Formula One e-sports in Hong Kong – paving the way for budding drivers to pursue a career on a simulator or the road
Sideways racing club in Central offers as close to a real experience of F1 driving as possible, with 15 networked simulators
Hong Kong’s Edgar Lau Shek-fai is among a growing number of racing drivers around the world who made the switch from simulators to real road driving.
The 27-year-old, who drives for TNI Racing in the US Touring Car Championship, started out as a gamer playing Grand Turismo and eventually made the switch to real racing – taking him on a journey that included the Asian Le Mans and Zhuhai Pan Delta Super Racing Festival.
However, he still continued to fine-tune his skills on a simulator, and one of his favourite spots was the Sideways Racing Simulator & Sports Bar in Central, Hong Kong – which is becoming the go-to place for budding e-sports F1 drivers and established pros to hone their skills.
Lau, Darryl O’Young, Matthew Marsh, Matt Solomon and Daniel Bilski are among the Hong Kong drivers who have made use of the centre, which recently moved from Chancery Lane to a bigger space on Peel Street in Central with 15 upgraded simulators.
“The simulators are frequently used by professional drivers to train for world-class race tracks,” said Sideways owner Nick Swanson, a China Airlines pilot who is organising a 24-hour charity race in October to raise money for HandsOn Hong Kong.