FE: Huis wins Vegas sim eRace showdown

Bono Huis (pictured) representing Faraday Future Dragon Racing, secured victory in the inaugural Visa Vegas eRace and with it the biggest prize in eSports racing history, walking away with $200,000.

The sim racer inherited victory from Olli Pahkala (Mahindra Racing) who was handed a 12-second penalty following a post-race investigation.

Huis topped every session throughout the event, made a clean getaway from the line and held on to his lead throughout the first stint. Following the first round of pit stops, the Dutch driver dropped to second place behind Olli Pahkala (Mahindra Racing).

Despite entering unknown territory, the Formula E drivers demonstrated that driving ability is comparable across both a real and virtual world. Felix Rosenqvist (Mahindra Racing) showed his natural ability for sim racing and versatility putting in a strong performance to finish second as the best-placed Formula E driver.

Huis eventually inherited success from Pahkala, who was handed a 12-second penalty following a post-race investigation for having gained an unfair performance advantage caused by a software issue.

Pahkala took the lead midway through the race, but was later found to have suffered a technical glitch with a sustained power delivery of FanBoost over and above the limit for five laps during his second stint. Pahkala was demoted to third place following the application of the time penalty and rounded out the podium finishers.

Jose Maria Lopez (DS Virgin Racing), Sam Bird (DS Virgin Racing), Daniel Abt (ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport) and Nelson Piquet Jr. (NextEV NIO) finished in the top-10, again highlighting the close competition between the drivers and sim racers.

David Greco (Renault e.dams) crossed the line in 15th place, but picked up fastest lap and $10,000 in the process.

"This first eRace in Las Vegas was a great success. It's exciting to have brought Formula E into the inner sanctum of CES, the biggest and most influential technology show in the world," said Alejandro Agag, founder & CEO of Formula E. "I think this can be the first in a big future for Formula E in eSports racing. We will continue to pursue new and innovative ways to improve our presence in this fast growing landscape, while maintaining fan engagement at the forefront of all our initiatives."

RESULTS:

1. Bono Huis Faraday Future Dragon Racing 20 30:54.690

2. Felix Rosenqvist Mahindra Racing 20 30:56.020

3. Olli Pahkala Mahindra .Racing 20 31:01.690

4. Enzo Bonito TECHEETAH 20 31:06.140

5. Aleksi Uusi-Jaakkola Andretti Formula E 20 31:11.340

6. Greger Huttu Panasonic Jaguar Racing 20 31:30.870

7. Jose Maria Lopez DS Virgin Racing 20 31:31.630

8. Sam Bird DS Virgin Racing 20 31:38.600

9. Daniel Abt ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport 20 31:40.950

10. Nelson Piquet Jr. NextEV NIO 20 31:50.300

11. Sebastien Buemi Renault e.dams 20 31:53.770

12. Aleksi Elomaa Venturi Formula E 20 31:54.930

13. Robin Frijns Andretti Formula E 19 30:49.350

14. Loic Duval Faraday Future Dragon Racing 19 30:50.950

15. David Greco Renault e.dams 19 31:05.270

16. Antonio Felix da Costa Andretti Formula E 18 30:34.970

17. Graham Carroll DS Virgin Racing 10 15:05.764