Leading drivers on board for virtual Jersey Rally

British championship front-runner James Williams is among hundreds of drivers tackling the first virtual Jersey Rally, which is being staged this weekend in lieu of the real thing.

With the 38th edition of the rally cancelled because of the pandemic, it is hoped the e-sports event will capture some of the camaraderie of the Channel Islands' biggest motorsport spectacle.

"Like everyone associated with the Jersey Rally, there was a void in our motorsport lives, so I wanted to create some buzz and bring people together to mark the event - I just couldn’t let it pass by", said organiser Ben Buesnel.

"The reaction and interest has been superb and there have been some great names expressing interest."

Williams, who will line up alongside drivers from across the islands and around the world, got a taste of virtual racing this summer, which has grown in popularity during lockdown.

"To start with I thought it was going to be a bit of fun really, but then when you put all the guys in the same car, give you one shot on the stages, the adrenaline really does pick up", Williams told ITV News, "almost your heart was racing so it is like being in a rally car".

The 12-stage virtual race, which is taking place on the Dirt Rally 2.0 platform, features four classes, including a Metro 6R4 class in memory of life-long Jersey Rally fan Mark Lowe who died from coronavirus earlier this year.

While the 52 miles of course will not be an exact replica of Jersey's maze of lanes, the stages have been selected to recreate some of the challenges crews would face and which make the real-life Jersey Rally an attractive proposition.

"I've never driven in Jersey but I would love to go over, it's very well-renowned over here and throughout the rallying community", said Williams, 21, who made the step up to the top level of the British Rally Championship this year.

"It's definitely something I'd want to do in an R5 car - I know the rally is renowned for being twisty through the villages, with changing conditions".

"It's all the tricky conditions you'd expect as a rally driver and gets you excited and gets you motivated to get involved with it all so it's certainly an event I really want to do in the future", he said.

Earlier this week it was confirmed the Jersey Rally will return on 8-9 October 2021 on the same routes as this year's event, which should have marked the centenary of the Jersey Motorcycle & Light Car Club.

• Watch: Tony Curr's report from the 2019 Jersey Rally