A group of internet friends who found a common love for the F1 game series have started an E-Sports competition.
Lincoln’s, Royal Gambiza is the founder of the Galaxy Racing League, a new global E-Sports league that’s looking to take the F1 virtual world by storm.
What started off as no more than five friends casually playing the F1 video games during lockdown has now grown to 20 eager racers meeting every Wednesday at 9 pm with codified rules and regulations as they search for the fastest racer.
In the league, there are 24 races across 12 weeks, altering between 25% and 50% of the full race distance, dependent on driver vote.
With racers from across the country and one from America, there are no bounds to the reach the league has had so far.
Gambiza, aged 20, believes that the growth of the community comes from “the COVID lockdown, we had a lot of people indoors, the only thing we could do was play games, so there’s so much attention into it because of how big of an industry it’s becoming.”
“When you look at our league and its potential for growth, I see it as something that can continue growing at an exponential rate, with the right steps put in place, the league has no bounds to how big it can get,” he said.
Despite the rapid success of the Galaxy Racing league in its first weeks of action, with multiple eyes coming from TikTok and Twitter, there were a few minor issues with starting up something with over 20 starting racers, backup racers and FIA members.
“There were always going to be teething problems, such as finding the right time for everyone, since people have to work or balance going to University, but that comes with starting anything brand new. We’ve had a good start, we’re listening to the drivers, and most importantly we’re trying to make sure everyone is enjoying themselves.”
Gambiza believes: “We’re connected more to the people, we might not be the best in the world but I think that has drawn more people to us as everyone is around the same level.”
With many of the drivers either balancing full-time jobs, families and University, E-Sports can become a great escape, with championship contender Alec Miller saying: “I love the concept of the league, we have a great community and it’s something I can enjoy on the side while I’m studying at University.”
Although the Galaxy Racing League is with casual gamers, some of the drivers still feel pressure to succeed. Kieran Lewis, another championship favourite said: “I feel like there is pressure to succeed. There was a time when I was the fastest and I haven’t been in form for a while now it would be nice to return to the top where I belong.”
Week three of the Galaxy Racing League commences on October 26 and can be watched live on twitch.tv/royaljuke.
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