Rhys Yates won his second consecutive eSports WRC Shootout event on Sunday evening using the Rally Portugal stages of WRC8.
Yates made it two wins from two events after defeating Junior WRC driver Sean Johnston in the final of the shootout which took place on what should have been the weekend of the real-life Rally Portugal event.
After taking the victory on the Rally Argentina eSports event earlier this month, Yates again was victorious as the WRC again hosted an event to help the fans who have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
A delighted Yates said on his win: “When I won Argentina last month, there wasn’t so much pressure because I was pretty new to this gaming thing. But now I came to Portugal and the weight of expectation was there.”
“The competition uses the official WRC 8 game and one of the stages we drove on the sim was Fafe – that’s one of the most amazing stretches of road around. It was fantastic to be there and pushing.”
“It’s fantastic to win another eSports WRC Shootout, but like everybody out there I’m really looking forward to getting back to the actual events. There’s a real camaraderie around in the WRC; when you get to the end of a stage on the rally or when you go into the service park, there’s plenty of chat to be had.”
He continued: “Of course it’s not the same as the real thing, but the nerves, the stress and the competition are the same. And the key to winning is the same: keep it neat and tidy and push like hell! That’s what I did and that was enough to win again.”
“But when I finished the stage here, I get off the sim and go into the living room to see what’s trending on Netflix!”
Yates also continued his tradition of a Daniel Ricciardo-esqe ‘shoey’ celebration: “Normally, I wouldn’t be drinking my tea from my shoes, but another win means we really have to do it all again.”
“Somebody suggested we take some champagne after the second win, but I want to save that for when we’re back in the actual rally car and taking our first win in the WRC.”
The 2020 FIA World Rally Championship, as with many sporting events around the world, is currently on hold due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
