Alejandro Sanchez has won the main race of the Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup (PESC) in Silverstone, thus repeating his feat at the same venue in 2020. Driving for the Team SDK Gaming, the Spaniard took up the race from pole position and initially defended his top spot. At one point, however, he had to let Charlie Collins (VRS) overtake but reclaimed his lead in the final phase. The winner of the sprint race on the 5.891-kilometre Grand Prix circuit is Sebastian Job. The Red Bull Racing Esports driver relegated Germany’s Maximilian Benecke (Team Redline) to position two. Round four of the international esports one-make cup run on the iRacing simulation platform is contested with the digital variant of the latest Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.

For Sebastian Job, the Silverstone sprint race must have felt like déjà vu from the previous PESC event in Sao Paulo: Again, the British sim racer set the fastest qualifying time and took up the seven-lap sprint from pole position with rival Maximilian Benecke glued to his bumper. However, the Frankfurt racer found no way past the 2020 champion and had to settle for second. He was followed over the line by Benecke’s Portuguese Redline teammate Diogo C. Pinto, the American VRS driver Zac Campbell, Dayne Warren (AUS/Coanda), Graham Carroll (Red Bull Racing Esports) from Scotland and Charlie Collins.

The all-important eighth place went to Alejandro Sanchez: This meant that the Spaniard could tackle the main race over 14 laps from the front of the grid. He made the most of his advantage and held the lead spot in his 375 kW (510 PS) Cup-911. In the third lap, however, he had to let Collins pass – but not for long: The British sim racer only enjoyed his place at the head of the field until the tenth lap. With a clever move, Sanchez then squeezed past and took the flag in first place by a margin of 0.284 seconds. Campbell, Pinto, Benecke and Job followed in positions three to six.

For Diogo C. Pinto, these results are enough for him to defend his championship lead with 218 points after four of ten race weekends on the Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup calendar. Zac Campbell moves into second place with 198 points ahead of the British Apex Racing Team driver Kevin Ellis Jr. (168).

17-year-old guest driver impresses in the All-Stars race
Jaroslav “Jardier“ Honzik scored victory in the first of the two All-Star races in Silverstone. Putting in an audacious manoeuvre at the wheel of a 313 kW (425 PS) Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport, the content creator from the Czech Republic swept past Tyson “Quirkitized” Meier, Emily “Emree” Jones and guest driver Casey Kirwan to snatch the lead. Kirwan was eventually disqualified from the race after amassing too many penalty points.

The 17-year-old Kirwan from North America took it all in his stride: For the second race in the “Home of British Motorsports”, the influencers from the esports scene lined up on the grid in reverse order of the result from the previous race – this relegated Kirwan to the fourth grid spot. In the fifth of 13 laps, the US youngster snatched the lead and proceeded to fend off “Quirkitized” to the flag. Behind them came Xabier “Heikki360ES” Sanchez, Dan “Suzuki” Sosulski and Matt Malone. Honzik, as the race 1 winner, managed to plough from the back of the field to fourth place. After a scuffle in the pack, however, “Jardier” was handed a drive-through penalty and finished the race in seventh place. Bad luck also hampered the defending champion Emily Jones: After a spirited charge through the field, the Australian spun and had to retire. In the drivers’ standings, the gap to “Quirkitized” Meier has increased to 26 points. The Spaniard Borja Zazo remains on third place.

Fifth PESC round takes sim racers to Styria for the first time
The Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup continues at sprint pace: In just one week, the international sim racing one-make cup heads to the Red Bull Ring in Austria to contest the fifth of this season’s ten rounds. The PESC makes its debut on the 4.318-kilometre Formula 1 racetrack in Austria’s picturesque Styria region. There, the 35-strong field and their virtual 911 GT3 Cup racers will tackle a 10-lap sprint race and a main race over double the distance.

Famous influencers and content creators from the esports racing scene will contest two All-Star races as part of a support programme. Like in Silverstone, they will drive the digital version of the 313 kW (425 PS) Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport. The All-Star live stream begins at 6.30 pm (CET) with the qualifying session. The two influencer races get the green light at 6.45 pm and 7.05 pm respectively. The Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup race action will begin at about 8.15 pm.

Fans can watch the iRacing action live online via Porsche’s channels on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/c/Porsche) and Twitch (http://www.twitch.tv/porsche).

Comments after the races
Casey Kirwan (USA), winner All-Star main race: “I hadn’t raced the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport much before. So I somehow completely forgot that the car had an ABS braking system. That’s why I kept running over other drivers under braking during the sprint race. Consequently, I was disqualified. Luckily I could start from row two for the main race. I was up against the fastest drivers again, but this time I was ahead of them. Overall, my first appearance in the series was a lot of fun.”

Sebastian Job (GB/Red Bull Racing Esports): “I was a little worried when I saw the warm-up times of the others. But I managed to get pole position and win my second sprint race of the year. I had a great fight with Max Benecke, who was really fast, but I think he had a little bit more wing than me. That makes it very difficult to overtake at this track and I could hold him off.”

Alejandro Sanchez (E/SDK Gaming): “I had some really bad luck over the last months, so hopefully this phase is over now. I dedicate this victory to my father, because in Spain we celebrate Fathers’ Day today. He was very supportive of my sim racing career, so I’m really thankful for that.”

Charlie Collins (GB/VRS): “This season so far was quite tough for me. I didn’t get a clear run. Instead I had some crashes, which I could avoid last year. But I’m pleased because finally I managed to give the team a result.”

Zac Campbell (USA/Coanda): “It was a solid race for me. Silverstone is one of my worst tracks, so I’m happy to finish third. I wish I was a little quicker, but it didn’t work out. Overall, a really good day for the team. The hours we’re putting in are paying off. Now I’m really looking forward to the next race at Red Bull Ring.”

Results
Silverstone, sprint race
1. Sebastian Job (Red Bull Racing Esports)
2. Maximilian Benecke (D/Team Redline)
3. Diogo C. Pinto (P/Team Redline)
4. Zac Campbell (USA/VRS)
5. Dayne Warren (AUS/Coanda)

Silverstone, main race
1. Alejandro Sanchez (E/SDK Gaming)
2. Charlie Collins (GB/VRS)
3. Zac Campbell (USA/VRS)
4. Diogo C. Pinto (P/Team Redline)
5. Maximilian Benecke (D/Team Redline)

Points’ standings after 4 or 10 championship rounds
1. Diogo C. Pinto (P/Team Redline), 218 points
2. Zac Campbell (USA/VRS), 198 points
3. Kevin Ellis Jr. (GB/Apex Racing Team), 168 points