Guild Unveils ESL R1 Roster for Esports World Cup
We’re pleased to unveil our ESL R1 roster as the first team to represent Guild at the Esports World Cup (EWC) in July 2024. Highly regarded esports athletes James Baldwin, Bono Huis, Marko Pejic and Matt Emery have each signed loanee contracts and will race in Guild colours in Riyadh for the highest accolade in esports.
Guild will be entering the EWC as a partner team but its first ESL R1 competitive foray will begin on 17th May, with the start of the Spring Season, where 11 other teams will join them on the virtual grid. Racers will compete in the team and driver championships through to 5th July. These will serve as the final preparations before the team heads to Riyadh to compete for a share of the $60m prize pool available at the EWC.
The players signed to Guild’s roster have already shown great promise and bring with them a winning culture clearly evidenced by their career achievements to date:
James Baldwin, the 26-year-old Brit, prolific in karting and sim racing, clinched an impressive five national karting championships after beginning his career at the tender age of eight. His motorsport exploits further extend to racing in Spa 24HR as well as the British GT Championship where he finished 4th after claiming three pole positions and a race victory on his debut. James has also enjoyed huge success in esports having won a number of prestigious championships including the Le Mans Esports Series and The eRace of Champions as well as being crowned 'World’s Fastest Gamer' in 2019. He has been a regular feature on sim-racing circuits having raced for both Alfa Romeo and McLaren in F1 Esports and the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Esports Team in the inaugural season of ESL R1
Bono Huis, the 30-year-old Dutch is a dominant figure in sim racing, boasting an impressive track record with five Formula Sim Racing championships, including wins in the Formula E 2017 Vegas eRace Championship and the Formula Pro 2021 Championship. Last year, he competed in ESL R1 with the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Esports Team with strong entries in the Le Mans Virtual and emerging victorious in the V10-R League - Season 3.
Marko Pejic, the 25-year-old German is a seasoned top-tier sim racer and has already left an indelible mark on competitive virtual racing. Noteworthy achievements include his performance in the Lamborghini eSports - The Real Race 2020, clinching victories in DTM Esports and ADAC GT Masters Esports races, securing the Formula Pro 2021 Team Championship, alongside appearances in the finals of PECCD 2020 and the German Raceroom Championship. Marko's presence in the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Esports Team in 2021 took them to victory in the Formula Pro campaign where they won the Constructors’ Championship.
Matt Emery, the 22-year-old Brit newcomer has shown a lot of potential that makes him a top contender for ESL R1 race wins. He’s established himself as one of the top drivers on iRacing and across sim racing with a victory at the IWC iRacing Esports Fastest Lap Challenge Championship in 2022 and a third-place finish in the Porsche Esports Carrera Cup GB in 2023
Jasmine Skee, CEO of Guild Esports, said, “I’m ecstatic to welcome James, Bono, Marko and Matt to the Guild fold and can’t wait to see the performances they pull out as the season progresses. With guidance from our elite coaches and access to the state of the art facilities at the Sky Guild Gaming Centre there’s no limit to the heights they can reach. Each of them have already achieved so much in their careers to date and we’re excited to walk with them in the next steps of their journey as our attentions turn towards the Esports World Cup.”
