FIA WRC Academy crews game for glory with milestone

RSL Staff

– May 31, 2012Posted in: News, WRC Academy

Thanks to Milestone, Italy’s largest developer of PC and Console games, the FIA WRC Academy welcomed a new addition to their hospitality area at last weekend’s Acropolis Rally in the form of a gaming simulator complete with Playseat, pedals and steering wheel to emulate the drivers’ Ford Fiesta R2. Supporting the WRC 2 game, the WRC Academy competitors put their gaming skills, as well as their driving skills, to the test in Greece as they competed to win the first round of the Milestone Award for the fastest time set on the PS3 simulator.

Currently under development for PS3, Xbox 360, PC and PlayStation Vita, the new WRC 3 game is due for release in October of this year. Described as a radical departure from previous editions, WRC 3 has been designed using a brand new game engine – created in-house by developers Milestone – and promises advanced lighting, crowd and particle effects. Featuring more than 50 official WRC teams and all the events from the 2012 calendar, the game has been streamlined to allow new players instant gameplay satisfaction while providing experienced rally gamers with the opportunity to explore the game’s full range of features.

Based on WRC Academy points, competitors will contest the Milestone League over the remaining four events with the overall victor from five rounds receiving a brand new PS3 and new WRC 3 game courtesy of the Italian company.

Following a number of recce runs, the competitors set one ‘official’ timed run in a WRC Academy Ford Fiesta R2 over SS1 of the Acropolis Rally. Quickest overall, and the inaugural victor in the first round of the Milestone Award, was Dutch Federation (KNAF) supported driver Timo Van Der Marel with a time of 3:49.10 – just 10 seconds ahead of Sweden’s Fredrik Åhlin with fellow Swede Pontus Tidemand rounding off the top three.

Supported by Ford Racing in Europe and with control tyres from Pirelli, the WRC Academy crews will next contest the quick, gravel roads of Neste Oil Rally Finland where they will encounter stiff competition both behind the wheel of their Fiesta R2s and in the driving seat of Milestone’s PS3 simulator.

Timo Van Der Marel said:

“It was really good fun having the simulator in the service park. I love competition – whether it is in the car, on the PlayStation, anything really – and I always want to win! Maybe I had a little bit of an advantage because I have the game at home, but I hadn’t played it in a while.

“It was a great addition to the [WRC Academy] hospitality area and hopefully in Finland we will have even more people in the service park as they try to beat our times.”