The drivers from the Canadian eMotorsports Series are set to start their engines to kick off the inaugural season for the new online virtual racing series formed by Holland College in Prince Edward Island, Canada.

The season will begin on Sunday, May 24 when the drivers take the track to compete in The Clash at the Daytona International Speedway beginning at 8pm eastern.

Although The Clash does not count towards the regular season point standings, the top two finishers will make up the front row for the season opener on Tuesday, May 26, the Holland College 250, also held at Daytona.

Since April 14 the series has held weekly exhibition races to adjust race formats, improve live broadcasting practices and build the series driver roster.  Today we’ll review the pre-season as we preview the 2020 regular season.

Two drivers recorded multiple wins during the pre-season, the number 23 Chevrolet Camaro of Ryan Gibson and the number 64, Suck it Up Septic, Ford Mustang of Darcy Ford.

Ford, from Harrington, PEI, got on the board first by taking the checkered flag in our first pre-season race at Chicagoland Speedway, he then got back to victory lane in our fifth pre-season race at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park road course. These wins were sandwiched between 20th (Talladega), 3rd (Bristol) and 20th (Homestead-Miami) place pre-season finishes, as well as a fourth place finish in the final pre-season race at Michigan International Speedway. Ford will look to improve his consistency when we begin the regular season at Daytona this weekend.

“I really think the pre-season was just a taste of what we are going to see once the green flag waves at Daytona,” said Ford. “The intensity and competition is going to be the highest we will have seen so far and I can’t wait to get the season started and show what the 64-team can do.”

Gibson, from Morgantown, West Virgina, has been perfect this spring and sits as the heavy favorite entering the regular season after winning both of his pre-season races; first at Talladega Superspeedway and again at Bristol Motor Speedway. 

The third driver to claim a pre-season victory was the number 17 Fix Auto Charlottetown/D. Alex MacDonald Ford Mustang of Corbin MacAulay, a member of the Hurricanes eMotorsports team.

MacAulay, from Charlottetown, PEI, was victorious in pre-season race number four at the Homestead-Miami Speedway.  After 30^th and 21^st place finishes at Talladega and Bristol it looks like MacAulay has found his groove, finishing in third at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and tenth at Michigan.

“This season should be an awesome one,” MacAulay exclaimed. “I hope to bring the Hurricanes eMotorsports team some wins and show the drivers in the series how racing is done here in PEI.”

The fourth driver to earn a pre-season victory was the number 41 Ford Mustang of Jose Mercado, from Kissimmee, Florida, winning the final race at Michigan International Speedway.

“I’m really excited about the start of the season. After some great battles throughout the pre-season I feel I’m ready to battle for wins in the inaugural season of the Canadian eMotorsports Series. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone at Daytona.”

Director of Athletics and Recreation at Holland College, Albert Roche, is glad to see Holland College take the lead on hosting this series and is excited to see where it goes in the coming months.

“It’s eSports and it’s a phenomenon that is occurring globally now, so we might as well attach ourselves to it. It’s a good gateway for us to take a look at it and see what interest is out there. I don't have all the answers, but there’s too much potential there not to try to own a little bit of it.”

Here is a full breakdown of the pre-season races with statistics for each of the drivers in the series, ranked by average pre-season finish.

Don’t miss a minute of the action on May 24 and 26 from Daytona International Speedway by watching The Clash and the Holland College 250 live at www.facebook.com/eMotorsportsCAN with the broadcasts starting at 7:30pm eastern.

Here are some additional thoughts from drivers leading into the 2020 Canadian eMotorsports Series Opening Weekend.

Chad Hyder (#21 Ford Mustang, Daytona, Ohio)

“I’m excited to get racing with tremendous talents from across North America.  We’re thrilled to have Holland College and other partnerships supporting our efforts through this inaugural season and we’re ready to rock.”

Trevor Kinsey (#6 Ford Mustang, Midland, Michigan)

“The pre-season races in this series have been fantastic. If they’re any indication of the level of competition and professionalism going into the opener, we’re in for a great inaugural season.”

For more information on the Canadian eMotorsports Series visit www.hollandcollege.com/eSports, www.facebook.com/emotorsportsCAN, www.twitter.com/eMotorsportsCAN and www.instagram.com/eMotorsportsCAN.

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