Sami-Matti Trogen to the high-level esports formula series – competes against F1 drivers

Sami-Matti Trogen was selected to represent the Williams Esports team in the new high-level esports formula series, VCO ProSIM SERIES. The series combines well-known motorsport professionals with the best esports racer in the world. In total of 44 teams will compete for a total prize pool of USD 50,000 during the season of eight esports events, starting on November 18, 2020.

Newly launched and innovative esports series, organised by the Virtual Competition Organisation (VCO), connects 44 successful international racing drivers with the world’s best esports drivers into teams of two. The entry list includes F1 drivers such as Max Verstappen, Rubens Barrichello and Romain Grosjean, as well as António Félix da Costa, the winner of the Formula E series.

Sami-Matti Trogen, an official driver of the Williams Esports team, is one of the named esports drivers in the series. He's going to chase the championship win and significant cash prizes together with his teammate Agustín Canapino from Argentina. Canapino has gained huge success in circuit racing, especially in South America.

"When we heard about this new series, it was pretty clear that I could get in. Bigger teams like Williams Esports got to choose their drivers and I was lucky enough to be selected", says Trogen.

"The team pairs in the series were formed through a specific selection process based on race rankings, in which Canapino got to choose me as his pair. We’ve competed in the same team before, for example in July, when we won the BMW SIM 120 Cup esports race. It's great to compete in the series with a person that I already know and be able to show our skills", Trogen sums up.

Races from November until March – tracks announced only at the last minute

The first race event of the series will take place on November 18, 2020, and the season ends on March 31, 2021. The race car in the series is Dallara Formula 3, all with identical set-ups, equipped with a 220-horsepower engine.

What makes the series especially interesting, the drivers will only find out what circuit they are racing on in the eight Championship races two hours before the start lights turn green. This minimises the training effort required for the participants, while adding the excitement for not only the viewers but also the drivers. On Twitter, fans can also vote for the circuit where they want to see the teams involved in thrilling battles.

"The series based on the uniformity is great because it's fair to everyone and no one gets to practice too much in advance. It’s still hard to say how will our speed be as the series includes the very top drivers of the world. For example, Verstappen drives really well both in the real life and on simulators. Regardless of tough competitors, we are aiming to the top and I think there is a change for us", Trogen says.

"I think the differences between the teams will be very small and the top names in the competitions will keep changing as the series progresses. Also, with so many cars on the starting line, some crashes are sure to be expected, but we’ll see when the series starts – will be wiser next week", he ends.

There is a Fun Race that will take place before the championship race for all eight events, providing extra entertainment. The races are held in the evenings, Finnish time between 7 pm and 11 pm, and each competition will be live broadcasted. In addition to Trogen, the list of participants also includes another Finnish name, esports driver Olli Pahkala.

You can find all the drivers, results and championship standings in the VCO results and files center.

More information about the series here.

The Calendar
18th November 2020 / Round 1
25th November 2020 / Round 2
16th December 2020 / Round 3
2nd January 2021 / Round 4
20th January 2021 / Round 5
10th February 2021 / Round 6
03rd March 2021 / Round 7
31st March 2021 / Round 8

The Format (all times CET)
18:00 End of circuit voting for Championship Race
18:15 Start of free practice for Championship Race
19:30 End of free practice for Championship Race
20:00 Start of live broadcast
20:10 Qualifying for Fun Race
20:20 Fun Race (20 minutes + 1 lap)
20:40 End of Fun Race
20:50 Qualifying for Championship Race
21:00 Championship Race (40 minutes + 1 lap)
21:40 End of Championship Race
22:00 End of live broadcast

Picture: Sami-Matti Trogen communications / Tero Turunen