Esports Global Cup champion aiming for genuine global of motorsport

8 weeks, loads of competition throughout more than one occasions and a multi-million pound prize pot – however this wasn’t any sports activities match.

Luke Bennett is coming house from the primary Esports Global Cup in Saudi Arabia as a global champion.

Now not handiest that, the 19-year-old from Bromsgrove in Worcestershire could also be returning £100,000 richer after bagging the highest prize in sim racing (brief for simulated racing).

“It’s lovely surreal,” Luke tells BBC Newsbeat. However now he is hoping he has an opportunity to make it correctly genuine with a occupation in motorsport.

Luke’s a part of Group Redline – an offshoot of Purple Bull’s F1 crew which boasts Belgian-Dutch racing driving force Max Verstappen amongst its alumni.

“It is similar to racing a automobile in genuine lifestyles,” Luke says of sim racing. “However on a pc.”

The crew used to be based greater than twenty years in the past however Luke says individuals are nonetheless shocked when he talks about what he does.

He says individuals are surprised when he tells them in regards to the prize cash concerned.

“It displays it’s getting larger and larger and it may be a occupation for some folks.”

Group Redline ruled on the Esports Global Cup, by no means completing outdoor of the highest 4 as soon as within the grand finals of the match.

“It’s been a coarse few months,” says Luke. “Each day – apply, apply, apply.

“All that weight has been lifted off our shoulders now.”

Luke is not only speedy at the digital monitor. He says his occupation is transferring at most sensible velocity as neatly.

“I began riding with only a £100 guidance wheel at the table and having a bit of of a laugh,” he says.

Now not lengthy after, fellow competition spotted his possible and his folks helped him purchase a greater simulator.

“That’s when issues in point of fact took off,” he says.

“I joined Group Redline and after that it’s simply been up and up and up till this level presently.”

Esports tournaments are nonetheless “rather area of interest and rather new,” he says.

“It’s no longer been lengthy since all this prize cash began coming thru and a majority of these giant competitions began so there’s no longer many tales of folks going the entire method.”

In that sense, he is a pioneer, admitting “the longer term is a bit of unsure” for esports champions.

However as unsure because it could be, the business gained every other spice up final month when it used to be introduced from subsequent yr there would even be an Olympic Esports Video games.

Just like the Esports Global Cup, the Video games will probably be held in Saudi Arabia as a part of a 12-year partnership between the Kingdom and the World Olympics Committee.

Ahead of the Global Cup, gamers, streamers and enthusiasts had been divided by means of the verdict for it to be hosted within the Arab nation – which additionally funded the prize pot – because of its report on human rights.

Homosexuality is against the law in Saudi Arabia and it has confronted grievance over its stance on LGBT relationships in addition to loss of rights for girls.

Critics condemned it as “sportswashing” however the resolution used to be defended by means of organisers who advised Newsbeat no-one would face discrimination on the match.

Luke says the rustic used to be “a in point of fact cool atmosphere” for the development and now has his eye on profitable extra tournaments and making it to the Olympics – one thing he says can be “fantastic”.

“I believe I’d to find it a bit of bizarre calling myself an Olympian as a result of I in point of fact don’t really feel like one,” he says.

“But it surely’s one thing that will be very cool.

“The dream continues to be the similar – we could also be global champions however there’s at all times extra.

“We wish to be global champions in the whole thing, so we’ll stay going.”

And if he generally is a pioneer in a web-based esports occupation, Luke sees no explanation why he cannot be a pioneer offline too.

“I am hoping in the future to get into the actual global of motorsport,” he says.

“I see increasingly folks get some way in thru sim racing now, and confidently that does occur.

“If no longer, I’ve were given quite a few time to come to a decision what I wish to do as I’m nonetheless handiest 19.”

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