Erhan Jajovski clinches first win of virtual Formula E: Accelerate esports competition held this week on the rFactor 2 Platform.
Race Re-Cap
ROKiT Venturi Racing’s Erhan Jajovski completed a superb lights-to-flag masterclass to take victory in the opening round of Formula E: Accelerate in New York City.
Closing stages of the race came alive with last gasp three-way fight, with Manuel Biancolilla (Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler) using Attack Mode in the final minutes to secure second place.
A 10-second time penalty was handed to Graham Carroll for pushing ABB Formula E Race at Home Challenge winner Kevin Siggy (BMW i Andretti Motorsport) into the wall, bumping the former esports winner down to third spot.
Fast Facts
- Most competitive line-up in virtual motorsport; Ultra-competitive qualifying session saw the top-four drivers seperated by just 0.034s while only half a second separated the top-15 runners.
- Straight to the point(s); Eight out of the 12 Formula E teams finished in the top-10 for the opening round of the competition with ROKiT Venturi Racing taking an early lead in the team standing with 28 points.
- Lift and coast; Energy management played a pivotal role in the result of the race, with winner Erhan Jajovski crossing the finish line with one per cent more energy than the rest of the grid.
Formula E: Accelerate Info
- New esports competition showcases 24 rising stars competing over six events and being mentored by Formula E teams and drivers.
- Formula E racing translated into the virtual world as digital racers learn to master energy management and Attack Mode deployment for the first time.
- Prizes include a share of a minimum 100,000 euro prize pool with the winner receiving the opportunity to drive a Formula E Gen2 car.
Erhan Jajovski: “The start of the race was really tricky. Manuel Biancolilla had a bold start and I had to give an instant response.
“We went side-by-side for a couple of corners but because the corner goes to the inside, I stuck to my position. In the last few laps, the guys behind me started battling and that made my day much easier!”
Manuel Biancolilla: “Before tonight, I wasn’t expecting this result at all, since I was struggling in training. Qualifying was almost perfect, almost nailed a pole but unfortunately, it didn’t happen due to a mistake in the lap.
“On the first lap of the race I had a very good start, and tried attacking Jajovski, but he had the ability to keep the position. Then I got a little touch which damaged my rear wing a little, causing slower lap times and I started dropping places.
“Energy management was almost perfect! I used my final Attack Mode in the last two laps of the race to try and overtake with the energy I had saved.”
