Category: Senza categoria

Mother nature came out to play at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, as heavy rain fell over the 14-turn road course and provided very delicate track conditions for the drivers to contend with. The final round of the Mobileye GTWC Esports America Sprint Series championship was filled with twists and turns, and in the end it was Jyeed Hutchinson who won in the Pro class, with Leandro Werle taking the win in the Silver class.

After his dominant and consistent performances all season long, Igor De Oliveira Rodrigues secured the Pro Class championship title with Williams Esports, and Cody Sherratt took home the top spot in the Silver Class championship with Genisus Esports.

It was Fidel Moreira who claimed pole position in the Pro Class and kept it clean as the race went green and the field hurried their way into the first corner. He was followed by Vinny Oliviera in the No. 72 Asetek SimSports Visceral Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3.

Igor De Oliveira Rodrigues ran into some early challenges after nearly running off the track under slippery conditions in his No. 124 Audi R8 LMS Evo II. He was further handed a 5 second penalty after causing a collision in the qualifying session earlier in the day. Meanwhile, Jyeed Hutchinson was on the charge in his No. 26 Automobili Lamborghini Esport Team Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo2. After qualifying 6th in class, he quickly began moving up the field and began to challenge the frontrunners after only 5 minutes of running.

The rain subsided with 40 minutes remaining, lining up with the very same moment the pit window opened. However, as the clouds continued to loom overhead, the track was drying slowly, with drivers having to gamble on tire strategies under damp conditions until the sun finally came out in full force.

As cars returned to the track following the pit stop cycle, Hutchinson pulled off the undercut perfectly and swooped into the lead as Moreira exited pit lane. As Hutchinson began to drive away and build a gap, Moreira found himself tangled in a battle with a Silver class competitor as Leandro Werle completed a faster pit stop and got the jump on him.

Hutchinson went on the cross the finish line to claim the final win of the season in style, followed by Moreria in second place, who also set the fastest lap of the race, with Oliveira following suit in third place.

In the Silver category, it was Leandro Werle who started on the front row in his No. 40 Arnage Competition Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3, claiming pole position in class in addition to the second-fastest qualifying time overall. He had a healthy gap separating him from the next closest Silver class competitor, with the likes of Cody Sherratt in the No. 22 Genisus Esports Ferrari 296 GT3 running fifth overall for the majority of the race.

Sherratt opted to pit first, swapping over to slick tires for the remaining half of the race. Werle followed suit a few laps later, and momentarily held the overall lead of the race before resuming position.

Werle went on to win the race in the Silver category, in addition to finishing second overall. Sherratt claimed second place in class and sealed the championship title. Finally, Estefano Barrera finished third in the No. 369 Asetek SimSports Visceral Ferrari 296 GT3.

• 46-car field to take on Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the fifth and final round of the American Esports season
• Intensity ramps up in 22-car Pro class field
• Sprint to the finish in 24-car Silver class championship
• ENTRY LIST: GTWC ESPORTS AMERICA SPRINT SERIES INDIANAPOLIS

The Mobileye GT World Challenge America Esport Championship field will be making their way to the infamous Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the final round of the 2023 season. 46 drivers across two classes will be taking on the Brickyard in search of securing the last remaining championship points on the line. The drivers will take on the 14-turn, 2.439 mile virtual road course layout on Saturday, September 2nd.

The prior round in Watkins Glen further proved that each and every round matters for the overall championship standings, with several changes affecting the leaderboard across both the Pro Class and the Silver Class championships. As the season comes to a close this weekend, it will be as important as ever for drivers to perform to the best of their abilities as they contend to secure their final spots in the Mobileye GTWC Esports America Sprint Series championship rankings.

Pro Class

Igor De Oliveira Rodrigues further extended his championship lead last time out in Watkins Glen, securing his fourth consecutive win of the season on board his No. 124 Audi R8 LMS Evo II. It remains to be seen whether he will be able to complete a clean sweep and add a fifth win to his collection, but his competitors will certainly be trying their best to prevent that from happening.

Jyeed Hutchinson had a strong showing in the previous round, bumping him up to second place in the championship standings. He’ll once again be driving the No. 26 Automobili Lamborghini Esport Team Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo2. However, he is closely followed by Fidel Moreira in the No. 41 Williams Esports Porsche 992 GT3 R and Renan Negrini in the No. 2 Asetek SimSports Visceral Audi R8 LMS Evo II who currently sit third and fourth in the championship. It will be an extremely tight battle between these three to determine who will emerge on top.

The rest of the spots in the Top 10 are also separated by very fine margins, with Nicolas Alvarado (No. 420 HPD JAS Pro America Honda NSX GT3 Evo), Chris Severt (No. 39 STR Esports BMW M4 GT3), Vinny Oliveira (No. 72 Asetek SimSports Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3), Skyler Loverink (No. 520 Brix Racing Ferrari 296 GT3), Cameron Martineau (No. 38 STR Esports BMW M4 GT3), and Angel Inostroza (No. 262 YAS Heat Esports Porsche 992 GT3 R) separated by just a few points between them.

Renato Dornelles sits just outside the Top 10 and will be looking to make his mark in the No. 3 Race Anywhere Simsport Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3. Daniel De Oliveira will be joining him as the remaining Aston Martin entry in the No. 33 Williams Esports Academy Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3

Aloo Gobi will be back behind the wheel of the only McLaren in the field with the No. 20 Griphax Engineering McLaren 720S GT3, with the same holding true for Gabriel Felipe in the lone No. 63 Oak Racing Team Esports Bentley Continental GT3 2018. Phelipe Roberto will be behind the wheel of the remaining Audi entry in the  No. 44 FFS Racing Audi R8 LMS Evo II, while Philippe Simard will be doing the same for Ferrari in the No. 123 FFS Racing Ferrari 296 GT3.

