The three drivers on the CNP Motorsport team Alex Harrison (TPR_ChemicaL), Renan Negrini (FRF Prodigy) and Matthew Gater (THR Nee) qualified at the Shanghai round of the Le Mans Esports Series. This consistent line-up could well cause a stir at the finale. Here’s the lowdown on CNP - a.k.a. ChemicaL, Nee and Prodigy.

Alex Harrison (TPR_ChemicaL)

The team’s oldest member is 27 years old and started out in esport in 2008. He took part in the GT Academy in 2011. “I originally started out playing the Gran Turismo games with my dad and friends as a kid, but didn't start getting more serious about getting better until I picked up the original Forza Motorsport game.”

To prepare for the grand finale, he and his teammates have had to work around the time differences. “Due to our time zones being out of sync with each other, we've made a group chat where, when we practice, we can drop our times on certain combos, any new tunes or adjustments we've made or just anything in general! I've been trying to get about 2 hours practice a night leading up to the event. Adapting from a controller to the wheel is quite a challenge!” admits Alex. 

Renan Negrini (FRF Prodigy)

At just 16, Renan Negrini is the youngest gamer at the Le Mans Esports Series final.He began his esport career last November when he (finally) reached the minimum age to sign up for most tournaments. However, he’s been sim racing for much longer than that. He started playing F1 2006 on PlayStation 2 when he was just four. The FRF (Fast Racers Forza) driver will be flying the flag for Brazil at Le Mans, along with three other drivers at the final: FRF_CPT_SSOLO76, F4HREVS and Sauber ZooM.

Matthew Gater (THR Nee)

Matthew competed in his first esport event in 2017 in the Forza Racing Championship and the grand finale, which was also held at Le Mans. The 24-year-old mainly plays on Forza Motorsport and iRacing but stays up-to-date with the other games available. He’s fully familiar with Circuit de la Sarthe, especially on the Turn10-produced game: “It wasn't until recently that I started to become interested in racing games. As such, I am only really familiar with tracks in the Forza franchise, especially Le Mans.”

PHOTO: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES DU MANS, 2019 LE MANS ESPORT SERIES: CNP, three letters that stand for ChemicaL, Nee and Prodigy. Are they the team to watch at the Le Mans Esports Series?