An F1 lover and online gamer is gearing up to compete in a virtual race around one of Britain’s most famous tracks – with Mercedes driver George Russell lending an expert hand.
Scott Tuffey, 31, is a quantity surveyor by day. But outside working hours, he competes and creates videos on the online racing platform iRacing.
While describing it as “just a hobby”, Scott has developed a following for his content, which varies from filming his own races, to commentary on real F1 events.
When they heard about an upcoming event hosted by Mercedes F1 sponsor IWC, where members of the public can take part in a virtual Silverstone racing challenge, his community flagged it to Scott.
“I thought, ‘that’s got me written all over it’,” he said.
To take part, Scott had to register one of the top 10 fastest laps on iRacing. Clocking up more than 400 laps, he was eventually able to finish with a time that qualified him for this week’s big competition.
Taking place in the IWC boutique at Battersea Power Station, the event will involve the 10 racers being split into two teams of six, with one wildcard special guest on each.
F1 driver George Russell and F1 esports pro series drivers’ champion Jarno Opmeer have been drafted in to coach each of the teams.
In terms of prizes, the driver who files the fastest time will get a £6,900 IWC watch, while the winning team will receive a behind-the-scenes tour of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Factor, plus a year’s subscription to iRacing.
Scott believes he is the only person involved without a racing background, but is confident he can give it a good crack.
“I’m excited and a little bit nervous. I’m going in to put in a good performance, but at the same time I’m expecting to be the slowest one there,” he said.
“This is the closest thing I’m ever going to get to being a real-life racer.”
He added that, whatever the outcome, he is looking forward to competing alongside members of what he describes as “a really tight-knit community”.
“It’s a great opportunity to try and be a part of something that’s going to be special.”
The event starts at 7pm. To stream it live on Twitch, visit - https://www.twitch.tv/iwcwatches
Check out Scott’s content on YouTube at - https://www.youtube.com/stuffeyy
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