(L-R) CK Lee and Alex Yoong. Courtesy of Astro.
With a growing interest in e-motorsports, Astro’s gaming and e-sports platform eGG Network has partnered with Axle Sports as they launched the E1 Championship, an online-only racing series that discovers the best drivers in the Asia Pacific region.
In a virtual press conference attended by professional race driver Alex Yoong, Founder of Axle Sports and CK Lee, Head of Sports at Astro Malaysia on 20 October, Alex shared that sim racing’s popularity has accelerated recently.
Alex said, “It’s about the right time, we’re running championships around the region for a while, but we don’t have a professional league out there with teams and drivers who are elevated to the next level, and that’s what E1 Championship is all about.”
“Sim-racing is a very unique sport. Unlike other e-sports, the skill learned here on our sims are transferrable to real life,” Alex added.
Alex announced that the E1 Championship has a US$15,000 prize pool and features top-notch production quality. He said, “We aim to attract the most talented drivers and racings teams to compete, making every race a showcase of how thrilling motorsports can be.”
CK shared his excitement in working with Alex to launch the E1 Championship. He said, “Close to 500,000 Malaysian fans are tuning in to watch eRacing GP SEA on eGG Network. Our channel, which is available in Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar, and Australia has the potential to reach 18 million e-sports fans. We look forward to racing talents in the Asia Pacific region joining the E1 Championship so fans can support their local drivers.”
The tournament, which consists of eight rounds, will see the region’s best drivers racing on RaceRoom on challenging international tracks, starting with the Sepang International Circuit on 18 November, where drivers’ physical endurance and mental strength will be tested. Each team has to drive the perfect racing line, as one-hundredth of a second separates a runner up from a champion that takes home USD$5,000.
To register and view tournament details, visit www.e1championship.com.