The Honda lineup will be completed by Josh Staffin (No. 23 Honda NSX GT3 Evo), Cardin Lu (No. 27 Honda NSX GT3 Evo), Josh McKean (No. 77 Honda NSX GT3 Evo), and Karl Wittmer (No. 93 Honda NSX GT3 Evo), all of whom represent the HPD JAS Pro America team. Meanwhile, Ed Kerstetter in the No. 28 SOP Esports Racing Porsche 992 GT3 R and Michael Kundakcioglu in the No. 56 FFS Racing car will complete the grid for Porsche.

Silver Class

The Top 3 in the Silver class championship is currently dominated by Ferrari, with Cody Sherratt in the No. 22 Genesis Esports Ferrari 296 GT3 taking the top spot, followed by Mérick Lévêque in the No. 88 Asetek SimSports Visceral team Ferrari 296 GT3 and Estefano Barrera in the No. 369 Asetek SimSports Visceral team Ferrari 296 GT3. The final Ferrari entry is accredited to Joseph Kostovich in the No. 969 Nine 4 Nine Racing Ferrari 296 GT3.

It’s a true manufacturer medley for the remaining spots in the Top 10, with Leandro Werle sitting in fourth place in the No. 40 Arnage Competition Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3. Lucas Werle will be driving the other Aston Martin entry in his No. 4 Arnage Competition Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3.

The fifth, eighth, and tenth positions in the Top 10 are currently occupied by Honda with Hamza Gulzar in the No. 14 HPD JAS Pro America Honda NSX GT3 Evo, Ayrton Stuffano in the No. 98 AFRT HPD JAS Pro America Honda NSX GT3 Evo, and Ricardo Rivera in the No. 787 Puerto Rico eRacing Club HPD JAS Pro America Honda NSX GT3 Evo. The remaining Honda entries belong to Antonio Azpiri in the No. 69 Azpiri Racing car and Kenneth Portis II in the No. 84 Roto Grip Racing machine.

Marc-Antoine Landry is sixth in the championship at the moment in the No. 711 EGT Canada Audi R8 LMS Evo II, followed by two Porsche entries with the likes of Koapono Patrick in the No. 59 Sim Racing Alliance Porsche 992 GT3 R and Nicholas DeSantis in the No. 12 ND Motorsports Porsche 992 GT3 R occupying seventh and ninth in the standings.

The rest of Porsche’s lineup will be completed by the No. 110 Team Schumiskins Porsche 992 GT3 R of Zach Doran, Timothy Flammger in the No. 19 Alpha Simsport car, Diego Paul Fimbres Casas in the No. 95 Pillars Racing / Sim Racing Alliance beast, Jordan Johnson in the No. 116 Puresims esports vehicle, and Hayden Harter in the No. 177 TSE Racing – Northstar entry.

Jonathan Clifford is also edging towards the Top 10 in his No. 999 Alpha Sim Sport Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo2, as well as Argenis Riera will be in the No. 43 Geekz Energy Simracing BMW M4 GT3. Adrien Bourdon will be aiming to close out the season on a high note in the No. 8 SOP Esports Racing Bentley Continental GT3 2018, with Pierre-Olivier Cloutier (No. 36 EGT Motorsports McLaren 720S GT3) and Bruno Yamamoto (No. 10 BraClean e-Sports Racing Team Mercedes-AMG GT3) also looking to finish strong.

Race day action on September 2nd will start off with two practice sessions in the afternoon at 13:30 ET and 14:15 ET, followed by the qualifying session at 14:25 ET. The green flag will wave for the start of the 60-minute race at 15:00 ET. The event will be streamed live via the SRO Motorsports Twitch channel and GT World YouTube channel.

• Williams Esports’ Igor De Oliveira Rodrigues two for two 
• Nicholas DeSantis Earns Silver Win 
• Results | Standings 

After winning the season opener at Laguna Seca last time out, Igor De Oliveira Rodrigues defended the top spot by taking victory at Circuit of the Americas for the second round of the Mobileye GTWC Esports America Sprint Series championship. The Williams Esports driver maneuvered his way around the Texas track with confidence, further building up his advantage in the championship standings.  

Nicholas DeSantis drove in a similar fashion in the Silver category, taking control early on and powering down the track lap after lap to take the win.

Pro Class and overall pole sitter Igor De Oliveira Rodrigues took off in a flash as the green flag waved, wasting no time building up a gap to the competitors behind on board his No. 124 Audi R8 LMS Evo II. There was some first-lap drama taking place behind him, but he remained unfazed and focused on the clear track ahead.

However, the battle was heating up for the remaining podium spot, as the No. 41 Williams Esports Porsche 992 GT3 R of Fidel Moreira made contact with the No. 262 YAS Heat Esports YAS Heat Esports of Angel Inostroza, which resulted in a 10-second penalty for Moreira.

Inostroza opted to come in for his pit stop first as the clock just passed a little over the halfway mark, while other competitors around him decided to run slightly longer, coming in a couple of laps later. This proved to be a wise strategy call for Inostroza, as he was now slotted comfortably in third place, just a few seconds behind the No. 39 STR Esports BMW M4 GT3 of Chris Severt running in second position.  

