Josh Purwien from Australia drove to victory in the McLaren Shadow Project and Singapore Tourism Board “Race to Singapore” live virtual racing event, hosted at the MARQUEE Singapore, Marina Bay Sands in front of a crowd of Asia Pacific’s most avid gamers.

The event saw the region’s eight fastest gamers battle it out on F1 2019, following weeks of fierce online competition. Josh Purwien will now take one of the coveted slots at the McLaren Shadow Project Grand Finals, which takes place at the McLaren Technology Centre in the UK in December.

Josh Purwien said:

“To win the McLaren Shadow event was absolutely amazing! Getting the trophy presented by Lando Norris was truly a special and unique experience. I had a bit of pressure coming into the tournament with the fastest qualifier time, but winning all three races was completely unexpected and I was really relieved when I crossed the line.

"The thought of heading to the McLaren HQ for the finals in December is a once in a life time opportunity and I’m really, really excited to go and explore the HQ and compete against some of the most talented sim racers in the world!”

Held as part of the Grand Prix Singapore Season (GPSS) line-up in the lead up to this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix, racegoers and local fans watched competitors take to a virtual Marina Bay Street Circuit, the very track on which the F1 race takes place.

Seven aspiring esports racers from Singapore aged 10 to 14 also pit their skills against Lando in a show tournament.

Lando commented:

“I’m really excited to be in Singapore for the first time. I have been working hard to prepare for this weekend’s race and it’s great to get in a bit of practice on a virtual Singapore Street Circuit racing against these talented gamers. Congratulations to Josh, I look forward to seeing him again at the McLaren Shadow Project grand finals in December.”

Leeston Bryant, Senior esports Manager at McLaren added:

“McLaren Shadow Project aims to be the most open and diverse racing esports tournament on the planet, so we’re delighted to have crowned the winner of the first Asia Pacific Qualifier series in partnership with the Singapore Tourism Board.

“We’ve been blown away by the talent coming from Southeast Asia, which is poised to have the fastest growing esports audience globally. We look forward to welcoming our finalist to the McLaren Technology Centre in December, when they will experience our elite driver training programme and drive a McLaren 570S on track at Dunsfold.”

Ms Jean Ng, Executive Director, Sports, Singapore Tourism Board went on to say:

“The “Race to Singapore” adds a unique esports dimension to the Grand Prix Season in Singapore, and broadens the appeal of the Singapore race to visitors, local gaming enthusiasts, and motorsports fans. We are encouraged to see a good mix of local and regional visitors attending the virtual race, and aim to add more such compelling e-sports and gaming content to our vibrant events calendar, so as to attract younger, millennial visitors year-round.”

The ultimate winner of the McLaren Shadow Project Season 2 Final will receive:

• A seat on the McLaren Shadow esports team
• Access to the McLaren elite driver development programme including bespoke simulator access
• A custom sim-racing set up installed in their home with help from McLaren Shadow Project partners, Logitech G and Alienware.

Keep up-to-date with the latest McLaren Shadow news on TEAMStream.

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