eSports

LAMBORGHINI PRESENTS ITS FIRST EVER ESPORTS TEAM FOR VIRTUAL RACING AND ANNOUNCES THE THREE OFFICIAL SIM DRIVERS

Published

4 years ago

April 11, 2022

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Strengthening its commitment to the Esports scene with a factory team, Lamborghini has unveiled the three sim drivers who will represent the brand during the 2022 season in international sim racing competitions.

Lamborghini decided to create its own official team to build on the valuable experience gained with The Real Race, the virtual one-make championship that debuted in 2020. The Esports Team represents a further opportunity to expand the brand’s presence in a sector that is constantly developing, highly competitive, and offers the chance to experience emotions comparable to those of a real race.

The three sim drivers chosen to represent the brand in the major international Esports competitions are Jordan Sherrat, Gianfranco Giglioli and Giorgio Simonini.

Sherrat, who was born in South Africa in 1999, earned his place on the Lamborghini Esports team thanks to his success in the latest edition of The Real Race, winning fifteen out of seventeen races and taking nine out of ten pole positions. The dominator of the second edition of the Lamborghini Esports championship for the EMEA region, who gained attention after his third place finish in 2020, is the perfect standard bearer for the team, both for the skills he has demonstrated in competition over the past two seasons and for being a huge fan of the Lamborghini brand.

“Being chosen by Lamborghini to be the Official Sim driver still feels like a dream,” commented Sherrat. “All the hard work and sacrifice I have put in behind the scenes have been recognised and I finally get to live my dream! I want to thank Lamborghini for putting their trust in me to represent their prestigious Brand.”

The second talent selected is Gianfranco Giglioli, a 24-year-old Italian-Venezuelan driver already well-established in the sim racing world. He was one of the first virtual drivers to take part in the Formula 1 Esports Series, finishing eighth in the inaugural season. In 2020 Giglioli placed fifth in the first edition of The Real Race, and that same year he won the Porsche Esports Carrera Cup Italia.

Completing the line-up is 22-year-old Italian sim driver Giorgio Simonini. His list of achievements includes first place in the Sim Grid World Cup 2020 and fourth place in the SRO Esports 2020 championship, results that make him one of the most promising drivers in virtual racing.

Sherrat and Giglioli will compete together in the GT World Challenge Esports Sprint Series Europe, and Simonini will join the pair to form the crew for the 2022 Intercontinental GT Challenge Esports Endurance Championship.

The Sprint calendar consists of five races and starts on April 6th with the Misano race. The last appointment is set for August 3rd, with the grand finale scheduled in the virtual version of the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza.

The Intercontinental GT Challenge Esports series kicks off on April 16th with the 12 Hours of Bathurst, the famous Australian endurance race. Here too there are five rounds on the calendar, with the competition concluding on August 27th with the 9 Hours of Kyalami.

Sherrat, Giglioli and Simonini have already started training to prepare for the first events on the calendar, sharing important information on driving and setup. The three sim drivers will be supported during the season by the Squadra Corse staff, who are dedicating a team principal, driver coach and engineers to the project to offer their expertise in the development and analysis of telemetry data, from the track to the virtual simulation.

Automobili Lamborghini’s Head of Motorsport Giorgio Sanna expressed his satisfaction with the launch of this exciting new project: “Sim racing is an important platform in today’s motorsport scene. Video games were born to allow those who didn’t have opportunities for real-life racing to impersonate the professional drivers. Now, after several decades of development in the industry, simulated racing is getting closer and closer to its real-life counterpart and now has nothing to envy from professional motorsport. Moreover, sim racing is an additional tool for us to develop some of the fundamental aspects of real racing, such as car setups and software applications that will play an important role in the future of our brand.”

Lamborghini has also confirmed the return of The Real Race for 2022. The dates of the third edition of the one-make Lamborghini Esports series will be announced in the coming weeks.

chess

Team Vitality re-signs Javokhir Sindarov for 2026–2027 chess roster

Published

3 days ago

April 23, 2026

Wladimir P.

team-vitality-re-signs-javokhir-sindarov-for-2026–2027-chess-roster

Team Vitality has re-signed chess player Javokhir Sindarov to its Chess roster for 2026 and 2027, bringing the 2025 FIDE World Cup winner back to the organisation.

The club said Sindarov is coming off a win at the 2026 Candidates Tournament, positioning him for a potential world title match against reigning champion Gukesh Dommaraju.

“We are incredibly proud to welcome Javokhir back to Team Vitality. He represents the new generation of chess: bold, ambitious, and unafraid to make big moves. His trajectory speaks for itself, and we know he has everything it takes to become the next World Champion,” said Danny Engels, Chief International Officer at Team Vitality. “This signing is a natural step in our ambition to be at the forefront of chess and esports, and to bring the game to new audiences around the world.”

Team Vitality also pointed to Sindarov’s interest in gaming—specifically Counter-Strike—as a fit with the organisation’s esports positioning. His next scheduled appearance under Team Vitality is the Chess.com Open, running April 23–26.

The post Team Vitality re-signs Javokhir Sindarov for 2026–2027 chess roster appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

creator-economy

Red Bull runs one-day Balatro speedrun event, Boss Rush, on April 17

Published

1 week ago

April 17, 2026

Wladimir P.

red-bull-runs-one-day-balatro-speedrun-event,-boss-rush,-on-april-17

Eight creators compete across five timed stages with eliminations, broadcast on Red Bull’s Twitch and YouTube channels.

