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Read up on how Lucas Blakeley toppled a four-time champion in Sweden!

The post Lucas Blakeley Beats Sebastian Vettel in ROC Nations Cup appeared first on F1Esports News.

Reigning F1 Esports Series Champion Jarno Opmeer is no stranger to silverware, and on Friday he added another accolade to his growing trophy cabinet – eROC World Champion!

The Dutchman prevailed over F1 Esports rival Lucas Blakeley at the special event held in Sweden on Friday February 4, mixing simulator driving with real-world experience on the snow and ice track in Pite Havsbad.

Starting off driving the simulator, Opmeer, Blakeley, and fellow finalist James Baldwin and Martin Palm all faced off against one another, scoring points in a round-robin tournament. Each driver faced the other three once, in a best-of-three showdown around a digital incarnation of the snowy twin-ring circuit. Interspersing this was footage from Thursday, where all four drivers attacked the real circuit outside in a Polaris PRO XP.

Baldwin brushed the snow banks and was slowest with a 1:50.296, followed by Palm who clocked at 1:48.131. Opmeer was second, with a superb 1:47.452, but the star of the show was Blakeley, who, despite having hardly any physical track driving experience, went fastest of all with a 1:47.428.

That put the pair almost level going into the final round of sim driving, and it was a direct final between the two. Opmeer came out on top in two races by the merest of margins, pipping Blakeley by just 0.073s in the first heat, and just over a tenth in the second to become champion!

Check out the full replay of the event below.

MIXING WITH ROYALTY

As the top two eROC finalists, Opmeer and Blakeley both get a very, very special prize. They will be competing in Saturday’s ROC Nations Cup, and will face against Team Germany in their first fight. That’s right – none other than Sebastian Vettel and Mick Schumacher!

Both Opmeer and Blakeley will have to use all their knowledge of the track to get up to speed and face off against these two giants of motorsport. One thing is for certain though – it’s an experience neither of them will ever forget!

Opmeer summed it up best, stating “It’s not gonna be easy, we’ll need a few practice laps for sure!”

Keep your eyes on social and tune in to see how the duo get on as they mix it on the world stage for the first time. For full broadcast details, check out the Race of Champions website. Good luck to our drivers!

Cover image via Race of Champions.

The post Jarno Opmeer Defeats Lucas Blakeley in eROC World Final 2022! appeared first on F1Esports News.

They were the surprise package of the 2021 F1 Esports Series Pro Championship presented by Aramco – but after two and a half years together, Lucas Blakeley announces he will be parting ways with Aston Martin Cognizant Esports Team.

The news comes as a surprise to many, after a successful season together in 2021 which saw the duo accrue two victories, en route to third in both the driver and team standings.

Sharing the news via social media, Blakeley said:

“Today, I announce that I’m leaving Aston Martin Cognizant Esports Team after two and a half years.

“I want to take a moment to thank the team for putting their faith in me during this time, it’s thanks to them that I got the chance to compete in F1 Esports and do what I love competitively. For that, I will be forever grateful.”

Blakeley has not yet made his future plans known to the public, although he signed off the message with a cryptic hint that he may know his whereabouts later this year:

“This chapter has closed, time to start writing the next…”

From Draftee To Dark Horse

Blakeley’s journey has been a joyous one to follow. Looked over for a seat in 2018, he got a second chance in 2019 when he attended what was then known as the Pro Draft. Scooped up by the team, known at the time as BWT Racing Point F1 Esports Team, the young Scot was reduced to tears at his selection.

With F1 Esports stalwart Marcel Kiefer, and sim racing authority Daniele Haddad as team mates, Blakeley only got four races on track in that year’s championship.

That was more than enough. In only his second race, he commanded an ultra-impressive second-place finish at the Suzuka race, losing out only to race winner Frede Rasmussen.

The 2020 season came and went in a blur, and Blakeley and Racing Point were left behind. But 2021 was to be a different story. First race, first victory. In a taste of what was to come, Blakeley fought tooth and nail with Nicolas Longuet and Alvaro Carreton for the first win of the season in Bahrain. A complete changing of the guard, a breathless final lap battle, and a first ever victory for the elated Scot.

The season blossomed into the most competitive so far, and Blakeley took another victory at Portimao, and became championship leader after he showed more consistency than rivals Jarno Opmeer and Rasmussen. Though he eventually missed out on the crown, the quantum leap in terms of performance means that wherever he ends up in 2022, he’s sure to impress!

We don’t yet know who will be on the grid in the 2022 F1 Esports Series Pro Championship, but thanks to Challengers, we’re getting slightly closer! Join us for Event 2 of the F1 Esports Challengers, streaming live on Twitch from 1-3 February at 19:30 GMT. We might just unearth our next superstar…

The post Lucas Blakeley Leaves Aston Martin appeared first on F1Esports News.