As for Severt, he began to make his charge on Rodrigues, closing the gap between them and driving within half a second of the leader. The pressure truly began to rise as the two made contact and were sent spinning with one minute remaining in the race. Nevertheless, Rodrigues kept it cool and collected, defending expertly in order to go on to cross the finish line, securing the win in Austin. Severt finished in second place, with Inostroza claiming the final podium position.

In the Silver class, it was an hour-long battle between Nicholas DeSantis in the No. 12 ND Motorsports Porsche 992 GT3 R and Cody Sherratt in the No. 22 Genisus Esports Ferrari 296 GT3. Sherratt had the early advantage, but as DeSantis was able to pull off an overtake to move into the class lead, he gradually began to establish a buffer between them.

The top three cars in class all came down pit lane for their mandatory stops at the same time, allowing them to return to track in the same running order. DeSantis was now slightly more protected, with Moreira serving as an obstacle to keep Sherratt at bay.  

DeSantis, who ran fifth overall for the majority of the race, went on to take the win, with Sherratt following suit in second place, finishing seventh overall. Third belonged to the No. 110 Team Schumiskins Porsche 992 GT3 R of Zach Doran.

The next round of the Mobileye GTWC Esports America Sprint Series takes place at Silverstone Circuit in Great Britain on Saturday, July 22nd. 

• 46-car field returns for the second round of the American Esports season at COTA
• 22-car Pro class field ramps up the competition
• Stacked 24-car Silver class category prepares for the next challenge
• Entry List | Schedule 

Circuit of the Americas will be welcoming a total of 46 cars for the second round of the 2023 Mobileye GT World Challenge America Esport Championship on Saturday, June 10th. As drivers prepare to tackle the 20-turn, 2.3 mile virtual track, they will not only be facing off in effort to secure more vital championship points, but they will also be giving it their all in order to inch closer to bringing home the cash prize. 

Twenty two cars will make up the Pro Class, with the remaining 24 cars belonging to the Silver class. Last time out at Laguna Seca, viewers were treated to wheel-to-wheel action up and down the grid for the entirety of the event. This time around, the All-American circuit will be in the spotlight for a true Texas showdown before the The Mobileye GTWC Esports America Sprint Series grid jumps across the pond over to Silverstone in Great Britain for the following round. 

Pro Class

Igor De Oliveira Rodrigues, the current championship leader and winner of the opening round at Laguna Seca, will be returning in his No. 124 Audi R8 LMS Evo II to battle it out for another chance to rise to the top step of the podium. He will be joined by his fellow Williams Esports teammate Fidel Moreira in the No. 41 Porsche 992 GT3 R, who finished third in the previous race. Second-place finisher Jyeed Hutchinson will be in the mix once more on board the No. 26 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo2 as the lone driver for Automobili Lamborghini Esport Team and will be commandeering the only Lamborghini in the field. 

The additional Audi R8 LMS Evo II entries will be on the grid with the likes of Renan Negrini and Phelipe Roberto behind the wheel of the No. 2 and No. 44 cars for Asetek SimSports Visceral and FFS Racing. Meanwhile, the three additional Porsche 992 GT3 R entries will be occupied by the No. 28 SOP Esports Racing machine of Ed Kerstetter, the No. 56 FFS Racing car of Michael Kundakcioglu, and Angel Inostroza with YAS Heat Esports in the No. 262 challenger. 

Honda proved to be the most popular manufacturer, with a total of five entries in the Pro Class, with the likes of Josh Staffin, Cardin Lu, Josh McKean, Karl Wittmer, and Nicolas Alvarado driving the Honda NSX GT3 Evo while representing HPD JAS Pro America. 

Race Anywhere Simsport, Williams Esports Academy, and Asetek SimSports Visceral have all selected Aston Martin as their manufacturer of choice, with Renato Dornelles, Daniel De Oliveira and Vinny Oliveira opting for the Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3. 

BMW and Ferrari will be featuring two entries apiece, with teammates Cameron Martineau and Chris Severt taking control of the BMW M4 GT3 for STR Esports. Philippe Simard will be at the helm of the No. 123 Ferrari 296 GT3 entry on behalf of FFS Racing, and Skyler Loverink will be manning the other No. 520 Ferrari for Brix Racing. 

Aloo Gobi will be driving the No. 20 McLaren 720S GT3 for Griphax Engineering, with Gabriel Felipe in the No. 63 Oak Racing Team Esports Bentley Continental GT3 2018, both as the lone competitors for their respective manufacturers.

Silver Class

The Silver class was dominated by Ferrari during their time racing in Monterey, with the manufacturer taking a clean sweep of the podium. Mérick Lévêque established an early lead and never looked back, and the Canadian driver even began to challenge for an overall podium result against the Pro class in his No. 88 Ferrari 296 GT3. His teammate, Estefano Barrera, placed second in the No. 369 car, securing a 1-2 finish for the Asetek SimSports Visceral team. Third place was occupied by the No. 969 car of Joseph Kostovich and Nine 4 Nine Racing. The final Ferrari 296 GT3 entry belongs to the No. 22 of Cody Sherratt and Genesis Esports. 

