Press release -
British sim racer on the road to Vegas for biggest prize in eSports racing history
London, 23 November 2016– Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) – A British man took one step closer to realising his dreams as he became one of the first sim racers to qualify for the FIA Formula E Championship Visa Vegas eRace. Carroll, along with nine other qualifiers from the Road to Vegas Challenge, will now go up against the 20 Formula E drivers in the Visa Vegas eRace for a share of the million-dollar prize fund, the biggest in eSports history.
Having given up his racing career on the track due to prohibitive costs, Graham Carroll, 26, is now in pole position to be considered one of the greatest sim racers in the world. Managing his career as aracing coachalongside competing in online races, Carroll moved from the race track to a gaming rig set up in his parents’ loft in his home town near Edinburgh Scotland.
As one of 10 sim racers, Carroll will be pitting his wits against the top drivers from the FIA Formula E Championship, including Visa Driver Ambassadors Nelson Piquet Jr and Jérôme D’Ambrosio. The Visa Vegas eRace will take place at the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show in January.
Speaking following qualification, Carroll said: “When I was younger and thought of qualifying for major races, I never thought it would be from my parents’ loft. My mum and dad’s passions in gaming and racing must have played up in my genes. The prize on offer is life-changing and qualification just vindicates my decision to not give up on my dreams and I’m fully intending to win in Las Vegas.”
Visa is sponsoring the Visa Vegas eRace as part of its three season deal as Official Payment Partner of the FIA Formula E Championship.
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About the FIA Formula E Championship Visa Vegas eRace: At CES 2017, held 5-8th January 2017, the FIA Formula E Championship will stage the first ever Las Vegas virtual eRace as part of Sports Business Innovation (SBI).
In a bid to win a share of $1 million prize pool, Formula E drivers will test their skills against qualifying fans on a specially designed track incorporating the famous Las Vegas Strip.
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About Visa Inc.: Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) is a global payments technology company that connects consumers, businesses, financial institutions and governments in more than 200 countries and territories to fast, secure and reliable electronic payments. We operate one of the world's most advanced processing networks — VisaNet — that is capable of handling more than 65,000 transaction messages a second, with fraud protection for consumers and assured payment for merchants. Visa is not a bank and does not issue cards, extend credit or set rates and fees for consumers. Visa's innovations, however, enable its financial institution customers to offer consumers more choices: pay now with debit, pay ahead with prepaid or pay later with credit products. For more information, visit usa.visa.com/about-visa, visacorporate.tumblr.com and @VisaNews.
About the FIA Formula E Championship:
The FIA Formula E Championship is the world’s first fully-electric single-seater racing series, competing on the streets against the backdrop of some of the most iconic cities - including Hong Kong, Marrakesh, Buenos Aires, Monaco, Paris, New York and Montreal. The championship represents a vision for the future of the motor industry, serving as a platform to showcase the latest innovations in electric vehicle technology and alternative energy solutions. Future seasons will see the regulations open up further allowing manufacturers to focus on the development of motor and battery components, which in turn will filter down to everyday contemporary electric road vehicles.
The 2016/17 FIA Formula E Championship sees 10 teams and 20 drivers go wheel-to-wheel in 10 cities spanning five continents in the fight to be crowned Formula E champion. The inaugural season of Formula E sparked into life in September 2014 around the grounds of the Olympic Park in Beijing. The third season of the electric street racing series gets underway on October 9 in Hong Kong, with the season finale double-header in Montreal on July 29 & 30.
For further information, including hi-res images, visit http://media.fiaformulae.com.
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