Williams Racing presents official Student Racing League

8 November 2023

One of the things we really love to see is when the world of esports in the UK connects with other (non-virtual) industries. Esports and gaming have a lot to offer to the “real world” and vice versa, and more and more companies and organisations are starting to realise that. Last month, for example, the first Farming Simulator UK event ever took place during the LAMMA (Lincolnshire Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers Association) 2024 exposition. Another example is the integration of Counter-Strike bets at esports betting exchange Dragoni over the summer. We are always following such exciting developments in the world of esports, which is why today is all about the latest announcement by Williams Esports. The esports team of British Formula 1 team Williams Racing has announced the Student Racing League, with the first season of the new series starting this month.

Format

The announcement by Williams came after a successful pilot series of the Student Racing League was held during the last academic year 2022-23. This pilot featured ten pilot centres, but for the upcoming inaugural season of the competition, this number will be increased to thirty. That means a total of thirty UK schools and colleges will be competing against each other during the current academic year. The final will take place at a live venue at the Williams F1 headquarters in Oxfordshire, in Southeast England.

“British Esports are pleased to bring the Student Racing League to our schools and colleges network in partnership with Williams Esports”, says Kalam Neale, Head of Education at the British Esports Federation, “After a successful pilot in ‘22/‘23, I’m excited to see the continued development of esports in education through the introduction of Sim Racing. Last year we saw huge excitement and community development within the 10 pilot centres. This opportunity provides an unparalleled level of exposure and introduction into the world of Motorsport, race engineering and Esports through SimRacing”.

Combining virtual racing and real life

The brand-new Student Racing League will not be focused solely on competition, but also on the development of skills that can be useful in real-life, non-virtual situations. This includes an optimal understanding of physical health and wellbeing, the value of professional coaching, growing the education in STEM (science, technology, engineering, maths) subjects, the importance of teamwork, and connecting esports education with other non-virtual industries.

“We are thrilled to open up the Student Racing League to bring an ever-increasing number of schools, colleges and universities into competitive sim racing”, says Steven English, Director at Williams Esports, “It is our vision here at Williams Esports to offer opportunities for the younger generation to grow a passion for racing, and to elevate esports alongside more traditional sports in academic competition. The Student Racing League offers a new platform for students to not just engage their passion for racing, but also to develop crucial skills in performance and operational roles in a growing industry, providing valuable experience and development to students aspiring to careers in the field. We look forward to running the first full season of the league and welcoming the finalists here at Williams F1 HQ for the finals next summer”.

Image Credit: Williams Esports