Priaulxs battling it out on ‘home’ patch
FATHER and son racers, Andy and Sebastian Priaulx, have embraced the world of Esports and the former is to embark on a series of three races with the winners getting $10,000 per race for a charity of their choice.
The Race All-Star Series fully charged by ROKiT Phones takes place on Saturday and will be shown by 60 international broadcasters to more than 600 million homes.
The organisers are also allowing each driver to have space on their car for a sponsor, and the winner of the first Legends race of the day for the next three weeks will get the $10,000 for the charity of their choice.
Andy is up against some tough opposition with former Formula 1 drivers such as Rubens Barrichello, Jenson Button, Emerson Fittipaldi, Juan Pablo Montoya and Jacques Villeneuve, as well as top Indy Car and Sports Car drivers on the 24-car starting grids.
In this lockdown period the Priaulxs have been honing their sim racing skills at home in Guernsey and, while they can’t wait to get back on the race tracks, are enjoying the challenge.
‘I feel we as racing drivers are lucky to be able to still race while in lockdown. The message to Stay at Home, Protect the NHS, Save Lives is important and so we have both been spending lots of time on our respective rigs,’ said Priaulx Snr.
‘As you can imagine the Priaulx household has become pretty competitive with us racing at home side by side and not in different cars on different tracks,’ he added.
For Sebastian the chance to pit himself directly against his father is a great opportunity as he explained:
‘Usually it is one of us standing by the side of the track cheering the other on, but this is very different as, for me, my father is my biggest competition and I am desperate to show who the fastest Priaulx is.’
Meanwhile, Andy has praised the support from Multimatic, who Sebastian races for and who ran Andy’s Ford car in the World Endurance Championship, are giving to the fight against Covid-19.
Working with Aston Martin and the Manufacturing Technology Centre they are delivering a new intubation device to protect intensive care workers.
‘We are all doing what we can to help in this time of crisis and I am particularly proud of everyone involved in this project. It will, without doubt, save lives. The motoring and motorsport industries are joining in this fight and I salute this immediate response to the urgent need,’ he said.
