The Virgin Australia Supercars launched their motorsport esports series at the Melbourne Esports Open.
The Melbourne Esports Open marked one of Australia’s biggest esports celebrations. It was fitting, therefore, that Supercars decided to launch their esports series here.
Supercars ran a pilot event at the Bathurst 1000 last year. Their aim was to launch the series sometime this year to “celebrate esports talent.” That time has come. Members of Supercars flew into Melbourne along with Supercars motorsport drivers to kick off the series.
Naming rights for Supercars esports
Boost Mobile is the naming rights partner for the 2018 series. The series is officially named the “Boost Mobile Supercars e-Series.” This is yet another large mainstream brand jumping on the esports train. Boost Mobile is already involved in the esports scene. They are the official telco partner for the Chiefs Esports Club as well as having other esports involvement. In addition, they have a Supercars team. Boost Mobile therefore is the perfect fit for naming rights for the Supercars series.
The General Manager of Boost Mobile Australia, Jason Hayes, echoed these thoughts. He and his team proudly support esports:
Boost Mobile is proud to become the official naming rights title patron for the new Supercars e-Series. This is a great opportunity to support and engage with the growing fanbase and community of esports.
Drivers to launch the Boost Mobile Supercars e-Series
V8Supercars drivers were in attendance at the Melbourne Esports Open to help launch the series. The Boost Mobile driver Scott Pye took the stage to show his enthusiasm for the series:
I’m really looking forward to it… the fundamentals are pretty much the same [as physical world driving]… and I’m sure we’ll have some fun.
Nick Percat joined Pye on stage for this driver showcase. He mentioned the increase in quality of the simulators since the pilot series. Percat welcomed “the good turnout” and was excited to “put on a good show” for the MEO attendees. He also offered some tips to the new competitors coming into the esports series. Percat says it’s all about “consistency”:
I think if you finish top eight in Supercars in every race you’ll win the Championship, so just be consistent.
The third and final driver to launch the series is the young Erebus driver, Anton de Pasquale. Anton happens to be a very talented FIFA player — top 100 in the world. According to him, however, none of the skills transfer. These guys will have to rely on their driving skills instead. Some of the Supercars drivers will make appearances throughout the series as “phantom entrants.”
Very exciting to see @supercars launch their #esports series with @boostmobile at #MEO2018 🚘 bring on some #motorsport#Esport #VASC #racing #simracing #Melbourne pic.twitter.com/Zj7m08QEO7
— ✨ 🍩 Michelle Mannering (@MishManners) September 1, 2018
The series
It seems three letter acronyms are a thing in esports. IEM, ESL, PAX, TI8, LoL, OWL, there’s probably some more I haven’t thought of. So I’m calling this, SES = Supercars Esports Series, for short!
The Boost Mobile SES will consist of six rounds through October and November. As we know, the platform of choice is Forza Motorsport 7. Prizes include cash, as well as a “money can’t buy Supercars experience,” and some great products and merchandise.
The SES will be broadcast live at Supercars.com, on Supercars social media channels, and on Twitch.
Registrations for the series will be open on the 1st of October. Players, gamers, drivers, and sim racers are invited to sign up here. This will be a fantastic display of esports talent and driver mastery. We should see a great combination of motorsport and esports skills over the course of the series. If you’re keen to register, sign up today, and keep a look out for more updates on the SES.
