DAVID EVANS
“Tanak’s tales could wait – I was hooked”
The entry speed for the righthander was just a fraction too high. The Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC understeered across the road and, just for a fraction of a second, it looked like he might have got away with it. But no. The wheel touched a rock and the speed did the rest: the right-rear came up and over the left-front and both tumbled down a bank and into a ditch. Nightmare.
Tens of thousands of pounds were riding on this and the driver’s world had turned upside down.
One stage later and everything was fine. And the season’s first World Rally Championship title had been decided. But what about the champion, where was he? He was putting his shoes on. He’d be out in a moment. Twelve months ago on Sunday, Jon Armstrong was the fastest man in WRC2 at Rally Germany as things finally came good on his Junior WRC prize drive in a Ford Fiesta R5.
On Saturday night, Armstrong was back in the Bostalsee service park and on top of the world. Virtually.
The likeable Northern Irishman had clinched the title in the third season of the esports WRC.
I’m not a big gamer, so the invitation to watch the four-way shoot-out for this year’s title held limited appeal. How exciting could it be? I mean, really. They were racing in their socks and wearing fireproof driving gloves. I looked forward to writing a column of mirth and mickey-taking with the salient reminder that... it’s not real.
Then they went into the first stage and Armstrong was fastest. The intensity was unreal. Sitting in rigs side-by-side the focus was for real and the speed and commitment was just bananas.
OK, I’d stay for one more stage, then I really had to go to talk to drivers who’d been, er, driving. Armstrong rolled. I couldn’t help myself; hands on my head I was gutted, hooked and going nowhere. Ott Tanak’s tales from the front of the real field could wait.
The third and final test in the shoot-out was that Rally Mexico classic El Chocolate. A 12-miler to decide which one of the hundreds of thousands of gamers who’d competed through the 13-round season would take home the keys to the Hyundai i20 Coupe road car.
Armstrong was in front from the start and this time there were no more mistakes. He won it, put his shoes on and was crowned a world champion.
“It’s unbelievable,” he said. “It’s the same adrenalin as the real thing. You come out of the stage and the feeling is the same. I’ve been gaming for a while now and thought I’d have a crack at this year after watching the final last season. The times were not so bad, but to win this thing is just incredible. Honestly, I can’t believe it. Look at me, I’m drenched in sweat, it was so intense.
“In some ways it’s harder than the real thing – you have your rival sat right next to you to start with.
“And you can constantly see how you’re getting on against them with their times in the corner of the screen. That’s such a distraction, you try so hard not to look at what’s happening, but it’s impossible not to. “It was insane.” Virtually.