The largest tally of entries is accredited to Porsche, with seven cars in their roster. These include Nicholas DeSantis in the No. 12 ND Motorsports Porsche 992 GT3 R, Timothy Flammger in the No. 19 Alpha Simsport car, Koapono Patrick in the No. 59 Sim Racing Alliance machine, Diego Paul Fimbres Casas in the No. 95 Pillars Racing / Sim Racing Alliance beast, with Zach Doran, Jordan Johnson and Hayden Harter completing the lineup in the No. 110 Team Schumiskins, No. 116 Puresims esports, and No. 177 TSE Racing – Northstar entries. 

Just like in the Pro class, Honda also features a large number of entries in the Silver class as well, with five Honda NSX GT3 Evo’s in total. Hamza Gulzar and HPD JAS Pro America will be fielding the No. 14 entry, Antonio Azpiri will be behind the wheel of the No. 69 Azpiri Racing car, Kenneth Portis II will be manning the No. 84 Roto Grip Racing machine, the No. 98 AFRT vehicle will be occupied by Ayrton Stuffano, and the final entry belongs to the No. 787 of Ricardo Rivera and Puerto Rico eRacing Club. 

The two Aston Martin entries are tied to Arnage Competition, with Brazilian duo Lucas Werle and Leandro Werle equipped with the No. 4 and No. 40 Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3. 

Numerous manufacturers will be represented by one entry each, including Audi, Bentley, BMW, Mercedes, McLaren, and Lamborghini. These include three Canadians, with the likes of Marc-Antoine Landry in the No. 711 EGT Canada Audi R8 LMS Evo II, Adrien Bourdon in the No. 8 SOP Esports Racing Bentley Continental GT3 2018, and Pierre-Olivier Cloutier in the No. 36 EGT Motorsports McLaren 720S GT3. Hailing from Venezuela, Argenis Riera will be driving the No. 43 Geekz Energy Simracing BMW M4 GT3. Brazilian driver Bruno Yamamoto will be commanding the No. 10 BraClean e-Sports Racing Team Mercedes-AMG GT3, and American sim-racer Jonathan Clifford will be in the No. 999 Alpha Sim Sport Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo2. 

Saturday’s race day action will kick off with two practice sessions at 13:30 ET and 14:15 ET, with qualifying following immediately after at 14:25 ET. Finally, the green flag will wave for the 60-minute race at 15:00 ET. The event will be streamed live via the SRO Motorsports Twitch channel and GT World YouTube channel.

Reports and results will be published on the SRO Esports website.

• 46-car field set for opening round of the American Esports season at Laguna Seca
• 22-car Pro class field with wide array of manufacturers and talent
• 24-car Silver class category gearing up for thrilling and competitive season
• Total prize of €6,000 on offer
• ENTRY LIST: GTWC ESPORTS AMERICA SPRINT SERIES LAGUNA SECA

The beginning of the 2023 Mobileye GT World Challenge America Esport Championship is set to commence on Saturday, May 6th at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. A total of 46 talented Assetto Corsa Competizione players will take on the virtual 11-turn, 2.238 mile circuit and fight for the opportunity to take home the victory and the cash prize. 

The drivers will be divided between the Pro Class and the Silver Class, with 22 cars in the former and 24 in the latter. There is a total of €6,000 on the line, with a prize of €4,000 for those in the Pro category, and the remaining €2,000 in the Silver. Both classes are shaping up to be extremely competitive, and Laguna Seca serves as the perfect setting to kick off the action. 

The Mobileye GTWC Esports America Sprint Series will take place across five rounds, with the Monterey-based track serving as the season opener. The following event will be held at Circuit of the Americas, then a trip across the pond at the historic Silverstone track in Great Britain, with Watkins Glen and Indianapolis Motor Speedway making up the final two rounds. The schedule was created with an approach that replicates the flow of a real-world Fanatec GT World Challenge America Powered by AWS race weekend. 

Pro class

The Pro class is defined as the top Drivers & Teams within the Esports community

and Assetto Corsa Competizione. Often composed of OEM-nominated drivers and teams, these are some of the best the world of sim racing has to offer. This year, the Pro class is stacked with a selection of 22 highly skilled drivers, all of which will be fighting tooth and nail for their shot at glory. 

Acura will be accounting for the most entries with the likes of Josh Staffin, Cardin Lu, Josh McKean, Karl Wittmer, and Nicolas Alvarado, all of whom will be representing HPD JAS Pro America in a Acura NSX GT3 Evo. Porsche will also be well represented, with 4 drivers utilizing the Porsche 992 GT3 R this season, including Ed Kerstetter (SOP Esports Racing), Fidel Moreira (Williams Esports), Michael Kundakcioglu (FFS Racing), and Angel Inostroza (YAS Heat Esports). 

While certain teams have elected to keep all their driver pairings in the same machinery, others have opted to divide and conquer when it comes to manufacturers. Asetek SimSports Visceral and Williams Esports Academy will have Vinny Oliveira and Daniel De Oliveira fielding the No. 72 and No. 33 Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3, whereas Renan Negrini and Phelipe Roberto will be competing in the No. 2 and No. 44 Audi R8 LMS Evo II Williams. Renato Dornelles (Race Anywhere Simsport) will also be representing the British manufacturer in the No. 3 car, and Igor De Oliveira Rodrigues (Williams Esports) representing the German automotive brand on board the No. 124 machine. 

Cameron Martineau and race-winner Chris Severt will both be competing in the No. 38 and No. 39 BMW M4 GT3 M4 GT3 on behalf of STR Esports, the sim racing arm of Samantha Tan Racing in Fanatec GT World Challenge America. 

