Diogo C. Pinto has extended his points’ lead in the Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup (PESC) after scoring second in the main race on the Red Bull Ring. For the Porsche24 Team Redline driver, the 10-lap sprint proved disappointing, however in the feature race over double the distance, the Spaniard worked his way back into the top group with a nail-biting charge through the field. Victory on the Austrian Grand Prix circuit went to Britain’s Sebastian Job (Oracle Red Bull Racing Esports). For the 2020 PESC champion, this was the third win of the season with the virtual variant of the 375 kW (510 PS) Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. In the shorter sprint race run on the iRacing simulation platform, Charlie Collins claimed victory.

As the fastest in qualifying, Collins took up the race from pole position. However, in the sprint to the first corner, the VRS driver had to relinquish the lead to Kevin Ellis jr. The British sim racer had lined up alongside his fellow countryman on the first grid row. On the long approach to Turn 3, Collins countered this mistake and brought home a safe win – notching up his first victory in the PESC. Second place went to Apex Racing driver Ellis ahead of the Australian Oracle Red Bull Racing Esports driver Cooper Webster, as the fastest rookie. Positions four to seven were occupied by Matti Sipilä (KOVA Esports) from Finland, Sebastian Job, Zac Campbell (VRS) and Jordan Caruso from Australia (Logitech G Altus Esports). The all-important eighth place was claimed by Belgium’s Julien Soenen from the R8G eSports team: Since the top eight start in the reverse order for the second race, the newcomer was delighted with pole position.

The second race over 20 laps began with a bang: Zac Campbell headed into the race from P3 on the grid but lost control of his car at the exit of the first corner. As he spun, the American took out several drivers behind him, including his teammate David Williams and Graham Carrol (Oracle Red Bull Racing Esports). Soenen benefited from the chaos and eked out a small gap over Job, Sipilä, Webster and Ellis jr, followed by Collins and Diogo C. Pinto. The Portuguese driver, who tackled round five of the season as the points’ leader, launched his charge through the pack promptly at the halfway mark, which saw him catapult to third place by the 17th lap. Now, only Soenen and Job were in front of him. When Job’s outbraking manoeuvre succeeded against the rookie, Pinto also swept past the Belgian. In the last two laps, the battle for the first three positions continued. Ultimately, Job came out on top against the Portuguese driver to celebrate his third win of the season. Soenen lost ground after contact with Pinto and finished sixth behind Collins, Ellis jr. and Sipilä.

After five of ten races, Diogo C. Pinto’s result was enough for him to extend his championship lead. He now lies 38 points ahead of Sebastian Job, who is separated by just two points from third-placed Kevin Ellis Jr. (235 points).

Casey Kirwan wins both All-Star races in Austria
Content Creators from the world of esports again contested two All-Star races in Austria as part of the PESC support programme. All sim racers drove the 313 kW (425 PS) Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport. Jaroslav “Jardier” Honzik dominated the qualifying but fell back to fourth place after the start of the first race over eleven laps. Guest starter Casey Kirwan took the lead, however the 17-year-old American had his hands full fending off his pursuer Emily “Emree” Jones, with the pair delivering breathtaking door-to-door duels. In the eighth lap, the Australian even managed to briefly snatch the top spot – only to have Kirwan grab his chance to reclaim it. Third place went Xabier “Heikki360ES” Sanchez from Spain, after catching and overtaking the American Matt Malone.

For the start of the second race, the influencers lined up on the grid in reverse order of the previous race results – an advantage that Tyson „Quirkitized“ Meier made the most of: After a spin, the American was classified last. Now, he was on pole position and promptly took the lead. After a tumultuous first lap, a new order quickly emerged: Emily Jones was back in second place followed by Kirwan, Borja Zazo and “Jardier“ Honzik. However, in lap nine, Meier made a braking error in Turn 3 and lost the lead to Kirwan. A gripping three-way fight for victory then unfolded, with the American youngster ultimately crossing the finish line first. In the final metres, “Emree” Jones made a daring manoeuvre to snatch second place from “Quirkitized”.

