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STAR ESPORTS WRC GAMERS FIGHT FOR WORLD TITLE IN ATHENS

• Nine gamers line up for 2021 eSports WRC Championship world final
• Elite players battle for world title ahead of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece
• Teenager Sami-Joe Abi Nakhle returns to defend 2020 crown
• Winner handed keys to Toyota Yaris GR road car

Munich, 6 September 2021 – The world’s best eight eSports WRC drivers descend on Greece on Wednesday (8 September) for the final of the 2021 eSports WRC Championship, presented by Toyota Gazoo Racing.

Coming hot on the heels of the pandemic-delayed 2020 final in Ypres, Belgium, last month, the 2021 season-ending event will be played on WRC 10, the official game of the FIA World Rally Championship, which went on sale last week.

The final takes place the day before EKO Acropolis Rally Greece, round nine of the real-life WRC, starts in capital city Athens. The eSports winner will take home a brand-new Toyota Yaris GR road car.

The eight finalists emerged from more than 15,000 contestants who competed in 13 qualifying rounds. They will be joined at Athens Olympic Velodrome by the champion of a Greek wildcard event, which concludes on Wednesday morning prior to the grand final.

The 2020 champion, 16-year-old Sami-Joe Abi Nakhle, is back in action in Greece and is once again the hot favourite, having dominated the 2021 regular season by winning an unprecedented 12 of the 13 rounds.

His main competition is likely to come from Frenchman Lohan ‘Nexl’ Blanc. The two-time world champion was runner up in Belgium and will aim to take home a third crown in Greece.

The full list of finalists is:

  1. Sami-Joe Abi Nakhle (LBN)
  2. Lohan ‘Nexl’ Blanc (FRA)
  3. Lilian ‘Kriim’Richard (FRA)
  4. John ‘Izamusing’ Bebnowicz-Harris (FRA)
  5. Dylan Noel (FRA)
  6. Marco ‘Botti Jr.’Bottinelli (ITA)
  7. Jane ‘Hujda’ Hujicek (CZE)
  8. Anthony ‘Kanweex’ Valadas (FRA)
  9. TBC (GRE)

Finalists will face each other in a round robin on eight WRC special stages using identical rigs provided by Playseat, steering wheels from Fanatec, PCs delivered by FlexIT and screens made available by BenQ/Mobiuz.

The four quickest drivers will move through to the televised grand final, which will be held over three more stages at 19.00 CEST. Fans around the world can tune in on the WRC’s official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/wrc.

In addition to the winner earning a Yaris GR, the runners-up will not leave empty-handed. The second finisher will win a simulator by Fanatec, Playseat and BenQ/Mobiuz, the third man on the podium will earn a TW Steel Canteen Watch and the MVP will claim a gaming PC from FlexIT.

Additionally, the driver who produces the biggest moment of the day will walk away wearing a TW Steel watch.

Having competed in the regular season on WRC 9, drivers have had less than a week to familiarise themselves with the latest edition of the WRC’s official game.

WRC 10 is a special anniversary edition released ahead of the WRC’s 50th season celebrations in 2022 and comes with a host of unique features reflecting a half-century of rallying heritage.

It includes the chance to relive 19 events that have shaped the WRC’s history in retrospective mode. There is also the chance to drive six historic rallies, including the Acropolis and Rallye Sanremo, in cars from some of the championship’s iconic manufacturers including Alpine, Audi, Subaru, Ford and Toyota.

The latest version of the hugely popular series features demanding new rallies in Croatia and Estonia. Additionally, making a return in WRC 10 is Rally Spain, featuring all-new stages, while stages from rallies in Belgium and Greece will be included in free updates post-launch.

The already highly-lauded physics from WRC 9 have been further improved with particular attention given to the control of aerodynamic forces, the turbo and braking. Immersion has also been increased with a completely reworked audio design.

Career mode is more personal than ever before, with a new livery editor, allowing players to create their own team, further complementing the 52 official teams from the 2021 season which feature in the game.

The jaw-dropping World Rally Cars of the championship’s three manufacturer teams – Toyota Gazoo Racing, M-Sport Ford and Hyundai Motorsport – top the list of official teams with the chance to also step into the shoes of a selection of WRC2, WRC3 and Junior WRC drivers.

WRC 10 is published by Nacon and developed by renowned French studio KT Racing.

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