eROC is a tournament that brings together the best virtual drivers from around the world. In a series of elimination races, the tournament determines the four greatest drivers who are left to compete in the eROC final, live at the Race of Champions. The eROC races are held on Assetto Corsa Competizione on a track covered with snow. The drivers race in electric rallycross cars, made to simulate the real life track, located in Pite Havsbad. eROC is open for anyone to compete in, but to take part in the final in Sweden the drivers had to win one of the four qualification routes:

Open Qualification

In this round, 128 drivers from all over the world competed on Assetto Corsa Competizione in head-to-head knockout stages. For the first matchups, the positions of the drivers were chosen at random, and the top 8 drivers competed in another series of knockouts which can be found on YouTube. The winner of this was Lucas Blakeley, who was a dark horse in the 2021 F1 Esports Pro Championship and finished 3rd after consistent performances.

Lucas Blakeley, former F1 Esports driver for Aston Martin F1 Esports

Invitational Event

In the invitational event, some of the fastest sim racers were offered the chance to compete in eROC. This event was also run in knockout stages, and in the end James Baldwin came out on top. Baldwin, a previous winner of the World’s Fastest Gamer on Amazon Prime, won the eROC event in Mexico in 2019, and will relish the chance to defend his title in Sweden.

James Baldwin (Photo via @jaaamesbaldwin on Instagram)

Community Vote

Jarno Opmeer was voted the driver to compete in Sweden via the #eROC2022 Community Vote. Opmeer was the winner of the 2021 F1 Esports Pro Championship, so has already proven his speed. Having been pipped to the post by James Baldwin in the invitational event, it is clear that Opmeer is a true threat and has a real shot at taking the eROC win.

Mercedes driver Jarno Opmeer, two-time F1 Esports champion (Photo via @jarno_opmeer on Twitter)

Host Nation Qualification

In another series of heats, some of the top Swedish racers were offered the opportunity to fight to represent their country in the event. Out of the top 4 drivers, Martin Palm ended up on top, and we look forward to seeing how he competes with his fellow racers in this event.

The top 2 drivers from the eROC, which is at 9am CET on 4th February, will get the chance to compete in the Nations Cup and drive on the real snow and ice the virtual track represents. Team eROC All Stars’ first heats will be against Team Germany (Sebastian Vettel and Mick Schumacher), regardless of who ends up in the eROC car.

This year’s eROC final promises some great on-track action and close racing between all the 4 drivers involved. You can watch the event on YouTube here: Watch the eROC Final on YouTube!

Watch the Race of Champions, where the best of the best from all forms of racing compete, live on the 5th/6th February – find out where to watch it in your country here: Where to watch the Race of Champions in your country!