Moritz Löhner new champion of the Porsche Esports Carrera Cup
The final round of the Porsche Esports Carrera Cup Deutschland was contested on Saturday. On the virtual version of the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, sim racer Moritz Löhner (Porsche Zentrum Bamberg) won both events and secured the Esports Carrera Cup title. After a spirited duel, Néstor García (Spain/Porsche Zentrum Regensburg) and Laurin Heinrich (Porsche Zentrum Hannover) scored second and third place respectively. Spectators watching the YouTube broadcast were treated to gripping races with spectacular overtaking manoeuvres on the Raceroom simulation platform. Prize money totalling 15,000 euro delighted the esports racers: Löhner received 7,000 euro for first place, García took home 5,000 euro with Heinrich pocketing 3,000 euro.
Just one day before the finale, participants were informed of the racetrack on which the final round would be contested. On the high-speed circuit of Monza, Löhner immediately got into his stride and secured pole position in qualifying. At the wheel of his golden Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, he catapulted off the line at the start and pulled clear of his pursuers. Taking up the race from the second grid spot, García spearheaded the hunting pack. Behind the Spaniard, a turbulent scene unfolded. After 30 minutes, Heinrich, who had started from seventh, took the flag in third place. Nikodem Wisniewski (Poland/Porsche Zentrum Niederbayern), Florian Hasse (Porsche Zentrum Schwarzwald-Baar) and Leon Rüdinger (Porsche Zentrum Leipzig) followed him over the line in fourth, fifth and sixth.
In the second race, Löhner again took the lead but came under attack from García over the 30-minute race duration. Wisniewski swept past Heinrich in the first few metres and settled into position three ahead of the 19-year-old. Heinrich made repeated attempts to get past Wisniewski, but in the last third of the race, came under pressure from Hasse running in fifth place. With three minutes left on the clock, Heinrich lost the duel against Hasse and dropped to fifth. In the chaos of the very last lap, Heinrich reasserted himself in third place.
In contrast to Löhner and García, Heinrich also competes in real racing cars. The Bavarian contests this year’s Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland for the T3 HRT Motorsport squad. In ten days, the season kicks off for the Porsche Talent Pool driver in his 485 hp Porsche 911 GT3 Cup on the legendary Le Mans racetrack.
“The final round of the Porsche Esports Carrera Cup was again packed with suspense. Moritz Löhner’s wins made him a well-deserved champion. We’re delighted that the qualification period of the series was so well received with more than 3,500 participants taking part. And we’re pleased to welcome Laurin Heinrich, an active sim racer, to the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland and the Talent Pool. Now I’m looking forward to a very special start to the real motorsport season with the Carrera Cup at Le Mans,” says Hurui Issak, Project Manager of the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland.
Points’ standings after the final races
1. Moritz Löhner (D/Porsche Zentrum Bamberg), 50 points
2. Néstor García (E/Porsche Zentrum Regensburg), 44 points
3. Laurin Heinrich (D/Porsche Zentrum Hannover), 40 points
4. Nikodem Wisniewski (PL/Porsche Zentrum Niederbayern), 36 points
5. Leon Rüdinger (D/Porsche Zentrum Leipzig), 30 points
6. Florian Hasse (D/Porsche Zentrum Schwarzwald-Baar), 28 points
7. Thorsten Ulrich (D/Porsche Zentrum Niederrhein), 21 points
8. Gianmarco Fiduci (I/Porsche Zentrum Wiesbaden), 18 points
9. Marko Pejic (D/Porsche Zentrum Chemnitz), 18 points
10. Jakub Brzezinski (PL/Porsche Zentren in Stuttgart), 17 points
11. Lucas Müller (D/Porsche Zentrum Karlsruhe), 16 points
12. Lukas Ertl (D/Porsche Zentrum Gießen), 13 points
13. Max Duhr (D/Porsche Zentrum Bayreuth), 6 points
14. Mathias Baldauf (D/Porsche Zentrum Landau), 5 points
15. Julian Hanses (D/Porsche Zentrum Mannheim), 4 points
16. Carlo Luciano Bedin (I/Porsche Zentrum Bad Homburg/Oberursel), 0 points
17. Alexander Dornieden (D/Porsche Zentren in Hamburg), 0 points