Motorsport UK announces Esports and Auto Slalom athletes for 2024 FIA Motorsport Games

Wednesday 31 July 2024

Mark King, Tessa Whittock, Kieran Prendergast and Matt Caruana are amongst the first confirmed Team UK competitors who will represent the nation in the Auto Slalom and Esports Categories at the 2024 FIA Motorsport Games in October.  

2024 sees the return of the multidisciplinary event, with drivers competing across 27 disciplines. The third edition of the Games takes place in Valencia, Spain from 23-27 October, with competitors from across the world set to flex their skills.  

King will compete in the FIA Motorsport Games for a second time, finishing in 7th place in the Auto Slalom at the 2022 edition in Marseille, France, despite it being his first time competing in a left-hand drive vehicle. King emerged as the fastest driver in three out of the four sessions in which Team UK participated. 

As a returning athlete, I cannot wait to be part of the Motorsport Games and represent Team UK again,” commented King. “I am looking forward to the team atmosphere, including meeting my new teammates and reconnecting with some of the other returning members. It really is the experience of a lifetime.” 

King has competed in motorsport since he was 16 years old, with career accolades including being crowned nine-time winner of the Ken Wharton Autotest. 

He will join forces with Whittock, a renowned drifter who is making the transition to the Auto Slalom to fly the British flag. 

Whittock adds, “I am a very competitive person, and I would love to inspire the younger generation that they too can achieve their dreams.” 

Both King and Whittock headed to Taipei in April of this year to compete in the Taipei International Gymkhana Prize (TIGP). 

James Baldwin won Team UK’s first gold medal at the FIA Motorsport Games in the Esports discipline in 2022 and Prenderfast and Caruana will be seeking to follow in his footsteps and solidify UK’s position as a leading Esports force.  

New for this year is the announcement of two categories within the Esports discipline, FIA F4 (iRacing) and GT (ACC).  

Motorsport UK partnered with Williams Esports for driver selections for the FIA Motorsport Games with a series of tests designed to select favoured competitors.  

During the qualification process, drivers took part in an online qualification with the top 15 from each category invited to the Williams Esports Lounge for a final assessment day. During the selection process, drivers had to compete on the Williams driving simulators, adapting to new equipment and completing a media style interview prior to competing in a final race.  

Prendergast, driver for Rocket Simsport and Brabham Motorsport will compete in the new GT Category, with Matt Caruana racing in the FIA F4 Category. 

Team UK will head to Valencia at the end of October with a strong contingent of drivers targeting an improvement on the fifth place finish in the 2022 medal table after Ian Loggie and Sam Neary added a bronze to Baldwin’s gold. 

About FIA Motorsport Games 

The FIA Motorsport Games is a unique multidisciplinary event that sees drivers competing in the colours of their national flag. Organised by SRO Motorsports Group in partnership with the FIA, six disciplines formed the schedule at the inaugural 2019 event, with 49 countries and territories represented in GT, Touring Car, Formula 4, Drifting, Karting Slalom and Digital competitions. 

The second edition in 2022 saw all six disciplines return, alongside an influx of 11 new disciplines. James Baldwin claimed Team UK’s first ever gold medal in 2022, winning the Esports category whilst Ian Loggie and Sam Neary secured bronze in the GT. British drivers put in stellar performances across all competing categories and were unlucky to miss out on further medals. 

Motorsport UK – one of over 70 ASNs to field a team in the FIA’s global celebration of the sport – ended the four-day competition with their first medals, in Esports and GT respectively, placing Team UK fifth in the final medal table.