Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1524591
16 NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 28 JULY 2024 JULIANA ZAMMIT jzammit@mediatoday.com.mt Malta sim racers aim for esports' global stage A trio of Maltese sim drivers are hoping to take Malta to the inter- national virtual motorsport stage after years of individual success in the esports realm. Dean Vella, Sheldon Muscat, and Aaron Debattista hope their new team Intercomp VMD Simsport will see them create a future line- up of drivers who will be challeng- ing for high-level competitions in the global esports world. Sim racing is an esports category for car races to take place virtual- ly in a simulation. The sport has gained significant popularity in Malta, with a growing community of supporters and even profession- al drivers. The Malta National Sim Rac- ing Championship, which occurs every two years and is organised by World Pro Racing in collabo- ration with the Malta Motorsport Federation, has been attracting a diversity of talent, from beginners to experienced sim racers. The drivers have previously won 2022 National Championship, the 2024 Velocity Malta GT Cup, and the Daytona 24h in their respec- tive splits. Now, as co-managers of VMD Simsport, they aim to push the boundaries of virtual motor- sport and represent Malta on the global stage, as well as stoke rival- ries back home. "We've been racing together un- der different teams for a couple of years but were never fully satisfied with other teams or able to match their personal goals, which led us to start our team," Sheldon Mus- cat told MaltaToday. "We want to have a sim-racing squad that is as competitive as possible and attract new talented drivers and improving our rep- utation with more sponsors and success," Aaron Debattista added. The team is on the look-out for a potential driver recruitment this year. ''Our goal is to create the purest sim-racing squad where everyone's primary objectives are to improve themselves as drivers and fight for wins against any op- ponent," Dean Vella said. Tech retail company Intercomp said it will support VMD Sim- sport. "Through their consistent performance, securing the top three spots in the national sim racing championship, we feel at ease supporting this great trio of sim racers," Intercomp consumer brands manager Alex Camenzuli said. Esports sim racing trio join forces in team bidding for Maltese glory on the global virtual motorsport stage From left: Aaron Debattista, Dean Vella and Sheldon Muscat