Ben Langford has won the inaugural Motorsport UK Cross Car Esports Cup in style after a thrilling final round, claiming the prize of a fully-funded race in a real-world FIA Cross Car with LifeLive UK. In the process of graduating to real-world racing he will help to blaze a trail for the Esports domain as an accessible path into motorsport.
The championship, in which competitors race identical FIA Cross Cars using the iRacing platform, is eligible to any driver aged 16 or above who has not raced in real-world Cross Car, Rallycross or Auto Cross events. The only other requirement is to be able to pre-qualify to a required standard.
Beginning in February using the Brands Hatch rallycross circuit, the championship raced at a variety of circuits, including Winton Motor Raceway, Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya, Lankenbanen and Daytona. The final round took place on 25th March on the Knockhill circuit, and like all rounds, used the rallycross layout.
Heading into Knockhill with three race wins, Langford needed to overcome a points deficit to Graham Carroll, whose two victories topped a consistent finishing record, and Lewis Woods, who had yet to top the podium. Carroll’s title lead was under threat early on when he was caught up in a turn one incident in his heat and was forced to start the final from the back, whereas Langford held pole position.
In the 10-lap final encounter, shown live on RaceSpot TV and Motorsport UK TV, Langford controlled the race from the front despite pressure from behind to claim his fourth win from the six rounds. With Carroll and Woods trailing home in fifth and sixth places respectively, Langford’s victory turned a four-point deficit into an eight-point advantage over Carroll at the top of the final standings, with Woods retaining third place.
Langford will now graduate into real-life racing in an FIA Cross Car, a single-seat off-road buggy with similar performance to a Rallycross Supercar but designed to be more accessible. Consisting of a light frame and powered by a mid-mounted motorbike engine and gearbox, Cross Cars are fast and agile with a driving experience that has also been compared to karts and Rally2 cars but is much cheaper to buy and run than a Rallycross Supercar or Rally2 car.
With popularity growing, Motorsport UK launched the Cross Car Championship last year – in which drivers can compete with just an RS Inter Club licence – to run alongside British Rallycross events. This has since inspired the Cross Car Esports Cup. Langford will now become one of the first drivers to experience both virtual and real-life Cross Cars in a competitive environment.
Motorsport UK Esports worked with LifeLive UK, the official importer of LifeLive Cross Cars – founded by World Rally Champion Thierry Neuville – to create the championship. Langford will now receive the prize of a test day and a race day courtesy of LifeLive UK in a Cross Car, including all relevant licences, memberships, registration fees and equipment, plus insurance and damage provision.
Esports is a fun way to begin your motorsport adventure; all you need is a suitable computer, controller and internet connection to start racing and there are a variety of championships to enter. Click here for more information on the Motorsport UK Cross Car Esports Cup and here to visit the Motorsport UK Esports hub.