CAMS has today revealed Australia’s representatives for the inaugural FIA Motorsport Games to take place in Rome in November.
Team Australia will compete in three categories, with CAMS and Australia represented in the GT, Formula 4 and Esports events.
Stephen and Brenton Grove will wear the Australian colours in the GT category, backing up from their efforts at the FIA GT Nations Cup in 2018.
The duo have accomplished plenty during their respective careers, and in 2019 became the first father-son pairing in history to compete in the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup.
Reigning CAMS Australian Formula 4 Champion Luis Leeds will proudly represent Australia in a Formula 4 car, while global Esports star Cody Nikola Latkovski will look to do his country proud on the simulator.
Leeds was the standout performer in this year’s Australian Formula 4 Championship, impressing on many of Australia’s best circuits.
Latkovski has seen plenty of success during his Esports career, having been a part of the FIA Gran Turismo Sport Championships since 2018. Latkovski, who races under the username ‘Nik_Makozi’ is the most awarded sim driver in the Asia-Oceania region.
The FIA Motorsports Games is a brand new concept for 2019, with medals awarded to the top three finishers of each category.
All races will be hosted at the ACI Vallelunga Circuit near Rome, with the opening ceremony for the FIA Motorsport Games to be held on 31 October, with the racing to get underway on 1 November.
More details about the coverage and format of the event will be revealed in the lead up to the Games.
Quotes:
CAMS CEO Eugene Arocca:
“We are really excited to have Stephen, Brenton, Luis and Cody Nikola represent Australia on the world stage at the first ever FIA Motorsport Games,” Arocca said.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for these athletes to represent Australia at a global event and we know the competition will be fierce.
“Australians are well known for their success in motor sport categories across the world and I’ve got no doubt each one of our representatives will be at the pointy end of the field come crunch time.
“Representing your country at any international event is a terrific achievement and I know that they will all do Australia, and CAMS proud. We wish all of them the best of luck and will be working closely with each of the competitors to ensure they are able to perform to the best of their abilities.”
Team Australia GT Representative, Stephen Grove
“After doing the FIA GT Nations Cup last year we were pretty determined to come back the following year and push on from where we had really good momentum in 2018. So it was really important for Brenton and I to go back and try and improve on the unfortunate circumstances we had last year in the main race,” Stephen said.
“Driving with Brenton helps a lot because we both understand the way each other drives. It really helps us with the car set-up, but it’s good because we can work together and we can understand what makes either of us a bit quicker and how we can tweak the car to get it right. We’re driving the GT3-R which we really enjoyed in 2018, so we go back with a lot more knowledge on things like set-up, ABS, traction control and how best to configure the car.
“Vallelunga is a track neither of us has been to, but the bits I’ve seen looking at video, it’s a pretty technical track and there’s a fair bit in that track. To be quick there you need to be fairly committed, so I’m looking forward to the challenge, but it’s quite a hard track."
Team Australia GT Representative, Brenton Grove
“Once again it was really just having the opportunity through CAMS and the FIA to participate. We put forth our case from CAMS and said we had some unfinished business from last year and there was a reason why we wanted to go back,” Brenton said.
“I think racing with my dad always helps with an event like this because we’ve done so much together, even when we’re not racing we’re always chatting to each other so we definitely know our strengths and weaknesses together. So every event we do just grows that and I hope it’s something that we continue to grow going forward.
“For us to be representing the country on the GT side is a privilege and it’s something that we take very seriously. We’re making sure we prepare well and do the best we can to represent Australia and hopefully go one or two steps better than we did last year.
“It will be great to drive the new GT3-R, it’s something that we’ve spoken about for a while and racing the older one last year it will be really nice to compare the two cars and see how Porsche has improved and developed the new car, which has obviously had a tremendous amount of success this year. Hopefully, that bodes well and the BOP is in a nice window for us.”
Team Australia Formula 4 Representative, Luis Leeds:
"It’s an honour to have this opportunity," Leeds said.
"Every day before school I’ve been training in the gym and on the simulator just so I can make sure I bring my A game to the event. We have the best junior talent from all over the world competing and fighting like animals just to win this race, and I’ll be doing absolutely everything I can to make sure it’s me holding up the trophy on that top step.
"I hope all of Australia can actually embrace us and give us the support we need to succeed. At the end of the day, we are the athletes putting every minute of our lives into trying to be the next Formula 1 World Champion for our countries.
"I’m in it to win it, not just for me but for all my family, friends and fans. This is more than just a race, this is an opportunity I’ve been dreaming about, just to get out there in front of the global motor sport community and show what I can do, this is my life."
Team Australia Esports Representative Cody Nikola Latkovski
“It’s an amazing feeling to be able to participate in the first ever FIA Motorsport Games! History is in the making now, and I am honoured to be a part of it,” Latkovski said.
“There’s nothing quite like it when you get the opportunity to represent your country in something as big as this! I will do my best to make Australia proud.
“For me, the FIA Motorsport Games is like the Olympics of motor sport. Being part of Team Australia has always been a dream of mine and I’m happy I could finally make it a reality.
“Australia has been the home of many talented and successful athletes in motor sport, and I hope my efforts in these first ever FIA Motorsport Games will continue to prove that.”