33-year-old Jan Saathoff qualified for our esports final via our mobile qualifier, Real Racing 3.

The German native will join us at the McLaren Technology Centre in December to compete for the McLaren Shadow crown.

Ahead of the finals, let’s get to know our Real Racing 3 finalist.

1. Alter ego

You may know our finalist better by his gamertag. Jan runs a YouTube channel called Speed-Junkie Online and boasts more than 7.5k subscribers. Founded in 2017, Jan posts Real Racing 3 time trials and top speed videos. As the channel gained in popularity, he started working closely with EA and the developers to be the first to receive in-game updates, which he then shares with his subscribers.

2. Real Racing

With a love for racing games, Jan has been playing Real Racing since 2013. He loves the frequent updates to cars and tracks and the fact that the game is mobile, meaning that he can play at home or on the go. However, the part he loves the most is the community. Whether it’s on Facebook or WikiRR3, Jan has made many good relationships online.

Watch the lap that gave Jan a pass to the finals Watch the lap that gave Jan a pass to the finals

3. Patriotic

Born and raised in Germany, Jan is a motorsports fan with an affinity for German drivers. Unsurprisingly, Michael Schumacher is his all-time favourite Formula 1 driver, and he makes sure to keep his fingers crossed for Sebastian Vettel as well.

4. Sky’s the limit

When asked why he wants to win McLaren Shadow, Jan explained that it could be one of his greatest achievements. He makes history with his participation in the McLaren Shadow finals as he competes with a physical disability. Jan maintains that although he is limited by his disability, he wants to show the world that anything is possible.

Make sure you follow @McLarenShadow on Twitter and Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube channel for updates both before and during the Grand Final, taking place on December 4 at 19:00 GMT.

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2 1 / 3 2 1 / 3 Meet Josh Purwien



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3 2 / 3 3 2 / 3 Meet Jan Saathoff



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