Porsche's iRacing Cup Takes Motorsports to a New Virtual Platform

Narrowing Down

In these current times, motorsports (and most other activities) are stuck in a holding pattern. But racing fans aren't completely out of luck, as Porsche's Esports Championship has been chugging along in an effort to assemble the best sim racers from around the world via their Porsche iRacing Cup qualification procedure. Now, after two-and-a-half months of competition, that field has been narrowed down to 40 of the best drivers from 14 different countries around the globe.

Photos: Porsche 

Perfect Mix

A total of 20 racers secured their spot via this new process, including 22-year-old Formula 1 driver Max Verstappen. The other half of the grid consists of the top 20 competitors from the 2019 season, including last year’s champion, Joshua Rogers from Australia.

Photos: Porsche 

>>Join the conversation about the virtual iRacing Cup right here in the Rennlist forum.

Virtual Schedule

The new season of the digital racing series is scheduled to begin May 2 at the virtual Circuit Zandvoort on the Dutch North Sea coast. This year, drivers will compete for a total of $200,000 in prize money. The Esports Supercup operates on the iRacing platform once again this year, with a total of ten events scheduled to take place.

Photos: Porsche 

>>Join the conversation about the virtual iRacing Cup right here in the Rennlist forum.

Spectator Sport

Despite the fact that it's entering only its second year, this virtual cup has already attracted quite a following. "Last year we added sim racing to our motorsport family," said Marco Ujhasi, Manager of Esports at Porsche Motorsport. "We’ve set ourselves the goal of professionalizing virtual motor racing and developing it into an exciting spectator sport. In the current situation, we’re attracting a huge following. The Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup with the world’s best (sim) racers offers authentic, entertaining racing at the highest sporting level – which is precisely what motorsport fans want."

Photos: Porsche 

>>Join the conversation about the virtual iRacing Cup right here in the Rennlist forum.

Winning Trio

A whopping 5,000 participants took part in the qualifying races for the Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup this year. Joining Max Verstappen (Team Redline) from the Netherlands on the grid this season is the 20-year-old title defender Joshua Rogers (VRS Coanda Simsport) from Gladstone, Australia, 25-year-old Maximilian Benecke (D/Team Redline), and Sebastian Job (GB/Red Bull Racing Esports Team) from Britain’s East Grinstead. This trio claimed the top three overall spots in 2019.

Photos: Porsche 

>>Join the conversation about the virtual iRacing Cup right here in the Rennlist forum.

Snagging Points

Each of the ten events consists of five sessions. A 2-minute long free practice is followed by a 12-minute qualifying session run as an individual time trial, a sprint race over 15 minutes, a 10-minute warm-up, and the 30-minute main race. Drivers earn points towards the championship from both races. Victory in the sprint event is rewarded with 25 points, with the winner of the main event receiving double the points. The top five qualifiers also receive additional points. The pole-sitter earns ten points for the overall classification.

Photos: Porsche 

>>Join the conversation about the virtual iRacing Cup right here in the Rennlist forum.

Equally Compelling

Even though it's entirely virtual, Porsche's iRacing series is most certainly entertaining to watch. And arguably just as competitive as the real thing. You can find more information on this exciting new sim racing series at Porsche's official motorsports site, as well as find up-to-the-minute updates on all of the automaker's many racing endeavors.

Photos: Porsche 

>>Join the conversation about the virtual iRacing Cup right here in the Rennlist forum.

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