Global Esports championship approaching halfway point of the season
This coming Saturday, the Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup (PESC) will be contested on the Road Atlanta circuit in the US state of Georgia. The virtual version of the 4.088-kilometre rollercoaster racetrack is the venue for the fifth of ten races of the global Esports championship run on the iRacing simulation platform. Due to the fast and technically demanding layout, the storied circuit is one of the favourites of sim racers and “real-world” racing professionals. With its combination of twelve fast corners and long full-throttle passages as well as significant elevation differences, the conditions for gripping racing with the digital Porsche 911 GT3 Cup are ideal.
With the halfway mark fast approaching, the situation at the top of the fiercely-contested championship is tight: At the previous round in Silverstone, Joshua Rogers managed to defend his championship lead with two second places in the sprint and feature race. Driving for the Virtual Racing School team, the Australian is eager to pocket his second PESC title after 2019. So far he has 265 points to his credit. In second place sits his American teammate Mitchell deJong (227 points), who is really looking forward to his home race at Road Atlanta. The reigning champion Sebastian Job rallied in Silverstone, claiming fourth in the sprint and victory in the main event. The British sim racer, who aims to retain the title with his Red Bull Racing Esports squad, currently ranks third with an 82-point gap to the leading Rogers.
At Road Atlanta, 40 PESC sim racers contest a ten-lap sprint race on Saturday from 8.15 pm (CET). The main event over twice the distance begins at 8.45 pm. Round five of the season also includes a free practice, qualifying and warm-up session. Fans can watch the iRacing events live on Porsche’s channels YouTube (https://youtu.be/LG56dyDW1oY) and Twitch (www.twitch.tv/porsche).
Prior to this, well-known content creators from the world of Esports will showcase their skills as part of the programme. They will fight for victory with Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport. The live stream begins at 6.30 pm with the All-Star qualifying session. The two influencer events get the green light at 6.45 pm and 7.10 pm respectively.
Just one week later, the Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup will make its debut on the 4.361-kilometre Formula 1 racetrack in Montreal, Canada. The Grand Prix circuit located on the Île Notre-Dame includes roads that are normally open to everyday public traffic. One of the most notorious passages is the tight right-left chicane just before the start/finish: many prominent racing drivers have had to abandon their dream of winning after a sudden encounter with the barrier wall – hence, its well-earned nickname “Wall of Champions”.
Further information on the Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup can be found on the Porsche Newsroom, the Porsche Motorsport Hub and the Twitter account @PorscheRaces.
The schedule (all times CET)
Saturday, 20 February
6:35 – 6:45 pm: Qualifying All-Stars
6:45 – 7:00 pm: Sprint race All-Stars
7:05 – 7:10 pm: Warm-up All-Stars
7:10 – 7:30 pm: Main race All-Stars
7:45 – 8:03 pm: Free practice PESC
8:03 – 8:15 pm: Qualifying PESC
8:15 – 8:32 pm: Sprint race PESC
8:34 – 8:44 pm: Warm-up PESC
8:45 – 9:15 pm: Main race PESC
Remaining races on the 2021 calendar
27.02.2021 – Canada: Montreal (10/20 laps)
13.03.2021 – Belgium: Spa-Francorchamps (6/12 laps)
27.03.2021 – Germany: Nürburgring Nordschleife, 24h version (2/4 laps)
10.04.2021 – France: Le Mans (3/6 laps)
24.04.2021 – Italy: Monza (7/14 laps)