The penultimate weekend of Porsche Esports Carrera Cup GB took place at a digital Donington Park on Sunday 16 April, just one week ahead of the opening races of the 2023 Sprint Challenge GB and Carrera Cup GB seasons – also at the Leicestershire circuit. A total of 19 professional sim racers in two categories – Pro and Am – raced online around a laser scanned rendition of the full 2.5-mile Grand Prix circuit.

Sebastian Job arrived needing just two points to secure a milestone second title. The 2021 champion took pole position and delivered a peerless lights-to-flag victory in the weekend's first race, provisionally crowning him as the championship's first double champion. Am category pacesetter, Luke Pennington, ran as high as second overall before settling for third. Meanwhile, category championship leader Leo Gariboli saw his points lead narrowed following a difficult race.

2022 Porsche Carrera Cup GB podium finisher, Josh Malin, took advantage of reverse grid pole position in the weekend's second race, successfully fending off his rivals. Malin's historic win is the first time a Carrera Cup GB driver has taken Esports Carrera Cup GB victory. Gariboli suffered a second difficult race, forcing him to watch Am championship rival Gareth Higgins secure category glory, the result establishing a winner-takes-all weekend at the Brands Hatch finalé.

Qualifying
Job was the early pacesetter in qualifying, but his benchmark time of 1:27.629 was soon beaten by Jamie Moone with a 1:27.443. Jack Sedgwick was usurped from third overall by charging Am driver Pennington, with Higgins and Adam Cox giving chase in the Am battle. Having topped the day's earlier practice session, Matt Emery sat fifth just behind Sedgwick.

With less than two minutes of the session remaining, Job hit back with a time of 1:27.268 – 0.776 seconds quicker than Moone's earlier effort and good enough to secure his seventh consecutive pole position of the season, maintaining his unbroken run. Moone would join Job on the front row with an impressive Pennington third – the highest placed Am driver.

Race one
As Job led in the run to the first corner there was an incident for James Parker from 15th on the grid. He speared off towards the infield and made contact with the barriers, Am championship leader Gariboli getting caught up in the incident. Back at the front of the race, Pennington moved forwards into second as Moone fell backwards, the latter battling alongside Sedgwick in the early part of the opening lap. Sedgwick emerged ahead with Moone slotting into fourth. Job pulled a gap in the lead while Sedgwick recovered to attack Pennington. However, he soon lost momentum and fell back into the clutches of Moone.

After the race settled down, a fierce battle for ninth overall intensified between Oli Peacock, Higgins, Adam State and Scott Moakes – the three Am drivers chasing Pro driver, Peacock. A second close scrap was the developing dice between Moone and William Chadwick for fourth, Moone forced to drive defensively as he held off Chadwick's advances. With 13 minutes of the race remaining, Leon Penn dropped down the order, losing three places in just two corners before recovering his composure. This allowed Malin to move up to sixth – the all-important reverse grid pole position spot – with Emery grabbing seventh.

In the closing stages of the race, the fight for second intensified between five cars. Pennington was holding off Sedgwick, Moone and Chadwick, with Malin slightly adrift. With six minutes remaining on the clock, Chadwick attacked Moone for fourth, opting for the inside line at the Fogarty Esses and again at the Melbourne Hairpin where he completed the pass. Moone immediately fought back at Goddards, the pair running side-by-side towards Redgate where there was contact, Chadwick staying ahead. In their battle for eighth place, Higgins engaged in a fight with Peacock, but in the melee a recovering Penn took advantage to overtake Higgins for eighth overall.

An untroubled Job crossed the finish line first to take his record tenth win of the season, and to be crowned provisional 2023 champion. Sedgwick passed Pennington for second at the line, leaving Chadwick to complete the Pro category podium. The top three in Am were Pennington, Higgins and State. Gariboli took the flag in P17, a difficult race damaging his Am category championship chances.

Race two
The grid for the second race was determined by reversing the top six finishing positions from race one. Pole sitter, Malin, maintained his lead at the first corner but once again there was drama in the middle of the pack, Peacock making contact with the wall. Emery and Job engaged in a close spat, Job initially getting ahead before Emery re-passed the newly-crowned champion, one of two places gained by Emery in the early part of the race. When Sedgwick ran wide, Job was slowed and dropped back to sixth as a result. Further into the opening lap Cox ran wide and Eric Grove left the circuit at the Fogarty Esses, while Gariboli and Jacob Tofts made contact at the Melbourne Hairpin.

As Malin maintained his lead, Moone and Chadwick gave chase. Pennington was leading Am again in an impressive fourth overall, Higgins second in the Am category order with State running third. With 19 minutes of racing remaining, Pennington was forced to slow, allowing Higgins by for the Am lead. State looked to follow Higgins through but Pennington successfully defended, retaining eighth spot overall. With his main Am championship rival leading the category, a recovering Gariboli passed Moakes for P13.

In the final 10 minutes of the race, Malin came under increasing pressure from Moone, Chadwick, Emery and Job for the lead. Chadwick forced Moone to go defensive, attempting challenges at the Fogarty Esses and again at the Melbourne Hairpin. At the same time, Job pounced on Emery at the Hairpin, completing his move for fourth by the time they arrived at Goddards. However, Emery fought back in the run down the Wheatcroft Straight, pulling alongside into Redgate, but by the time the pair reached the Craner Curves Job was back ahead.

With three minutes remaining of the timed race, Chadwick overtook Moone for second at the Hairpin before setting off after Malin, now 1.1 seconds clear at the front. Job was next to pass Moone, Emery soon finding a route through too, making the new order at the front Malin from Chadwick, Job, Emery and Moone. Pushing hard, Chadwick set the fastest lap of the race – a 1:28.285 – to arrive on Malin's rear wing during the final lap of the race. However, was he not close enough to strike before the flag.

Malin's historic win is the first time a Porsche Carrera Cup GB driver has taken an Esports Carrera Cup GB victory. A delighted Malin was joined on the virtual Pro category podium by Chadwick and Job. Higgins, State and Pennington formed the Am category podium. With his Donington points haul, Higgins has moved to within two points of Gariboli in the Am category standings ahead of the final two races of the season.

Following the race, for an incident between Moone and Job on lap 16, five seconds was added to the race time of Job. This relegated Job to P7 and promoted Emery to the final Pro category podium position.

One weekend now remains on the 2023 Esports calendar. The final races take place at the challenging Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit on 30 April, just one week before the second race weekend for Carrera Cup GB, also at the Kent circuit. Keep up to date with Porsche Esports Carrera Cup GB news via the Porsche Motorsport GB Twitter feed: twitter.com/PorscheRaces_GB And via Instagram: instagram.com/PorscheRaces_GB

Championship positions:

Pro
1st - Sebastian Job - 141
2nd - William Chadwick - 100
3rd - Matt Emery - 79

Am
1st - Leo Gariboli - 103
2nd - Gareth Higgins - 101
3rd - Luke Pennington - 83