Innovative Esports tournament crowns winner

Strong sim racing has yielded a winner at the inaugural Intervarsity Motorsport Championship, hosted at Queensland University of Technology’s The Cube earlier this month.

Sebastian Varndell proved fastest on the day, but only by half a second, as he was closely followed by Bond University’s Ben Faulkner, meanwhile Riley McKibbin, a Macquarie University representative, was behind by just eight tenths of a second to round out the podium.

Varndell was forced to fight hard for the lead for the entirety of the race after starting the session on pole.

The University of Newcastle student fended off challenges from Faulkner and University of Technology Sydney’s Kalen Chin early, but stayed near the front of the pack for the majority of the race.

Varndell assumed the race lead for the final time on lap 15 during the 25-minute session, building a half-second lead on Faulkner at its largest.

The latter was unable to overcome the leader prior to crossing the finish line, while Varndell earned the win following a captivating final lap.

The final brought together the top 20 drivers from across Australia allowing university students to test their virtual racing skills against one another.

Of the 20 drivers, three were able to compete live at The Cube, while QUT, and other universities were represented from 10 different campuses nationwide.

The Grand Final was held on Friday, 19 September, with drivers required to complete a 15-minute warm-up, a 20-minute practice, a 15-minute Qualifying session, before a 25-minute race on iRacing’s The Bend Motorsport Park.

Grand Final competitors were required to undertake a strenuous Time Trial and difficult Heat Races to reach the final event.

The first event’s impressive turnout from the event’s early phases puts it in good stead for 2026.

The overall aim of the Championship events between QUT Sport and Motorsport Australia is to provide a structured, accessible pathway for students aspiring to participate in Esports, while also engaging casual sim-racing enthusiasts from university campuses nationwide.

The full Results are now available.

To take part in future Esports Championship events permitted by Motorsport Australia, head to https://esports.motorsport.org.au/licence to obtain your Motorsport Australia Esports licence.