Esports: James Baldwin, UK's first FIA Motorsport Games champion, wants to race GT

James Baldwin (centre, holding a Union Jack) was part of the UK team that won two medals at the FIA Motorsport Games

One of the UK's top esports drivers has his sights set on racing cars in the real world.

James Baldwin, 25, became the first British competitor to win a gold medal at the FIA Motorsport Games last month.

"A lot of hours go into training and trying to win the big events," he told BBC South.

"The pressure is so mentally draining because it's an hour-long race and you can't make a single mistake - the level of competition in esports is so high."

The FIA Motorsport Games is an international event and competitors from 72 countries competed for medals at the Circuit Paul Richard in the city of Marseille between October 26 and 30.

It featured 15 traditional races - including GT, rally, touring and karting - and one esports competition for gamers.

Baldwin, from Bracknell in Berkshire, is a professional online racer and represented Team UK at the Games dubbed 'the Olympics on virtual wheels.'

He qualified for the 20-car final on pole position after coming through the quarter and semi-final stages.

Baldwin, who trains in a high-end simulator in his back room at home, says the gap between virtual and real-world racing is getting smaller.

"The physics of racing games is getting closer to real-life racing - it's very similar," he said.

"The racing aspect, being a competitor, being an athlete and the wining mindset. it's all the same. I love it."

Team UK's James Baldwin trains in a high-spec simulator in his back room at home.

Baldwin's prizemoney and social-media endorsements through esports allow him to pursue his ambition to race more cars on tracks in the real world.

"My biggest win was a competition called the World's Fastest Gamer," he added.

"The prize was a one million dollar drive in an actual GT race and it was amazing.

"My goal is to continue to race in real life whilst doing esports as a job, and I feel pretty lucky to be able to do that."

Team UK entered competitors into 10 of the 16 events at this year's FIA Motorsport Games and won a gold and bronze to finish sixth in the medal table.

Italy and France won the most gold's and Spain the most medals overall.