Double victory at the finale: Maximilian Benecke is the new esports champion
A perfect ending to the Porsche Esports Carrera Cup Deutschland season for Maximilian Benecke: The German won both races on Sunday at the final event on the iRacing simulation platform and was crowned the new champion. “It was a tough season because Diogo Pinto and I were neck-in-neck right up until the final event. This makes my victory even sweeter,” says Benecke after the doubleheader on the digital version of the Spanish Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The three best-placed drivers in the final rankings are awarded a total of 25,000 Euros in prize money: Benecke earns 12,000 Euros for the overall victory, Diogo Pinto (Portugal) takes home 8,000 Euros for second place and Christopher Dambietz (Germany) receives 5,000 Euros for third.
A total of 21 sim racers lined up on the starting grid in their Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars (Gen. 991.2) to tackle the season finale. The limelight was on the title duel between championship leader Benecke and his pursuer Pinto. In the first race, polesitter Benecke set the stage for a preliminary decision when he made a perfect getaway to take the lead and scored a convincing win over Dambietz and Alexander Thiebe (Germany). The two British sim racers Dylan Scrivens and David Williams followed in fourth and fifth place. Pinto, however, was hampered by bad luck. After a collision on the first lap, the 19-year-old hot contender for the title had to park his vehicle in the pits early.
In the second race, many drivers took a higher risk. Viewers watching via live stream on the YouTube channel of the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland and Porsche’s official Twitch account witnessed a gripping race with Benecke emerging as the lights-to-flag winner. The 27-year-old again beat Dambietz. “I defended third place in the overall standings, that was my goal. At the beginning of the season, I wasn’t able to achieve great results, otherwise I might’ve been able to do more,” explains Dambietz. Pinto made an impressive charge through the field – the Portuguese powered from 21st on the grid to take the flag in third. Williams crossed the finish line in fourth, with fifth place going to Simon Amoser (Switzerland).
Season three of the Porsche Esports Carrera Cup Deutschland consisted of 16 races in total. Benecke not only topped the overall rankings but also won most of the races (nine wins). In addition to the two championship races, the final event also included two show races with well-known online gamers. These content creators drove the current version of the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (Gen. 992), which was recently added to iRacing. Dan Suzuki won both races.
“The finale wraps up a great season for the Porsche Esports Carrera Cup Deutschland. Congratulations to Maximilian Benecke, who earned the title with two victories at the last event. After the virtual racing, we return to the real cockpit next weekend. There’ll be some nail-biting decisions in the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland. Three classifications will be decided and a champion will be crowned,” says Hurui Issak, Project Manager Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland.
Result race 15, Porsche Esports Carrera Cup Deutschland
1. Maximilian Benecke (Germany)
2. Christopher Dambietz (Germany)
3. Alexander Thiebe (Germany)
4. Dylan Scrivens (Great Britain)
5. David Williams (Great Britain)
Result race 16, Porsche Esports Carrera Cup Deutschland
1. Maximilian Benecke (Germany)
2. Christopher Dambietz (Germany)
3. Diogo Pinto (Portugal)
4. David Williams (Great Britain)
5. Simon Amoser (Switzerland)
Standings after 16 of 16 races*
1. Maximilian Benecke (Germany), 737 points
2. Diogo Pinto (Portugal), 681 points
3. Christopher Dambietz (Germany), 582 points
4. David Williams (Great Britain), 513 points
5. Ricardo Ferreira (Portugal), 382 points
*Overall standings: www.peccd.racespot.live/standings