An interview with FaZe Clan racing drivers at ESL R1
FaZe Clan has officially entered racing with Rennsport at ESL R1 and the team’s drivers have a lot to say about the competition.
ESL R1 at IEM Katowice 2023 is the debut of a new sim racing circuit that aims to take the industry by storm. With cutting-edge graphics and sophisticated simulation, Rennsport plans to become the default platform for racing esports.
Lucas Müller and Ulas Ozyildirim, both representing FaZe Clan, graciously sat down with WIN.gg to discuss racing in the new sim, how they got their start, and their dream cars and tracks for the game.
FaZe ESL R1 racing team interview at IEM Katowice 2023
WIN.gg: You’ve spent years competing on iRacing, but now you’ll be playing Rennsport. What’s the biggest difference you’ve noticed between the two engines?
Lucas Müller: iRacing is more advanced, obviously because the game has been out for ages. I think iRacing was released in 2010 or so. But you do feel that Rennsport has the newer engine because it simulates a lot more, especially on a graphical side. You see the grass on the ground, the soil around the course. It’s very detailed, especially with smoke and stuff from the tires. It’s very good, and you can see that it is a newer engine.
How did it feel for FaZe Clan to reach out with a partnership so close to the event?
Ulas Ozyildirim: I just got a call from my Turkish friend, he was close with FaZe Clan. He told me that he was talking with FaZe Clan for me, and I said, “Okay, I can do it if they want to.” Then I got a call from FaZe Clan manager. I talked to them, he said, “Everything is okay, we want you.” I said alright. It was just like that for me.
You’ll be driving a Porsche 911 GT3 R for the debut of ESL R1. Any likes or dislikes for the vehicle?
Müller: I mean, it’s a Porsche, and Porsche in general is just a great brand. I actually was driving the Porsche in many different series last year, so I’m quite familiar with the car and I like it. The sound of Porsche is always special compared to the other ones, and it has kind of a unique driving feeling, so it’s special to drive.
It’s hard to drive, but if you manage to unlock the pace of the car, the result you get is very good. I mean, it’s Porsche. It’s a great car, you know? [laughs]
If you could have one dream car added to the game, what would it be?
Müller: Mine is already in it.
Ozyildirim: Bentley GT3. [Both laugh] I do like it.
Out of the tracks available, which one is your favorite?
Müller: In the game, my favorite one is Spa by far.
Ozyildirim: My favorite is Spa too.
We know the plan is to add some iconic tracks to the game. So if you could pick one, what track would you add?
Müller: If I had one choice to add, I guess it would be Bathurst.
Ozyildirim: I would add Le Mans, I think. It would be a very good one.
Katowice is a historic city for esports. How does it feel to play here?
Müller: I’m kind of a CS fan as well, so I knew the place from hearing and stuff. I visited ESL Cologne because I’m living in Germany and that’s the closest you can get. I like to be here. When I first arrived, I was like, “A lot of history has been made here,” so it’s very special.
The CS arena is directly on the other side of the wall pretty much, and it’s very cool. It’s just super special for the whole event to be a part of this big esports community. StarCraft is here, CS is here, and now sim racing with Rennsport as well. It’s just good fun and you see a lot of people and everybody has the same passion even if it’s different games, and that’s just lovely. It’s just cool.
How can fans show their support for both of you as FaZe racing drivers and the new ESL R1 circuit?
Müller: To follow all the social media channels. I think there are a lot of them, but if you want to be updated, it’s good. Follow FaZe Clan, follow us. I think we are both on Instagram, Twitter. To be updated, just follow a lot of people and you will get to know people quite directly because it’s very open, everybody is very friendly.
Are there any particular drivers or teams you want to outperform at this event?
Müller: I mean to outperform pretty much everyone because we want to win, so we need to beat everyone. But I have a good friend on another team called Moritz Löhner. To beat him is a personal challenge because we are very good together, we have a good relationship, a good friendship, and yet to beat him would be very good for my side.
Ozyildirim: Mine would be R8G. They’re also my teammates, so I would like to beat them in the future if it’s possible.
How did you turn sim racing into a full-time job?
Müller: I started with professional sim racing like three years ago, so not too long ago compared to some guys already doing it in 2010 or whatever. I just took part in some competitions, and in the end I was good. Because of the achievements I had, I’m now here for some reason.
The start was a bit rough, because preparation was a very short time for us. Everything was a bit spontaneous, but I think the next races, especially the online rounds, we’ll be doing good. We just won the quarterfinal ten minutes ago so we have the pace, it’s just now to get comfy with the sim and putting a lot of hours in.
Ozyildirim: Yeah, we need to put a lot of hours in. That’s true. We will try our best. [both laugh]
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