Bentley, McLaren, and Lamborghini will each have one entry in the field, with Gabriel Felipe manning the No. 63 Bentley Continental GT3 2018 for Oak Racing Team Esports. Aloo Gobi and Griphax Engineering have selected the No. 20 McLaren 720S GT3 as their machine of choice. Jyeed Hutchinson will be taking on the lone No. 26 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo2 with the support of Automobili Lamborghini Esport Team. 

The grid would not feel complete without the presence of Ferrari, with Philippe Simard (FFS Racing) and Skyler Loverink (Brix Racing) hopping in the No. 56 and No. 520 Ferrari 296 GT3 steeds. 

Silver class

The Silver class is defined as some of the top Drivers & Teams that are either yet to

break out into Pro talent or are recognised as some of the fastest drivers and teams at a community level and aim to compete with the very best in sim racing. The class will see 24 drivers who will all be aiming for the same goal; crossing the finish line first. 

Aston Martin will be represented by two contenders at the helm of an Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 with Arnage Competition; Lucas and Leandro Werle. 

British manufacturers will be well represented with Adrian Bourdon who will be driving the No. 8 Bentley Continental GT3 2018 for SOP Esports Racing. Canadian driver Pierre-Olivier Cloutier will be commanding the No. 36 McLaren 720S GT3 for EGT Motorsports. EGT Canada will also field an Audi R8 LMS Evo II with Marc-Antoine Landry. 

HPD JAS Pro America will also have a presence in the Silver Class with Hamza Gulzar who will race aboard the Acura NSX GT3 Evo. Four other Acura NSX GT3 Evos will also be competing with Antonio Azpiri in the No. 69 Azpiri Racing, Kenneth Portis II with Roto Grip Racing on the No. 84 Honda, Ayrton Stuffano in the No.98 AFRT machine, and Ricardo Rivera commanding the No. 787 Puerto Rico eRacing Club challenger. 

Porsche is a popular manufacturer as seven teams elected to field a Porsche 992 GT3 R. Nicholas DeSantis will represent ND Motorsports in the No. 12 Porsche 992 GT3, while Timothy Flammger will represent Alpha Simsport. Sim Racing Alliance will take to the track with Koapono Patrick, while co-supporting Diego Paul Fimbres Casas who will represent Pillard Racing / Sim Racing Alliance. 

Zach Doran (Team Schumiskins), Jordan Johnson (Puresims esports) and Hayden Harter (TSE Racing – Northstar) complete Porsche’s roster in the Silver Class. 

Another popular machine in the Silver Class is the Ferrari 296 GT3. Cody Sheratt will be representing the prancing horse with Genisus Esports, and Joseph Kostovich will command the No. 949 Nine 4 Nine Racing car. 

Asetek Simsports Visceral will be represented by Mérick Lévêque and Estefano Barrera on their No. 88 and No. 369 Ferrari 296 GT3. Jonathan Clifford will also represent an Italian manufacturer, as he will be aboard the virtual Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo2 with Alpha Sim Sport. 

Argenis Riera will command the No. 43 Geekz Energy Simracing BMW M4 GT3 during the hour-long season opening this Saturday. 

The race day action will begin with two practice sessions at 13:30 ET and 14:15 ET, followed immediately by qualifying at 14:35 and the race taking place at 15:00. The race will be streamed live via the SRO Motorsports Twitch channel and GT World YouTube channel.

Reports and results will be published on the SRO Esports website.

• World’s best virtual racers to compete on-site at Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS events
• 30 Assetto Corsa Competizione races scheduled across six on-site and online championships
• SRO Esports prize money provisionally tops €163,500, with more to follow
• Download: 2023 SRO Esports information

The world’s best sim racing teams and drivers will become a permanent feature of the real-life Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS paddock this year thanks to the new SRO Esports Sim Pro Series.

The five-round invitational championship joins a packed global SRO Esports calendar, which once again includes four Mobileye-supported online competitions – three sprint and one endurance – as well as the ground-breaking Fanatec Esports GT Pro Series where virtual results count towards the real-life Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS teams’ title. 

The Fanatec Arena that travels to each Endurance Cup event will now stage two 60-minute Assetto Corsa Competizione races per weekend: one – as usual – for GT stars, and another for their professional sim racing counterparts who will battle for points and prize money at Monza, Circuit Paul Ricard, Spa-Francorchamps, the Nurburgring and Barcelona.

The new series stems from the success of 2022’s Spa Racing Night in which manufacturer-supported teams and drivers contested a one-off sprint race in the Fanatec Arena just as dusk descended over the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa. 

23 of the 24 professional team entries will be confirmed in advance, while the final slot per event is determined by a last chance qualifier hosted on-site. And just like the Fanatec Esports GT Pro Series, teams are permitted to use different drivers at each of the season’s five rounds.

Each event is provisionally scheduled to last one day, with rig setup and practice in the morning and early afternoon before warm-up, qualifying and the race all take place immediately after that same evening’s Fanatec Esports GT Pro Series round. 

Prize money totalling €75,000 will be won throughout the campaign.

The other €88,500 is split between SRO Esports’ four online championships, which remain largely unchanged this year. Mobileye GT World Challenge Esports America, Asia and Europe each comprise five hour-long sprint races, while the endurance element is covered by Intercontinental GT Challenge Esports Powered by Mobileye’s five iconic events on as many continents. 24 Pro and 24 Silver entries are permitted per championship.

To promote regional participation, each Mobileye GT World Challenge Esports series is reserved for drivers living in that specific area.

