Supercars e-Series off to a roaring start

Round 1 of the Supercars e-Series is a success.

After the launch of Supercars esports at MEO, the first race has ended with Matthew “MadRacer38” Bink on top. Having won the opening three races of the series, MadRacer38 quickly established himself as the favourite. This first round took place at the Bathurst 1000, both physically and digitally. Physically in the sense that it was held at the same time as the Virgin Australia Supercars. And digitally, with all the races run at the iconic Bathurst 1000 in Forza Motorsport 7. Round 1 followed the Shakedown and elimination phases. We now have the top eight drivers for the series. They are currently competing in six rounds of competition to determine the champion.

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Shakedown

The Shakedown and elimination phases of the competition were run just prior to the Bathurst 1000. The Shakedown featured all qualified drivers. They raced to determined the top 32 fastest drivers. Following the Shakedown, the 32 sim racers battled it out over four knockout heats. The four fastest from each race progressed to the next round, leaving the eight fastest. These drivers will be racing over the course of six rounds to determine the champion.

Boost Mobile Supercars e-Series

The top eight features some familiar names. Last year, at the Bathurst 1000, a pilot competition was run. Some of the competitors from the 2017 pilot have made a return. Six of the top eight drivers competed at the challenge last year. The pilot used the same Forza Motorsport 7 platform. One could say they may have had an advantage. However, the game is available for the public to purchase. No doubt many of the competitors were practicing at home on their own sim racing rigs.

The standings

MadRacer38, who’s current leading the standings, ran sixth last year. Last year’s winner, Jacob “Har05” Harvey, is currently in fourth. Other returns from 2017 –Matthew “holden96” Collings, Mark “XE Mr Bucket” Pretty, Zachariah “Supraman162” Donaldson, and Jonathon “TDi ZOOLS80” Burrows — sit fifth to eight. Newcomers Andrew “Ssemper” Dyson and Adrian “UltimateAge05” Yalpi are second and third respectively.

Interesting, MadRacer38, UlitmateAge05, Har05, Ssemper, and TDi ZOOLS80 have competed in numerous Local Xbox Gaming (LXG) competitions. MadRacer38, UlitmateAge05, and Har05 hold several championship titles over a number of categories. This competition is shaping up to be a spectacular show of esports talent.

e-Series Rounds

Bathurst Mount Panorama was the third track for Round 1. Laguna Seca and Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps made up the first and second tracks for the round. Round 1 is fittingly called the Hero Round. This round highlights some of the most iconic circuits from around the world. Pit stops are mandatory in every race throughout the series. Each round has one circuit being run in reverse.

Round 2, the European leg, will start shortly following the Supercars Gold Coast 600 this weekend. Check out all the information for the upcoming races on the Supercars website. We’ll keep you updated on results, and let us know what you think about other traditional sports joining the esports train.

Check out the Supercars YouTube page for all the Round 1 races. Make sure you’re following their channel on Twitch to watch all the action live.