Esports World Cup champion aiming for real world of motorsport

Eight weeks, lots of of rivals throughout a number of occasions and a multi-million pound prize pot – however this wasn’t any sports activities event.

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

Not solely that, the 19-year-old from Bromsgrove in Worcestershire can be returning £100,000 richer after bagging the highest prize in sim racing (brief for simulated racing).

“It’s fairly surreal,” Luke tells BBC Newsbeat. But now he is hoping he has an opportunity to make it correctly actual with a profession in motorsport.

Luke’s a part of Team Redline – an offshoot of Red Bull’s F1 workforce which boasts Belgian-Dutch racing driver Max Verstappen amongst its alumni.

“It’s identical to racing a automotive in actual life,” Luke says of sim racing. “But on a pc.”

The workforce was based greater than 20 years in the past however Luke says persons are nonetheless shocked when he talks about what he does.

He says persons are shocked when he tells them in regards to the prize cash concerned.

“It reveals it’s getting larger and greater and it may be a profession for some folks.”

Team Redline dominated on the Esports World Cup, by no means ending outdoors of the highest 4 as soon as within the grand finals of the event.

“It’s been a tough few months,” says Luke. “Every day – observe, observe, observe.

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

Luke is not simply quick on the digital observe. He says his profession is shifting at high velocity as nicely.

“I began driving with only a £100 steering wheel on the desk and having a little bit of enjoyable,” he says.

Not lengthy after, fellow rivals observed his potential and his dad and mom helped him purchase a greater simulator.

“That’s when issues actually took off,” he says.

“I joined Team Redline and after that it’s simply been up and up and up till this level proper now.”

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

“It’s not been lengthy since all this prize cash began coming via and all these massive competitions began so there’s not many tales of individuals going all the best way.”

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

But as unsure because it is likely to be, the trade acquired one other increase final month when it was introduced from subsequent 12 months there would even be an Olympic Esports Games.

Like the Esports World Cup, the Games can be held in Saudi Arabia as a part of a 12-year partnership between the Kingdom and the International Olympics Committee.

Before the World Cup, gamers, streamers and followers have been divided by the choice for it to be hosted within the Arab nation – which additionally funded the prize pot – attributable to its document on human rights.

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

Critics condemned it as “sportswashing” however the choice was defended by organisers who advised Newsbeat no-one would face discrimination on the occasion.

Luke says the nation was “a extremely cool setting” for the occasion and now has his eye on profitable extra tournaments and making it to the Olympics – one thing he says could be “unbelievable”.

“I feel I’d discover it a bit bizarre calling myself an Olympian as a result of I actually don’t really feel like one,” he says.

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

“The dream remains to be the identical – we could also be world champions however there’s at all times extra.

“We wish to be world champions in every part, so we’ll maintain going.”

And if he could be a pioneer in a web-based esports profession, Luke sees no purpose he cannot be a pioneer offline too.

“I hope sooner or later to get into the actual world of motorsport,” he says.

“I see increasingly folks get a manner in via sim racing now, and hopefully that does occur.

“If not, I’ve bought loads of time to resolve what I wish to do as I’m nonetheless solely 19.”

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