Sprint victory for Australia’s Dayne Warren, first place in the main race for Ayhancan Güven from Turkey: The Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup (PESC) kicked off its fourth season with top-level esport racing and gripping fights for positions. On the digital version of the 4.574-kilometre Grand Prix circuit in Germany’s Hockenheim, 35 of the world’s best sim racers from 15 countries went head-to-head in the virtual variant of the 911 GT3 Cup. The 375 kW (510 PS) one-make cup racing vehicle is based on the latest 992-generation Cup-911.

In qualifying, Coanda driver Dayne Warren clinched pole position for the nine-lap sprint race, with Charlie Collins (VRS) and Diogo C. Pinto (Team Redline) claiming the second and third grid spots. Ex-champion Sebastian Job from Great Britain (Red Bull Racing Esports) posted the fourth quickest time ahead of newcomer Quentin Vialatte from Belgium (R8G eSports) and Ayhancan Güven (Coanda). Immediately snatching the lead after the start, Warren led a quartet that was able to pull away marginally from their pursuers. Although the top four were separated by less than a second, the order remained unchanged to the finish line: Warren took the flag in first place followed by Collins, Pinto and Job. Positions five to eight went to Vialatte, Güven, the Frenchman Jeremy Bouteloup (Coanda) and Moreno Sirica from Italy (Williams Esports). With the top eight tackling the 19-lap main event in reverse order, Sirica inherited pole position, with Bouteloup lining up alongside him on the first grid row.

Moreno Sirica’s pole position joy was short-lived: In the first lap, he fell back to ninth place. Jeremy Bouteloup led the field ahead of Ayhancan Güven, Quentin Vialatte and Sebastian Job. As one of the hot favourites, Job lost all chances of a top result on lap three when he was spun in the hairpin and thrown down the field.

Meanwhile, a gripping duel for the lead unfolded between Bouteloup and Güven, with the Turkish racer ultimately grabbing the top spot in lap seven. In lap nine, Pinto also overtook the Frenchman, who continued to lose ground. The Portuguese driver then proceeded to chase down the leader – with Charlie Collins and Dayne Warren also putting the leading pair under pressure. Despite Pinto’s repeated attacks, the 2020-2021 Porsche Junior defended his top spot. The decision went down to the wire in the very last lap: Although Collins had been handed a drive-through penalty, he at-tacked Pinto, effectively giving Güven some room to breathe. The Portuguese driver lost more time when he slid from the track at the Motodrom entrance. He ultimately took the flag in fourth place. As Warren also had to take a pit drive-through penalty, victory in the main race went to Güven, with Carroll and Bouteloup claiming the other two podium steps. As the best rookie, Australian Cooper Webster (Red Bull Racing Esports) finished fifth, with Coanda driver Oskar Biksrud coming ninth at his debut event. At just 15 years of age, the Norwegian is the youngest competitor in the Por-sche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup.

After the first of ten race weekends on the Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup calendar, Ayhancan Güven leads the series with 65 points ahead of Diogo C. Pinto (63) and Graham Carroll (55).

Porsche-Junior Laurin Heinrich dominates the All-Star races
As part of the support programme, famous content creators again pitted themselves against guest drivers from real-life motorsport. Laurin Heinrich dominated both races. The new Porsche-Junior also contests the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup with the 375 kW (510 PS) 911 GT3 Cup. In the first Hockenheim sprint, he relegated Tyson “Quirkitized” Meier and Borja Zazo to second and third. As the winner, the German had to start race two from the back of the grid but quickly worked his way up the order. After a thrilling three-way fight with Emily “Emree“ Jones and the Brazilian IndyCar driver and Indianapolis-500 winner Tony Kanaan, Heinrich again swept into the lead in the eighth of 15 laps. The Australian came second ahead of Zazo.

Racing continues in 14 days: Barcelona hosts round two
Round two of this year’s Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup will be contested on 19 February, with the 35 digital Cup-911 racers tackling the Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya. The Grand Prix circuit on the outskirts of the Spanish metropolitan city already hosted the global esports championship run on the iRacing simulation platform in 2020 and 2021. Last year, Sebastian Job won the main race. The sim racers face special challenges on the 4.655-kilometre circuit when it comes to driving and finding the ideal setup for their virtual Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. The distinctive corner combinations – some of which are blind – require driving prowess and a lot of experience. The sprint is contested over nine laps with the main race run over double the distance. Famous influencers from the esports world will again compete at Barcelona, where they will fight for victory in two All-Star races.

Online voting: Which racetrack will host the PESC on 5 March?
Fans and followers of the Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup can directly influence the schedule of the digital one-make cup: via online voting in the Porsche Motorsport Hub (https://motorsports.porsche.com), they decide where round three will be held on the first Saturday in March. The list of choices includes tradition-steeped racetracks such as Watkins Glen (USA) and Interlagos (Brazil) as well as the street circuit at Long Beach (USA) and the Hungaroring in Hungary. Voting began during the PESC season-opener at Hockenheim and runs until the start of the Barcelona races – with the result finalised during the event on the Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya.

Comments after the race
Ayhancan Güven (TR/Coanda): “I won a couple of races in the real-life Supercup. Now I’ve claimed my first victory in the virtual edition – that’s crazy. I don’t think I was the fastest today but the reverse grid gave me the opportunity in the main race. I drove smart, I defended hard, and I got the win! Unfortunately, as soon as my real racing season starts there will be some date clashes. So I may have to miss some races of the Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup. Still, I’ll keep practicing and try to help my teammates.”

Graham Carroll (GB/Red Bull Racing Esports): “It took a lot of patience to reach the podium. Some of the other drivers went over the incident limit, others had problems on the track. Suddenly I was on P2. It’s great to have Cooper Webster as the third driver with Sebastian Job and me. He’s on the same pace, so we can learn from each other.”

Jeremy Bouteloup (F/Coanda): “Unfortunately, I couldn’t hold on to the lead. While braking for the hairpin, I got hit from behind and almost lost the car. After several slight contacts and especially in terms of track limits, I didn’t want to risk a drive-through penalty. So, I got a little bit nervous and tried to keep out of trouble. I’m glad to finish in P3.”

Dayne Warren (AUS/Coanda): “Everyone in the team worked really hard to be up front. We’re all focussed on winning and being the best team. So far it’s worked out perfectly.”

Laurin Heinrich (D): “I want to thank Porsche for inviting me to this event – going up against someone like Tony Kanaan is something very special. I know the Hockenheimring from real-life racing. I have to say that the virtual Porsche 911 GT3 Cup of the new 992-generation is closer to the real racing car than its predecessor.”

Results
Hockenheim, sprint race
1. Dayne Warren (AUS/Coanda)
2. Charlie Collins (UK/VRS)
3. Diogo C. Pinto (P/ Team Redline)
4. Sebastian Job (GB/Red Bull Racing Esports)
5. Quentin Vialatte (B/R8G eSports)

Hockenheim, main race
1. Ayhancan Güven (TR/Coanda)
2. Graham Carroll (GB/Red Bull Racing Esports)
3. Jeremy Bouteloup (F/Coanda)
4. Diogo C. Pinto (P/Team Redline)
5. Cooper Webster (AUS/Red Bull Racing Esports)

Points’ standings after 1 of 10 championship races
1. Ayhancan Güven (TR/Coanda), 65 points
2. Diogo C. Pinto (P/Team Redline), 63 points
3. Graham Carroll (GB/Red Bull Racing Esports), 55 point