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Singaporean e-racer Aleef wins title in regional tournament

S'porean simulation racer Aleef wins title in eRacing Grand Prix Southeast Asia tourney

Singaporean e-racer Ar Muhammad Aleef Mohamed Rafik has proven himself to be one of the region's top simulation racers, said his mentor Melvin Moh.

Aleef, 21, underlined his credentials by winning the GT3 championship in the fully online eRacing Grand Prix Southeast Asia tournament, which ended last Saturday.

Racing on a simulator at home, he amassed 327 points, defeating nearest challengers Malaysian Naquib Azlan (314 pts) and Australian Josh Purwien (210 pts) for the overall GT3 title. Purwien won the Singapore leg of McLaren's Shadow Project during last year's Singapore Grand Prix.

Moh, 31, praised Aleef, saying: "His performances for the eRacing Grand Prix Southeast Asia among some of the region's top drivers like Josh Purwien prove that he is indeed one of the region's best sim-racers.

"We hope to be able to help him in his journey towards becoming among the best in the world."

Moh, who has years of real-life racing experience, co-founded local simulation racing league Legion of Racers, which Aleef is a part of.

Thanks to his latest victory, Aleef will get a one-day test in a Formula Renault car with the F3 Asia championship-winning team - the Black Arts Racing.

Held from March 28 to May 2, the eRacing Grand Prix Southeast Asia was a six-round championship which was started by Malaysian race car driver Alex Yoong last year.

Pioneered in Malaysia, the competition aimed to develop a regional e-racing championship with the objective of transforming virtual racers into real-life motorsport champions.

This was not the first time that Aleef has won a sim-racing event. Last October, he was crowned the Logitech G Challenge Asia Pacific e-racing champion in Melbourne.

Said Aleef, a fan of Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton: "It's been a tough season of eRGP, and coming out on top against some of the finest and fiercest drivers of the Asia Pacific region feels extremely good.

"There was a lot of hard work and preparation and understanding which went into this competition from the beginning which makes it all the more satisfying.

"I'd like to thank my family for their constant support, and my Legion of Racers team for their contribution and support throughout the season."

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