‘art cars’, the liveries of which can be auctioned off for a charitable cause. Therefore, 20 cars are expected for every event, with rotating driver line-ups anticipated throughout the season. For this evening’s Silverstone eX Prix of Great Britain, Williams Esports has elected to run two blue liveries inspired by Williams Racing’s 2022 Formula 1 car.
The format for World eX events consists of a 20-minute qualifying session that decides the grids for separate PRO and ESPORTS quarterfinals. A mixed semi-final grid decides which two PRO and ESPORTS pilots go head-to-head in a two-lap dash for the round victory.
Last season’s Silverstone eX Prix winner and drivers championship runner-up Lasse Sørensen will be looking for more success again this evening. And with the amalgamation of the drivers’ and teams’ standings this season, Sørensen will be aiming to help his TK9 E-SPeeD squad clinch its second title in succession.
Alongside the main event, the (Un)real Design Challenge will also take place. Participants in the competition are tasked with painting an eX ZERO livery based on World eX’s #racingfortheclimate motto, with three winners receiving tickets to the FUTURE MOVES summit in Hamburg, worth €499 each.
Round 1 of the RCCO World eX series will be broadcast live on the World eX YouTube, Twitch and Facebook channels, starting at 8 pm BST/9 pm CET/3 pm ET
The eX ZERO is available to purchase for rFactor 2 on PC now, costing £4.19/€4.99/$5.25.
