24h Le Mans
For the first time ever at this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, gamers will chase victory in their own sim-racing finale held over race week! Here we present one of the teams competing in the event: Mighty38.
Mighty38 team members Shaun Arnold (JOTA Commando), David Hock (Harmonic) and Christopher Stephen Farkas (JSR Craviator) were the first to qualify in the Le Mans Esports Series.
26-year-old Shaun Arnold already has an impressive track record after just four years in esport. The driver has tried pretty much everything from Formula One to rally games but admits to spending most of his time of Forza Motorsport. “Forza is the game I play more series competitions on as the events are there, with big cash prizes. I prefer to race sports cars such a GT and prototypes. That's were I started , driving prototypes and they have been my go-to cars, as well as the GTs, and they are the cars I loved watching as a child. The close racing action is a thrill to watch, and also to race in the virtual world!”
His first experience on the full 24 Hours of Le Mans circuit was on Forza Motorsport 4 with a Mazda 787B. He has some great memories of it.“It’s one of the best tracks to set a quick lap on, as it's difficult to master and it rewards you when you get it all together with a great feeling of accomplishment.”
Shaun Arnold scored the highest number of victories during the qualifying phase and coming to Le Mans is a dream come true for him. He had plans to come several years ago but couldn’t make the trip in the end due to passport problems. So, for this first visit, he intends to go home with the trophy!
David Hoch has been involved in esport since 2012. Now aged 24, he is also familiar with an array of games. He started on Gran Turismo, enjoyed Project CARS but admits that he most at ease on Forza Motorsport. He first encountered Le Mans with Gran Turismo 4: “I remember racing Group C cars on Le Mans in Gran Turismo 4 quite well. That was one of my favourite classes to race, on one of my favourite tracks.I’m glad to see we get to revisit that era of Le Mans in the Super Final.”
Cars are not only a hobby for Harmonic as he also works in the automotive sector. “I am a vehicle integration engineer at General Motors, and I am passionate about vehicle performance. I'm aiming to be involved in a GM performance vehicle programme, whether it be for production vehicles or for a race team. In the mean time, I will be rooting for Corvette Racing at Le Mans!”
25-year-old Christopher has a good eight years’ esport experience, after starting with the Toca racing games on PlayStation! He later switched to Forza Motorsport and has played the Turn10-produced game ever since. “The first time I went around Le Mans was in Forza Motorsport 3. I fell in love with the long straights and with the high speeds that the cars were capable of getting.”
The Le Mans Esports Series final is a culmination for him. “The LMES is going to be huge! We have some of the best drivers around the world who compete in Forza. Each day, I've been practicing combinations for a couple of hours at a time. As this is a team event, working with your teammates is incredibly important. My team and I have been doing sessions together, helping each other with setups and have been pushing each other to get the best from the car.”
The average age of this team is relatively high compared to the other outfits – but will age be synonymous with wisdom and experience? Keep your eye on the Le Mans Esports Series grand finale for the answer!
PHOTO: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES DU MANS, 2019 LE MANS ESPORT SERIES: the BMW sporting Mighty38’s colours will no doubt draw plenty of attention at the Le Mans Esports Series.