Halfway through the season after five of ten rounds, Meier ranks first with a seven-point advantage over Jones. Zazo, Honzik and Sanchez occupy positions three to five.

The PESC heads to the island of Île Notre-Dame in Montreal
In 14 days, the Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup heads into the second half of the season on the Formula 1 circuit in Montreal, Canada. Part of the 4.361-kilometre racetrack on Notre Dame Island consists of roads that are normally open to everyday traffic. One of the best-known passages is the tight right-left chicane before the start-finish line: The dreams of victory for many famous racing drivers have been shattered on the barrier walls, hence its name “Wall of Champions”. On the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, sim racers tackle a ten-lap sprint and a feature event over double the distance.

In Canada, too, famous influencers and content creators from the esports racing scene will contest two All-Star races as part of a support programme. Like in Silverstone and at the Red Bull Ring, they will drive the digital version of the 313 kW (425 PS) Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport. The All-Star live stream begins on 9 April at 7.30 pm (CEST) with the qualifying session. The two influencer races get the green light at 7.45 pm and 8.05 pm respectively. The Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup race action will begin at about 9.15 pm.

Fans can watch the iRacing action live online via Porsche’s channels on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/c/Porsche) and Twitch (http://www.twitch.tv/porsche). Further information on the Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup can be found on the Porsche Motorsport Hub, Porsche Newsroom and the Twitter account @PorscheRaces, @Porschesport.

Comments after the races
Casey Kirwan (USA):“I’m happy to have won both races today. The feature race was particularly fun. The start reminded me of my NASCAR races: Everybody kept making moves and we went four-wide into the corners. I had some good battles with Emily ‘Emree’ Jones and Tyson ‘Quirkitized’ Meier. It was really tough to fend them off.”

Charlie Collins (GB/VRS): “To be honest, I’m relieved and quite surprised to have won the sprint. My season hasn’t been great so I’m really happy with this win. The feature race was good as well with third at the finish starting from eighth position. I’m happy to have survived this race because I had to fight a lot. My car was understeering, especially in the slipstream of other cars.”

Sebastian Job (GB/Oracle Red Bull Racing Esports): “I’m a bit out of breath, to be honest. That was a crazy race. My qualifying pace wasn’t strong and my race pace wasn’t that great either. It took me a long time to catch up and overtake the guys in front of me. I think I’ve never felt so relieved to cross the finish line first, especially because Diogo Pinto was insanely fast behind me. It was really hard work to hold him off.”

Diogo C. Pinto (P/Porsche24 Team Redline): “I made some mistakes in the sprint, but I’m happy with the feature race. I had a nice fight with Sebastian Job in the end. With a bit of luck, I might have gotten passed him. Hopefully, there will be more of these results to come. Compared to my rookie season last year, I got quicker and smarter in the races. Finally, I am where I want to be. I’m driving for the championship.”

Results
Red Bull Ring, sprint race
1. Charlie Collins (GB/VRS)
2. Kevin Ellis jr. (GB/Apex Racing Team)
3. Cooper Webster (AUS/Oracle Red Bull Racing Esports)
4. Matti Sipilä (FIN/KOVA Esports)
5. Sebastian Job (GB/Red Bull Racing Esports)

Red Bull Ring, main race
1. Sebastian Job (GB/Red Bull Racing Esports)
2. Diogo C. Pinto (P/Team Redline)
3. Charlie Collins (GB/VRS)
4. Kevin Ellis jr. (GB/Apex Racing Team)
5. Matti Sipilä (FIN/KOVA Esports)

Points’ standings after 5 or 10 championship rounds
1. Diogo C. Pinto (P/Team Redline), 275 points
2. Sebastian Job (GB/Red Bull Racing Esports), 237 points
3. Kevin Eliis jr (GB/Apex Racing Team), 235 points