Rudy van Buren of the Netherlands emerged victorious from more than 30,000 contestants in the competition that began back in May. And finally in the final round of the contest, which was a four-hour assessment on McLaren's F1 simulator, Van Buren beat fellow Durchman Freek Schothorst to win the competition.
World's Fastest Gamer was launched in May and a series of qualifying heats finally ended up with 12 finalists attending McLaren’s Woking headquarters for the finals.
Van Buren at the McLaren headquarters
The 12 finalists were put through some rigourous simulations, such as the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Suzuka and Interlagos, and a day-long race distance around the Le Mans 24 Hours' Circuit de la Sarthe.
The 12 finalists were whittled down to 6, then 3 and then the final 2 had a play-off to decide who was the World’s Fastest Gamer. Van Buren triumphed due to not only his speed and agility, but he believes his knowledge of F1 engineering, too.
Van Buren, who was a karting champion in his youth dreamed of a life in Formula 1, but had to quit motorsport due to a lack of funding, was delighted with his victory and new McLaren Formula 1 deal.
A life in F1 now beckons for Van Buren
"Every boy that starts karting dreams about F1, and at a certain point that dream just vanishes. Now by winning World's Fastest Gamer, I can relive that dream," Van Buren said.
"This has been the most incredible experience and words can't describe how I feel right now. To think that I came to the McLaren Technology Centre for the very first time last week but am leaving here today as McLaren's newest employee is mind-blowing.”
“It really has been the toughest job interview I've ever faced, but with such an incredible reward at the end of it. Now I can't wait to get started!"
McLaren simulator
McLaren executive director Zak Brown said: "My congratulations to Rudy - he really showed the mettle, determination and ability to succeed.
"This was an outstandingly tough contest, one where we went to great lengths to stretch our contestants beyond their limits, and he'll be a real asset to the organisation as we develop and refine our 2018 car throughout the next season."
Congratulations has to go to Rudy Van Buren, but also McLaren for their forward thinking. We have seen top European football clubs hire gamers to represent them in football tournaments, as they see the benefits of representation in major eSport football competitions. eSports are becoming very popular, and with over 10 million people viewing the World’s Fastest Gamer competition, eSports has proved not only to F1, but all major brands that it deserves to be taken seriously.
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