All European and Asian races take place on Wednesdays, American races on Saturdays and IGTC events across weekends.

Elsewhere, changes have been made to the way Balance of Performance is calculated and a penalty points system introduced to encourage a consistently higher level of driving standards.

Further details concerning this year’s Fanatec Esports GT Pro Series, including prize money, will be confirmed before the opening round at Monza in April.

All 30 of this year’s SRO Esports races will be staged in partnership with AK Esports and streamed live on SRO’s Twitch and YouTube channels.

The continued support of Assetto Corsa Competizione’s developer, Kunos Simulazione, is also of paramount importance to SRO Esports’ success. The official Fanatec GT World Challenge videogame provides an extraordinarily accurate simulation of multi-manufacturer GT3 (and GT4) racing that tests real-world drivers and professional sim racers to their limits.

2023 SRO ESPORTS SIM PRO SERIES (ON-SITE SPRINT)
April 22 – Monza
June 3 – Circuit Paul Ricard
June 30 – Spa-Francorchamps
July 29 – Nurburgring
September 30 – Barcelona
Prize money pool: €75,000

2023 INTERCONTINENTAL GT CHALLENGE ESPORTS POWERED BY MOBILEYE (ONLINE ENDURANCE)
May 20 – Bathurst 12 Hour
June 17 – Kyalami 9 Hour
July 15 – 24 Hours of Spa
August 19 – Suzuka 10 Hours
September 16 – Indianapolis 8 Hour
Prize money pool: €58,000

2023 MOBILEYE GT WORLD CHALLENGE ESPORTS EUROPE (ONLINE SPRINT)
May 3 – Monza
May 24 – Circuit Paul Ricard
June 21 – Spa-Francorchamps
July 19 – Nurburgring
August 23 – Barcelona
Prize money pool: €18,500

2023 MOBILEYE GT WORLD CHALLENGE ESPORTS AMERICA (ONLINE SPRINT)
May 6 – Laguna Seca
June 10 – Circuit of the Americas
July 22 – Silverstone 
August 5 – Watkins Glen
September 2 – Indianapolis
Prize money pool: €6,000

2023 MOBILEYE GT WORLD CHALLENGE ESPORTS ASIA (ONLINE SPRINT)
May 31 – Imola
June 28 – Donington Park
July 12 – Bathurst
August 9 – Kyalami
September 6 – Suzuka
Prize money pool: €6,000

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About KUNOS Simulazioni

Kunos Simulazioni is a software house specialized in developing driving simulations for the videogame market and professional applications.

The company launched in 2005 as a one-man show, and now involves professional expertise capable of producing the technology required to satisfy a diverse range of requirements: from professional training software for car manufacturers and racing teams to advanced videogames dedicated to simracers looking for a driving model with maximum realism. 

The “Assetto Corsa” racing game is the best result of this vision, turning a driving simulation into one of the most recognized and popular brands of racing videogames. 

Its latest iteration, “ASSETTO CORSA COMPETIZIONE”, is one of the most appreciated GT racing simulations on the market, representing a benchmark in terms of car handling, visual realism and track accuracy.

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About Fanatec

Fanatec is the leading brand for dedicated sim racing hardware, including force feedback steering wheels, pedals, and complete cockpits for PlayStation, Xbox, and PC-based racing simulators. Fanatec is a brand of Endor AG, based in Germany, the company has more than 20 years of experience in developing and manufacturing sim racing equipment, constantly striving for innovation and quality. Fanatec is the official hardware partner for several different esports series, including F1 Esports Pro Series, the eSport WRC Championship, and SRO E-sport GT Series, with the sim racing hardware being an integral part of the live broadcasts all over the world. Fanatec is also the main sponsor of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Powered by AWS. Find out more at www.fanatec.com.

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About AK Esports

Ak Esports is an Italian company leader in the organization of Esports competitions, Esports team management and events all over Europe, with a special focus on Sim Racing. Created by Ak Informatica, italian PC Gaming Expert, since 2004 the company has seen a steady growth every year since then, working on the latest technology and Gaming titles to develop Esports Entertainment. Ak Esports developed several Esports assets for many different car manufacturers and in 2019 together with SRO Motorsport Group and Kunos Simulazioni created the first SRO Esports.  Championship. Find out more about AK at www.akesports.it.

Championship leader Luke Whitehead aims to wrap up the Mobileye GT World Challenge Esports America Sprint Series Pro title while Chris Harteveld has his eyes set on the Silver class championship as the season heads to its finale at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

GTWR R8G Academy driver Whitehead holds the edge in the Pro standings by 20 tallies over his closest rival Igor Rodrigues of Williams Esports heading into the final round. Beyond the top pair, only William Hendrickson of Jean Alesi Esports Academy remains mathematically in contention but sits 32 points adrift of the class leader.

The championship in the Silver division is now a two-horse race with Harteveld of GTWR R8G Academy holding a 14 point lead over DeltaSport driver Luke Southall after four rounds. No one else is within striking distance entering the final 60-minute sprint at the famed Northern California circuit.

Pro-class leader Whitehead leads a Porsche contingent that is eight strong this month that includes four 911 GT3 Rs in the Pro class for double-defending champion Michael Kundakcioglu, Sean Piner, and George Boothby alongside Whitehead. Silver points leader Harteveld is also part of Porsche’s eight car lineup across the two classes.

