The third Porsche Esports Carrera Cup GB season began on Sunday 15 January with rounds one and two of the championship taking place on a virtual Silverstone Grand Prix circuit. The championship for professional sim racers introduced a new Pro and Am category split, and marked the esports debut of Porsche Carrera Cup GB Junior Adam Smalley.

2021 champion Sebastian Job got the perfect start to his campaign, taking pole position and two race wins. Job was dominant in qualifying, then fought off Jamie Moone to take victory in the opening race. In Am, newcomer Leo Gariboli narrowly missed out on category glory to Brandon Blakesley following an incident in the closing stages.

Josh Thompson led the day's second encounter until the final lap, when Job mounted a slick overtake at just the right moment to snatch his second win, crossing the line just ahead of the chasing Thompson and William Chadwick. Gariboli had the advantage in Am, recording a maiden victory and establishing himself as the driver to beat in the category.

Qualifying
The new season's professional sim racers took part in a 20-minute qualifying session, setting the grid for the day's first 25-minute race. Job was the clear pacesetter during the first part of the session. Moone gave chase as each of the drivers searched for their optimum lap time.

With less than two minutes remaining on the clock Job improved, producing a stunning lap to go six tenths of a second faster than his previous effort – it cemented his pole position, with a time of 2:00.060 which would not be beaten. Moone would join Job on the front row, while Matthew Emery and Thompson would make up the second row.

Porsche Carrera Cup GB racer Josh Malin would start an impressive sixth on his debut, with Smalley eighth as the pair transitioned to esports. In the Am category battle, Luke Pennington was the driver to beat – he would start as the highest-placed Am in tenth with his closest rival, Blakesley, starting directly behind on row six.

Race one
When the race got underway, Job managed a clean start but it was Moone who got ahead to lead into the first corner with Job forced to defend from an attacking Emery. Chadwick was another fast starter, snatching third from Emery at Aintree. However, at the back of grid there was an incident at the start line involving a slow getaway for Thomas Cope – a handful of cars made contact as a result in a cloud of virtual tyre smoke. At the front, keen to retake the lead, Job generated a successful challenge down the Hanger Straight and was back into first place by Stowe.

In Am, Gariboli enjoyed a great opening lap to lead the category in tenth overall, and a close fight for second in category quickly developed between Pennington, Blakesley and Gareth Higgins – all running line astern. At the start of the second lap, the Am trio were virtually inseparable until an incident at Village saw Higgins make contact with Pro category driver Lewis Ward, resulting in a spin for the latter. That left Blakesley second and Higgins third in Am.

With 15 minutes of the race remaining, Job enjoyed an increasingly comfortable lead – now just over a second. Meanwhile, a train of cars battled for second spot: Moone, Chadwick, Emery and Malin – the latter setting the fastest lap of the race. Soon enough Chadwick attacked Moone however, in his attempt to gain an overlap, he lost ground to Emery behind, so the order would remain unchanged for the time being.

In the second half of the race, a close scrap for eighth place developed between Jack Sedgwick, Smalley, Gariboli and Kane Halliburton. With ten minutes of the race remaining, Pro category driver Halliburton overtook Gariboli at Village with a clean move down the inside on the brakes for tenth overall. Just up the road, Thompson and Pennington fought over sixth – the position that would provide reverse grid pole position for the day's second race. Thompson pressured his rival, grabbing the spot.

With less than five minutes left, Halliburton found a route by Smalley into Stowe corner for tenth overall. Then, in the closing moments of the race, a move by Halliburton on Sedgwick resulted in contact, while Gariboli was held up in the commotion, promoting Blakesley to the Am lead. Job's dominant victory saw him joined on the overall podium by Moone and Chadwick. Blakesley, Gariboli and Higgins completed the Am category podium.

Following the race, for an incident between Adam State and Jakub Urbanczyk on the opening lap, Urbanczyk was handed a 10 second penalty to be added to his race time. Urbanczyk received a second 10 second penalty for an incident with Moakes on the second lap.

Race two
The grid for the second race was determined by reversing the top six finishing positions from race one. Thompson started on pole position with Malin alongside in second, while Emery and Chadwick formed row two with the day’s earlier winner, Job, starting sixth. When the lights went out Malin made a charge for the lead, but it was Emery who made the best start to draw alongside Thompson. The pair switched places before Thompson managed to get back ahead, and Malin slotted into second as he fought Chadwick and Emery. In Am, Daniel McAuley led Gariboli from Higgins.

Smalley began to find his feet with a move on Moone, though he was soon involved in an incident with Halliburton, resulting in damage for the Junior driver. Meanwhile, Chadwick found a way by Malin at the Vale chicane for second and, following a cautious opening lap, Job was soon up to fifth. In the Am battle, Gariboli attacked category leader McAuley as Scott Moakes went after Higgins for third – Gariboli was soon ahead of his category rivals.

With less than 15 minutes on the clock, Chadwick began attacking Thompson for the lead, two of his tyres kicking up dust down Hanger Straight, but Chadwick could not get by. As Thompson, Chadwick and Malin battled, it gave Job the opportunity to close on his rivals. Job soon passed Malin for third through the Maggotts and Becketts complex with a brave move as he closed on the race leader. In Am, McAuley was under pressure from Higgins, with Moakes just behind, but McAuley successfully defended his second place in the category.

Job moved to the inside of Chadwick at the Loop, grabbing second, leaving him four minutes to chase down Thompson for victory. Further back in the pack, the battle for the final Am category podium places grew in ferocity, with a train of four Am drivers in contention. However, attentions quickly turned back to the overall lead, and on the penultimate lap Job went to the inside of Thompson at Stowe but he was denied. This allowed Chadwick to close, making it three cars racing for victory entering the final tour.

On the last lap, Job again went to the inside of Thompson at Stowe, and they ran side-by-side through Vale, Job's tricky outside line edging him ahead. However, Thompson came back at him, clipping the curb and sliding through Club, which allowed Job to stay ahead and Chadwick to close in their race to the finish line. The three took the flag separated by just two tenths of a second: Job from Thompson and Chadwick, with Malin an impressive fourth. Gariboli stayed ahead in Am, joined on the category podium by McAuley and Moakes.

Rounds three and four of the championship take place on 29 January at Brands Hatch. Keep up to date with Porsche Esports Carrera Cup GB news via the Porsche Motorsport GB Twitter feed: twitter.com/PorscheRacesGB

Championship positions:

Pro
1st - Sebastian Job - 24
2nd - William Chadwick - 14
3rd - Josh Thompson - 11

Am
1st - Leo Gariboli - 18
2nd - Brandon Blakesley - 15
3rd - Daniel McAuley - 13