X1 Racing League to launch eSports grassroots competition

MUMBAI: The Xtreme1 (X1) League, India's first franchise-based motorsport competition sanctioned by the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI), announced in a statement on Tuesday that it will also be introducing the ‘X1 eSports League’ (X1EL) in the country.

XIEL will be a unique initiative which aims to search for India’s next racing champions by blending the real world with a virtual car racing championship. Much inspiration has been taken from the likes of Formula 1 and Formula E.

Participants can register for free on first come first serve basis and will compete head-to-head on accurately modelled tracks using simulator operations. The league is open to every individual above the age of 15 years.

It will act as a crucial support tournament to the main X1 Racing League and will be held across eight top metro cities in the country in select educational institutions and shopping malls. The tournament will take place for period of seven days in each city.

Overall, 400 racers will be selected to participate in the finals. The top five winners will get a chance to not only test drive the official X1 Racing car but also be trained as professional racers to take part in the motorsport competition by founders and international race drivers, Armaan Ebrahim and Aditya Patel.

Ebrahim said: "eSports is certainly getting bigger and bigger, and has become the go to hunting ground for young and aspiring race drivers. We are seeing Formula 1 integrate eSports and there are certainly immense possibilities for this in our country too. There is a huge potential untapped in our country when it comes to eSports racing or even real track racing. With the inception of our India centric eSports competition, X1 eSports we are moving a step towards filling that void."

Patel added: "We are delighted to announce our eSports competition as a part of X1. I believe it is the dream of every youngster to be professional race driver, all geared up in a high-speed racing car. With the onset of X1 eSports in India we are no just aiming aim to give a recognition to the eSports culture and e-racers/gamers, but we also try to bring out the best of the talents and train them to represent India in real racing on world level."