Bentley drivers sit second in both points tables with Rodrigues and Southall heading up a six driver contingent for the British marque. Compatriots Aston Martin and McLaren each have four cars entered this month. William Hendrickson who is third in Pro points has led the charge this season for Aston including a runner-up finish the last time out at Donington while Jonathan Seville has delivered the best class finishing position for McLaren in that same race by coming home fourth.

Elsewhere on the grid, Silverstone winner Gregor Schill returns for another shot at glory for BMW in his M4 GT3 entered by the BMW Team BS+TURNER consortium, one of eight cars from the Bavarian auto maker on the entry list.

Acura’s strong presence continues once again with six entries across the two classes including four in the Pro class from HPD JAS Pro America, while Italian manufacturers Lamborghini and Ferrari have three and four cars entered, respectively. Four of the five Italian supercars are due to compete in the top class.

The rest of the grid is made up of six Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evos and two Audi R8 LMS Evo Iis.

Tune in the GT World channel on YouTube  

• 47 Sim Racers Ready for Donington Park on Assetto Corsa Competizione
• Championship Leaders Whitehead and Harteveld Poised to Lead Points into Final Round  
• Entry List | Timetable 

The 2022 Mobileye GT World Challenge America Esports championship rolls into its penultimate round at Donington Park with championships in both the Pro and Silver classes up for grabs.

Luke Whitehead leads the Pro points after securing three podiums in as many rounds, including a third the last time out at Kyalami. The GTWR R8G Academy driver headlines a field of eight Porsche 911 GT3 R machines that also includes reigning champion Michael Kundakcioglu and Kyalami contender George Boothby in the Pro class. They’re joined by Silver class entries for Silver class championship leader Chris Harteveld, Ryan Yee, Angel Inostroza, Sean Piner, and Felix Tazvinwa-Hacker.

Igor Rodrigues of Williams Esports is the closest challenger to Whitehead 16 points in arrears. The Bentley driver has podiumed in two races so far but is still seeking his elusive first win of the campaign. He is joined in the Bentley fold by Kyalami winner Harry Spiers and Fidel Moreira who both sit in the Top 10 in the Pro standings. Luke Southall leads the Bentley Brigade in the Silver class, currently second in the standings 19 behind class leader Whitehead. Additional Silver class Bentley Continental GT3s are entered for Gabriel Felipe and Nicolas Gonzalez.

BMW Team BS+ Turner driver Gergor Schill is third in the Pro rankings and is joined by seven other BMW M4 GT3s across the two classes. Joining him in the Pro category are ST Racing’s Cameron Martineuau, Philippe Simard, and Phelipe Roberto, while Renan Negrini, Caique Oliveira, Felix Ruppert, and Alessandro Silva all qualified to take part in the Silver class.

Elsewhere on the grid, Acura is once again well represented with six Acura NSX GT3 Evos on the entry list. Josh Staffin, Zach Patterson, Karl, Wittmer, and Cardin Lu are all entered in Pro for the HPD JAS Pro America squad alongside Nicolas Alvarado of RacingSimTools eSports with a lone entry in the Silver class for this round with driver Mike Fritz.

William Hendrickson, a perennial contender in the championship, is the top Aston Martin driver in the standings in fourth. Other Aston Martin AMR V8 Vantages are entered with series veterans Killian Ryan-Meenan and Chris Severt in the Pro class and Renato Dornelles and Josh McKean in Silver.

Fellow British supercar marque McLaren has four of its 720S GT3s in the field with Sam Michaels as the only one in the Pro ranks. Jack Noller, Aloo Gobi, and Jonathan Seville represent the brand in Silver.

Three Lamborghinis, with Cody Blanton and Florian Duhrkop in the top class, and two Ferraris, with Daniel de Oliveira in the Pro ranks, make up the Italian contribution to the grid. The three Pros are joined by a Huracan GT3 Evo for Jonathan Clifford and a 488 GT3 Evo for Vinny Oliveira in Silver.

Three Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evos are entered for Donington with Pros Tobias Pfeffer and Leon Otocki set to be joined by Rene Sievert in Silver. Fellow Germany marque Audi is represented byTaha Malih in Pro while Timothy Flammger is set to pilot an R8 LMS Evo II in Silver competition.

As always, the competition will utilize Assetto Corsa Competizione, the official simulation of the SRO Motorsports Group. Tune-in this Saturday on YouTube.com/GTWorld or Twitch.tv/SROMotorsports at 11:50am PDT / 2:50pm EDT.

• Harry Spiers outduels esports competitors for first SRO America race victory 
• YAS Heat’s Angel Inostroza earns Silver win for Porsche 
• Race Results | Standings 

Harry Spiers played his strategy to perfection to claim victory in Round 3 of the Mobileye GT World Challenge Esports America Sprint Series at Kyalami while Luke Whitehead increased his championship lead with his third podium in as many races.

Spiers qualified his Race Anywhere Simsport Bentley Continental GT3 in the seventh spot, two positions behind Whitehead in the championship-leading Porsche 911 GT3 R. George Boothby of the Yas Heat team scored overall pole, edging Silver class frontrunner Chris Harteveld in the GTWR R8G Academy Porsche.

Harteveld dropped behind the BMW Team BS+ TURNER BMW M4 GT3 of Gregor Schill at the start, setting up an early duel between Schill and Boothby in the early stages of the 60-minute race. That fight raged into the pit window which opened after 15 minutes.

