- 15th place in yesterday’s Championship Race is enough for Joshua Rogers to secure first place early in the overall standings for Esports racers.
- The prize for the Coanda Simsport driver is an extra 2,500 US dollars and the D-BOX G3 haptic sim system.
- In the ‘Victory Lane’ interview, Rogers reviews the turbulent events in the decisive race and takes a look back at the whole season in the VCO ProSIM SERIES.
Munich – Even before the finale of the VCO ProSIM SERIES takes place on 31st March, two title winners have already been confirmed in the championship organised by the Virtual Competition Organisation (VCO) and hosted on iRacing, the leading racing simulation. No-one can catch Joshua Rogers (Coanda Simsport), who tops the standings for Esports racers with 188 points, taking the two scratch results into account. The champion has also been confirmed in the Fun Cup now that seven of eight events have been completed. Maximilian Benecke (Team Redline) can look forward to receiving a ‘Simulator Pro’ unit from SiFaT Performance in the unique VCO Design. The decisive races in the competition for Real-World Pros will take place at the end of March as Ayhancan Güven and Sage Karam battle for the title.
At the Spa-Francorchamps circuit on Thursday, 15th place in the seventh Championship Race of the season, alongside his team-mate Güven, was enough for Rogers to secure an early title triumph. In the ‘Victory Lane’ interview, the Australian chats about the race, the season so far and what he plans to do with the reward for his success: a D-BOX G3 System with four actuators. Thanks to individual, professionally developed haptic codes that are directly integrated into the software engine, this system is able to replicate even the tiniest changes in vibration and texture, all of which are important for the driver. That is why the system was declared the best complete haptic simulation solution by the world governing body of motorsport. In total, Rogers has accumulated prize money of around 4,000 US dollars in the VCO ProSIM SERIES thus far. He will add the Champion’s Bonus of 2,500 US dollars to this at the end of the season.
Joshua, congratulations on winning the title! Did you realise that you could secure this early thanks to the scratch results?
Joshua Rogers: I was aware of the possibility before the event but after the race went like it did, I had no idea whether it would be enough or not. We worked everything out as a team and the result was that we really had managed it but we only knew for sure when the official confirmation came from the VCO during the night. Of course, it’s fantastic to already have the title locked up before the final race.
Are you relieved to be the champion already, or would you have liked to have had a battle for the title with your Coanda Simsport team-mate Mack Bakkum at the finale?
Rogers: Well, it would have been cool but I think we will have a tough race against one another in any case. The situation is such that we will both have to give our all for our real-world Pro team-mates to help them to win the title in their category. Both Ayhancan Güven and Sage Karam are still in the hunt for first place in the Pro standings. Of course, I will do everything I can to support Ayhancan to the best of my abilities. Mack will be trying to do the same for Sage.
How frustrating was it to have that early incident in yesterday’s Championship Race?
Rogers: Of course it was frustrating at the time, but Ayhancan was unable to do anything. Everyone was driving very aggressively in the slipstream battles on the first lap. That all went wrong but we quickly focused on maximising damage limitation by scoring some points. Giving up after the accident was never an option. Straight away, I told Ayhancan to get the car back to the pits and use the ‘fast repair’. After that, it was all about scoring points somehow. But that was fun too, as I had some clear track ahead of me and was able to post fast lap times.
What do you think about the first season in the VCO ProSIM SERIES?
Rogers: Personally, I think it’s great to have a series that doesn’t require such extensive preparation time as, say, the Porsche Esports Supercup or some other major events. The concept with a fixed setup for the cars and announcing the circuits where the races will take place at short notice really increases the fun factor for us drivers. The VCO can be proud of having brought the worlds of Esports racers and real-world Pros together in such an outstanding way in the ProSIM SERIES. It was something new for me, and really exciting to be in a team with professional racing drivers, sharing information during the training sessions and learning from one another as well. It’s great to be a part of this series. I am sure that it is helping to promote Esports racing.
In addition to prize money, you will also be receiving a D-BOX G3 sim system. What do you think about it?
Rogers: I am really looking forward to trying out the system with the motion platform. That will be really interesting as I have already tried another simulator with a motion platform, but not the one from D-BOX. I know from personal experience that D-BOX products are generally very good. They replicate subtle movements, providing you with exactly the type of feedback you need. That is much better than motion platforms that overdo it so much that you worry about falling out of your seat. Let’s see, maybe we’ll install this system at Coanda HQ as a ‘statement’ simulator.
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Useful links:
VCO Content Database
https://photos.vco-esports.com/
Media representatives can request access via e-mail to info@vco-esports.com.
VCO ProSIM SERIES results & documents
VCO ProSIM SERIES live timing
VCO Esports paddock – Discord server (incl. media centre)
Note to editors: If you would like to create your own photographic material and video footage for the VCO ProSIM SERIES as a spectator on iRacing, please contact us via email. A limited number of media accreditations are available for each event.
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VCO ProSIM SERIES Race Calendar:
18 November, 25 November, 16 December, 2 January, 20 January, 10 February, 3 March, 31 March (changes possible)
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About iRacing
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About VCO
Virtual Competition Organisation (VCO) brings together different stakeholders in Esports, from simulation or gaming platforms and interested partners to active teams, drivers and the community. In a rapidly growing sector, VCO stands for professionalism, focus and a broad media presence. With its international network, VCO provides solutions for the best possible conception and implementation of Esports projects of all kinds.
Contact for Media Requests
Alexander Mey
Phone: +49 (0)89 45 23 50 91 03
mey@vco-esports.com
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