This week was the sixth race day of the innovative RCCO World eX Championship, an e-sports racing series for electric prototypes promoting efforts to combat climate change.
The event finished with victory for Czech Martin Štefanko, from Williams Esports, who in addition of winning his first competition, became the first participant ever to master the category’s debut night race.
“I’m speechless, honestly,” Štefanko stated after defeating TK9 E-SPEED’s Lasse Sørensen after a close Super Final fight in Estoril, Portugal. The Dane, World Championship leader, seemed to be on his way to another World eX win after setting fastest time on Level 1 qualifiers and staying undefeated in all races.
Related content: Collisions Announced: Vandoorne complained about bodywork pieces at London E-Prix
Sørensen initially took the one-lap run to take pole position, but Štefanko got off with a better start and was able to take the lead on the outside line of turn 1, after a slight contact between the two eX ZERO prototypes. Sørensen stayed on Štefanko’s tail for the entire lap, however, he failed to make any moves against the Williams driver.
A Relief after a Bitter Experience
Štefanko let out a shout of relief after finishing the contest on Portuguese soil, as he had only been accompanied by several setbacks so far this season.
“The last few months have been terrible in terms of results. Everything that’ s been happening in World eX and other championships has just thrown more fuel on my performance fire,” explained the Czech.
“The pace was good. I made some small adjustments which got me a lot more comfortable and consistent with the car. It simply made a huge difference today,” he added.
Štefanko expressed satisfaction at beating the frontrunner: “I’m very happy that I was able to do it because obviously Lasse (Sørensen) had the inside track positions, but I managed to do the overtake on the outside with a better start.”
“I can’t believe it, I haven’t won a race in months. It’s just unbelievable. I’m very grateful because Lasse is an incredibly fast driver, very clean as well, very consistent. It’s a pleasure to race with him. I’m very happy to get the ticket to season finale and fight for the Championship,” he remarked.
The Overall Standings
Scotland’s Gordon Mutch finished third on the podium for R8G Esports, with Germany’s Luca Kita matching the best results for Biela Racing Team EURONICS in fourth place.
BS + COMPETITION’s Beitske Visser qualified for the Final by holding off WRT driver Dries Vanthoor during a tight battle in the Semi Final. Liam de Waal finished sixth for the Patrick Long Esports team.
Read also: Italy to Host Fourth Extreme E Race instead of Brazil
American Henry Drury was the highest placed wildcard driver in 11th, running a Simulator at the Porsche Experience Center in Los Angeles. Australian Emily Jones finished third in the Last Chance race, but was knocked out at Level 3.
For round seven, the RCCO World eX Championship heads to another iconic track at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium, home of Esports Team WRT.
Written by I Jhonattan González
