A JOINER who had to put his motor racing career in the slow lane because of a lack of funds is now set to pit his racing wits against a former Formula One driver. . . in a simulated race in Las Vegas.

Graham Carroll (pictured below) will take on an illustrious field, including Nelson Piquet Junior, the son of three-time Formula One world champion Nelson Piquet, in the Fromula E Visa Vegas eRace.

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The race is the biggest of its kind ever organised, with a prize pot of one million dollars up for grabs.

Sim racing is much more advanced than a racing video game, as realistic physics affects the car, software mimics the effects of tyre traction and suspension, and the ‘cars’ are not as forgiving as they would be in the more standard video games.

The 26-year-old first took up ‘real’ karting at the age of seven before entering car racing, winning five championships in 2008, including the British Formula Ford Championship.

At that stage, he received offers from teams in Britain and across Europe. But Graham had to find £150,000, and getting sponsors proved difficult, meaning the end of his racing career He got a job as a joiner but for the past two years has turned his attentions to online sim racing.

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Now, he has the opportunity to race in the biggest eSport sim race ever organised, and the 26-year-old cannot wait.

He said: “It is as real as you will ever get.

“This gives me the same feeling as real racing, which I didn’t have the money to do.

“To get the chance to take part in the competition is like Christmas Day. It is an unbelievable opportunity and experience to compete for a $1 million prize pot.”

Competing in Las Vegas will be a far cry from his qualification process – completed using three screens, steering wheel, pedals and a seat in the corner of his bedroom – a loft conversion at his parents’ Musselburgh home.

Last year, he also added the Walter Hayes Trophy – the world’s largest Formula Ford 1600 event, which is held at the home of British motorsport, Silverstone – to his silverware.

As well as sim racing competitors from all over the world, the 20 stars of the FIA Formula E Championship, the world’s first fully electric racing series, will also take part in the race in Las Vegas on January 7.

That means Graham will be up against the son of one of Brazil’s most revered Forumla One racing stars in Piquet (pictured racing against Graham below), as well as Nicolas Prost, himself the son of another multiple Formula One world champion, French legend Alain Prost.

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Also among the big-name contenders is Nick Heidfeld, another racer with Formula One experience.

The eRace will take place at the Venetian Hotel as part of the Sports Business Innovation Summit at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES).

As part of the million dollar prize pot, the winner will take home $200,000, the runner-up will earn $100,000 and the racer in third place will earn $50,000.

Meanwhile, the driver who sets the first-ever pole position around the virtual Las Vegas street track will take away $25,000, while the fastest lap of the 50-minute race is worth an additional $10,000. Those in 11 to 30 positions will each pick up $20,000 in prize money.

Alejandro Agag, CEO of Formula E, said: “Our unique eRace will take place within CES, the world’s largest technology show. We believe eSports offers a new level of fan interaction and we want to be at the forefront of this gaming revolution.”