Dawid Mroczek headed home Risto Kappet and Manuel Biancolilla in the most recent incarnation of Formula E: Accelerate back in Season 9 (2023), and as part of the prize for their racing prowess as the top trio of a stacked grid full of the best 22 sim racers around, they got the chance to get behind the wheel of the real thing.
In Portland, the trio were given the tour of the track in the Porsche Taycan Safety Car by driver Bruno Correia, before getting behind the wheel of the GEN3 - the same car Formula E's grid of 22 world class drivers weilded in Season 10 - for hot laps around the Portland International Raceway.
Esports
Formula E: Accelerate built on the success of the ABB Formula E Race at Home Challenge in support of UNICEF that ran while on-track action was suspended during the pandemic. Over six events, 24 rising stars from the world of motorsport and esports competed against one another in a simulated racing experience using rFactor2 software.
Blending the real and virtual worlds, each competitor scored points for a real-life Formula E team. The virtual racers also received expert tips, mentoring and other talent development opportunities from the team they were attached to.
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In the inaugural 2021 season, over 600 professional sim drivers in addition to plenty of talented gamers entered the qualifiers in January 2021, competing for seats in 12 official teams. Danish sim racer Frederik Rasmussen was crowned as the 2021 Formula E: Accelerate Champion ahead of Erhan Jajovski, taking the €20,000 top prize and a drive in a real GEN2 Formula E car. ROKiT Venturi Racing secured the Teams' table, finishing 36 points clear of the field.
For 2022, VIP tickets to the Seoul E-Prix was a part of the prize with six qualifying rounds across Rome, Monaco, Berlin, Jakarta, Vancouver, and New York building to a London final. The whittled down grid then raced at a final round held at Frederik Rasmussen won again, this time driving for DRAGON/PENSKE AUTOSPORT with Jarno Opmeer second for Mercedes-EQ.
The 2023 incarnation saw Dawid Mroczek head home Risto Kappet and Manuel Biancolilla.