Luxembourg in the spotlight at the FIA Motorsport Games 31.10.2022: The automotive world met last week on the Paul Ricard circuit for the FIA Motorsport Games. Some 16 sporting disciplines were represented. Rohan van Riel represented Luxembourg in drifting, while Daniel Lahyr proudly represented ACL Sport in eSport.

The automotive world met last week on the Paul Ricard circuit for the FIA Motorsport Games. Some 16 sporting disciplines were represented. Rohan van Riel represented Luxembourg in drifting, while Daniel Lahyr proudly represented ACL Sport in eSport.


The Luxembourg delegation got down to business last Thursday in eSport. Daniel Lahyr had time to familiarise himself with the equipment, and then took part in the free practice sessions before tackling the qualifications in the most represented discipline of the event with 57 participants.



Lacking pace and not achieving the time he had hoped for, he made up for it in the race by putting on a show on the track.



"The start went well. I started in tenth position before moving up to eighth place at the halfway point", says Daniel.




Opting for a different strategy than his competitors, he was relegated to 13th place before making a comeback. Supported and cheered on by the crowd in the hall, Daniel qualified directly for the semi-finals by crossing the line in 9th position.


"The next day I set the fastest lap in free practice. But then, during the race to reach the final, I had difficulties to find my rhythm. In the second part, I was more confident and I did some good times, but a penalty cut my hopes short".


The Luxemburgish rider can however be satisfied with his weekend. "It was a first experience for me on such an important event. I was disappointed not to be able to reach the final, but on the other hand, I'm happy with the way I made it to the semi-final. I've gained a lot of experience competing against some of the biggest names in eSports and I'm looking forward to using that to come back stronger.




Tough competition in drifting



On the drift side, Rohan van Riel was quite concerned when he saw the cars of his opponents. Despite the 600+ hp under the bonnet of his BMW M6, his competitors were approaching 1100 hp. Meticulously preparing his car with the help of his mechanic Dany Batista and his spotter Remmo Niezen, the Luxemburgish driver got his bearings as the event progressed.



 In the qualifying round, Rohan made a run that was very much appreciated by the judges, who awarded him 83 points. This result qualified him in 10th position out of 32.


He then competed in tandem against a Czech pilot. The performance of his opponent, however, convinced the judges more than anything else, thus halting his progress in the rest of the competition. With such a deficit in engine power, I quickly realised that it would be complicated to measure myself against the big names in drifting," confided Rohan. I was determined to put in a good performance in qualifying.



That's what I did! The rest was just a bonus. All in all, I'm delighted with my weekend. Getting here was not easy, we worked a lot with my team to represent Luxembourg in the best possible way".



I would like to thank Daniel, Rohan and their team for their performance this weekend," concluded Florian Brouir, ACL Sport Director. The participation in the FIA Motorsport Games was a first for Luxembourg. We couldn't have hoped for a better result with Daniel, who made it to the semi-finals in a very tough field.



As for Rohan, he showed that with a less powerful car, he has all the talent to evolve at this level. We will now use these results to prepare for the next edition and come back with a larger delegation.


Vania Henry , transl Deepl- photo SRO