The Škoda Motorsport eChallenge branded series brought all virtual racing fans an exclusive duel between a nine-time champion Jon Shaeffer and 2021 DiRT 2.0 World Champion Lukáš Matěja.

The online duel between these two champions tooked place on Sunday 9th October 2022 from 15:30 to 17:00 CET on the three stages of Rally Wales, which were published on Friday 7th October 2022 at 15:00.

The event was moderated directly from the Škoda Motorsport factory in Plazy, Central Bohemia. Both drivers streamed their drives from their home environment - Jon Shaeffer from France and Lukáš Matěja from the Czech Republic. Jan Kopecký, the 2018 WRC2 category World Champion, who has a wealth of experience on tricky Welsh gravel stages, commented on their drives together with the presenter in the studio.

Both drivers were very much looking forward to this special episode of the Škoda Motorsport eChallenge. Jon Shaeffer is one of the traditional participants in this series. He has taken part in all 11 rounds since 2020 and has managed to win nine of them. "What an interesting challenge it is to face one of the greatest drivers in DiRT Rally history. Let's do it!" said Shaeffer about the weekend challenge. "Winning the World Series in DiRT 2.0 was an amazing feeling and I hope to experience the same euphoria this upcoming weekend. I'm really looking forward to the duel with Jon,” added Matěja.

Are you wondering how this battle of esports champions went and you missed the live stream?
You can watch the full stream of this thrilling race here:

Škoda Motorsport eChallenge Champions Special Results:

 Jon Shaeffer  14:14.684
Lukáš Matěja  14:27.199

About Škoda Motorsport eChallenge

The Škoda Motorsport eChallenge is a virtual rally competition series supported by the Škoda Motorsport team. The series was created as a response to the growing popularity of simulator racing. Its aim is to connect the world of virtual and real competitive sport in a unique way. With each new episode of Škoda Motorsport eChallenge, the Mladá Boleslav team offers players a racing set-up provided by the team's engineers and based on the set-up of a real Škoda Fabia Rally2 evo. Before each eChallenge, an interview with an actual driver including various driving tips for the track is also published.

Club address:                            https://dirtrally2.dirtgame.com/clubs/club/295041
Number of active players:     7652
Founded:                                    2020
Number of events:                   11