Today we’re sharing some incredibly exciting news: Team Liquid is officially entering TrackMania esports!

Well, for some of you — namely, those of you who are TrackMania fans — this will be incredibly exciting news. For those of you who’ve never heard of the game, you might be wondering why you should care about some racing game.

But TrackMania isn’t just any racing game. It’s actually been around since 2003, with many different iterations releasing since then, leading up to the current version: TrackMania 2020. And if you’re just envisioning something like Mario Kart, you’re wildly underestimating the amount of depth that exists in this particular racing game (and possibly overestimating the amount of koopa shells).

The most recognizable comparison would probably be to speedrunning, which is closer to what TrackMania pros do than any other PC esports title. Of course, there’s direct competition involved in races, but when players race each other, the emphasis is on personal optimization, not interfering with opponents. That sort of thing lends itself well to both competition and streaming, and TrackMania content creators like Wirtual have built up large and dedicated viewerbases by showcasing the game at both its best and wackiest.

“It makes me very happy to see big orgs like Team Liquid join TrackMania,” Wirtual told us. “It's something I've hoped for ever since [TrackMania 2020] released 5 years ago. I see it as the start of something big for TrackMania esports. Until now, only a select few players have been able to commit to the game full-time. Most of the best players have had to work other jobs and treat playing TrackMania as a hobby, since becoming a full time pro wasn't a viable career path. But it really feels like that is about to change. The dedication from the top guys has always been there, and I'm happy for the players that now finally get the recognition they deserve.”

In TrackMania esports, you’re seldom just racing a straightforward race; surface types with different physics attached to them (e.g. ice, wood, and your standard-issue Stadium surface) complicate matters and favor certain specialists. There are also subcategories in competition that test all parts of a competitor’s skillset, such as the Fast Learn category, where competitors have a limited time to figure out the best route on a brand new map.

Of course, even with all these extra elements, it’s not hard to pick up the goal of the game as a new spectator. As Wirtual succinctly puts it, “first to the finish line wins.”

Having been around for so long, TrackMania has built a community full of dedicated players — you might even call some of them lifers, at this point. Like with any game that’s been out for over two decades, TrackMania’s players have spent hundreds of hours of their lives optimizing their runs, grinding for better times, and learning all the intricacies of the game’s engine.

We’re welcoming one of those dedicated grinders, Epos, to Team Liquid today as our first TrackMania player. What’s more, we’ve designed custom Team Liquid livery, to ensure that he (and any of our fans) can roll out in style.

It’s important to remember that outside of the major esports like Counter-Strike and League of Legends, there are countless other esports made up of people who are just as passionate about competing in their favorite titles as those who play to sold-out arenas. Though it’s Wirtual’s hope that someday, TrackMania can make it to the upper echelon of esports titles, too. 

“I've always believed that the only reason TrackMania was ever a small game was because people hadn't yet discovered how great it is,” he said. “And I think the same goes for the esports scene. There's a lot of incredible stories that haven't been told from the small world of TrackMania esports, and of course, many will be created each year from now. If you tell a great story and give the fans a reason to care for each tournament, they will.”

The passion and dedication that the TrackMania community displays is what has always been one of Team Liquid’s pillars, which is why we’re thrilled to add TrackMania to the ever-growing list of games we compete in. If you’re looking to get into the game, we’ll be competing in the Elite Cup starting February 14 at 5PM CET, which you can watch on Twitch. Make sure to follow along for further updates, and welcome Epos to the Liquid family!