Red Bull will stage a one-day Balatro speedrun competition, Red Bull Boss Rush, on April 17, 2026. The event brings together eight creators for timed runs in the roguelike deckbuilder, with viewers able to follow via individual creator POV streams and a central hub broadcast.

The competitor lineup includes Red Bull Player Ludwig, plus The Spiffing Brit, FrostPrime, Feinberg, Adef, Yahiamice, mbtyugioh and dreads. Red Bull said live commentary will be provided by esports host Yinsu ‘Yinsu’ Collins, card-game specialist Blake ‘Rarran’ Eram, and DrSpectered.

Boss Rush is structured as five 30-minute stages, with players ranked by completion time. Red Bull said the opening three stages use a shared random seed with unlimited resets, and points are awarded by placement each stage; the bottom four are eliminated after stage 3. Stage 4 determines the finalists, followed by a final winner-takes-all matchup.

The event also includes a downloadable Red Bull Boss Rush mod featuring a custom-branded deck and new Red Bull-themed Jokers, Bosses and Skip Tags. Red Bull highlighted additions including ‘Witch’, ‘Princess and Frog’, ‘Zebra’, Old Dog, ‘Pirate’, ‘Genie’, ‘Prince Charming’, and ‘Jester’, each designed to alter scoring or run economics.

Red Bull Boss Rush will stream on twitch.tv/redbull and Red Bull’s YouTube Gaming channel. Scan is supplying gaming PCs for the competition, according to the company.

Relevant data as follows:

Red Bull Gaming on Twitch; https://www.twitch.tv/redbull Primary broadcast destination for the event.
Red Bull Gaming on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/redbullgaming Secondary broadcast destination cited in the release.
Red Bull Gaming: https://www.redbull.com/ Official Red Bull site for event context and confirmation.
Balatro on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2379780/Balatro/ Authoritative reference for the game featured in the competition.
Scan Computers: https://www.scan.co.uk/ PC supplier mentioned as providing systems for the event.

The post Red Bull runs one-day Balatro speedrun event, Boss Rush, on April 17 appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Asia

S8UL signs Team Question Mark roster for PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS ahead of EWC 2026

Published

1 week ago

April 16, 2026

Wladimir P.

s8ul-signs-team-question-mark-roster-for-pubg:-battlegrounds-ahead-of-ewc-2026

The CIS-based EMEA lineup brings past EWC experience and titles including PUBG Global Series 8 as S8UL targets Riyadh qualification.

S8UL has signed the Team Question Mark (QM) roster to represent the organisation in PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS on PC ahead of the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026. The deal was announced April 16 from Mumbai as S8UL prepares for the tournament in Riyadh, scheduled for July 21 to 26.

The CIS-based EMEA lineup includes:

captain Roman Zinovev (ADOUZ1E),
Andrey Ionov (Bestoloch),
Mansur Tsimpaev (f1lfirst),
Nikita Odobesku (Molodoct),
and coach Yermek Torebekov (Ermaak).

S8UL said the roster will compete through the qualification pathway for a place in the 24-team event, which has a $2 million prize pool.

S8UL is adding a roster with a proven record in top-tier PUBG competition, including wins at PUBG Continental Series 7 Europe 2022 and PUBG Global Series 8 in 2025. The team has also posted a Top 3 finish at PUBG Global Series 2 in 2023 and a Top 7 finish at PUBG Global Championship 2022. The organisation said the roster has competed at both previous editions of the EWC in 2024 and 2025 and has amassed approximately $713,000 in total prize winnings.

Commenting on the move, Naman Mathur, Co-founder, S8UL said, “Signing the QM roster is a significant step for us as we continue to strengthen our presence in global esports. PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS is one of the most competitive titles in the world, and this team has consistently proven itself against the very best. At a broader level, this move reflects the direction S8UL is heading in. Over the past year, we have focused on building depth across our rosters and competing consistently at the highest level. As we prepare for the Esports World Cup 2026, we are committed to providing the team with the right support and resources as they aim to make a strong impact in the qualifiers as well as on the global stage.”

Roman Zinovev aka ADOUZ1E added, “Becoming part of S8UL is a big opportunity for us as a team. As a team, we’ve always believed in our ability to compete with the best in the world, and having the backing of a global organisation allows us to push even further. With the Esports World Cup coming up, we’re focused on working through the qualifiers and making sure we deliver performances that match our potential.,”

S8UL said the announcement follows its selection as a Club Partner by the Esports Foundation (EF), placing it among 40 global organisations. The organisation has also listed 13 titles it plans to enter for EWC 2026, including PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS, Apex Legends, Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI), Call of Duty: Warzone, Chess, EA Sports FC, FATAL Fury, Fortnite, Honor of Kings, MOBA Legends 5V5, Street Fighter 6, TEKKEN 8, and Trackmania.

Relevant data as follows:

S8UL Esports: https://s8ul.gg/ Official organisation site for roster and announcement verification.
PUBG Esports (PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS competitive updates): https://pubgesports.com/ Authoritative source for PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS esports circuits, event results, and qualifiers.
Esports World Cup (official site): https://esportsworldcup.com/ Event organiser site for EWC 2026 schedule, formats, and prize pool confirmation.

The post S8UL signs Team Question Mark roster for PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS ahead of EWC 2026 appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.