A slight miscue from Boothby bunched up the field and allowed Whitehead to pounce, jumping from fifth to third in a frantic few corners. Spiers was also in the middle of the fracas and moved into the top five, but took the opportunity to dive for the pit lane a few laps later which proved to be the move of the race.

Spiers made his stop with 32 minutes remaining in the race, leaving Boothby, Schill, and Whitehead to fight it out for the top three positions. The move gave Spiers clear track after the stop and he started turning laps quick enough for his undercut strategy to leapfrog the rest of the front runners. 

The decision to pit also kept Spiers away from the chaos that erupted a few laps later among the top four cars which started when Schill and Boothby went side by side for the lead. Schill emerged in front but both front runners lost their momentum, enabling Chris Severt to come through into the lead from third in the No. 3 Team Severt Racing Aston Martin AMR Vantage GT3. Contact moments later shot Boothby and Schill into the wall exiting Barbecue, eliminating both from contention.

Severt continued to lead until making his pit stop at the tail end of the window which then shuffled Spiers to the front where he would remain for the rest of the race. Igor Rodrigues, who also utilized the undercut strategy, cycled through into second but was carrying a five second time penalty for causing a collision earlier in the race. Rodrigues moved into the lead on the road with six minutes to go, but Spiers kept within that five second margin to secure the race win. Luke Whitehead completed the overall podium in third.

Angel Inostroza had a strong run to seventh overall and took Silver class honors in the No. 96 Yas Heat Porsche 911 GT3 R having emerged ahead of class polesitter Harteveld around after the pit stops. Harteveld lost a potential class podium in a late race incident that also claimed Renan Negrini, promoting Renato Dornelles and Luke Southall into second and third in class, respectively.

Severt, who led overall on the overcut strategy, came out of the pits in fifth but made contact with Philippe Simard while fighting for fourth and fifth on the last lap. Severt was credited with a 16th place result while Simard fell to seventh.

Speaking on the race broadcast after the race, Spiers said, “It seemed like everyone around me just took themselves out! I just kept going up and up and up. When we came out of the pits ahead of Igor I started thinking that we could actually win this one. From that point on I was just in 100-percent focus mode until the end.

“My plan was to go for the overcut strategy unless I ended up in a great big battle which I did. We were losing about a second a lap so I went into the pits and came out just ahead of some traffic. It was a nailbiter on the pit exit but it couldn’t have gone any better than me.”

Whitehead’s third podium of the year has him leading the points standings by 17 tallies over Rodrigues while Gregor Schill has fallen to a distant third, 28 points adrift.

Chris Harteveld continues to lead the Silver standings and now holds a 21 point lead over Luke Southall with Renato Dornelles a further 26 points behind in third heading into Round 4 on July 9th.

• 45 Sim Racers to compete on Assetto Corsa Competizione for virtual glory 
• Luke Whitehead leads Pro Championship for GTWR R8G Academy, Harteveld in Silver  
• Entry List | Event Schedule 

The renowned Kyalami Circuit is the third stop on the Mobileye GT World Challenge America Esports Sprint Series schedule with 45 of the best sim racers in the region set to contest a one-hour race around the 16-turn, 2.814-mile South African course. With a field split between the Pro division for the established stars of the SRO’s North American Esports championship and the Silver class for up-and-comers breaking into the scene, the race figures to be hotly contested.

Championship leader Luke Whitehead headlines the entry in the No. 21 Porsche 911 GT3 R from GTWR R8G Academy. Whitehead won the season opener at Silverstone and backed it up with a strong runner-up result in the second round at Zolder to build an eight point lead in the season standings. 

Whitehead is one of eight drivers set to contest the Kyalami round in Porsche machinery. He’ll be joined by reigning champion Michael Kundakcioglu in the No. 56 Porsche from FFS Racing who sits a distant fourth in the standings after two rounds, 27 tallies behind Whitehead. Also in the Porsche ranks in the Pro class is Zolder runner-up George Boothby from the YAS HEAT team, while Silver class points leader Chris Harteveld is joined by Ryan Yee, Angel Inostroza, Sean Piner, and Felix Tazvinzwa-Hacker entered in 911s in the Silver class.

Seven BMW M4 GT3s are entered in the race including one for Silverstone winner Gregor Schill who drives for the BMW Team BS+Turner operation. Schill is second in points following his win for the team that includes a partnership with SRO America stalwarts Turner Motorsport. Joining Schill in the BMW camp are Pro entries for veteran Philippe Simard of the Mobileye x FFS team and Phelipe Roberto from Williams Esports. Renan Negrini, Caique Oliveira, Felix Ruppert, and Alessandro Silva qualified to compete in the SIlver class.

Igor Rodrigues is seeking his third-consecutive Top 5 finish after a third at Zandvoort and a fifth at Silverstone to start the season. The Williams Esports driver will have stiff competition in the Pro ranks from his fellow Bentley Continental GT3 runners, including Williams teammate Fidel Moreira. Race Anywhere Simsport driver Harry Spiers also will contest the Pro class in a Bentley. Nicolas Gonzalez, Gabriele Felipe, and Luke Southall will represent the British manufacturer in the Silver classification.

Fellow British marque McLaren has four cars on the grid with Sam Michaels as the lone 720S GT3 listed in the Pro class. Jack Noller, former GT4 race winner Aloo Gobi, and Jonathan Seville are set to race for Silver honors.

Elsewhere on the grid, Mercedes-AMG will be represented by Leon Otocki of the Mercedes-AMG E-Sports Team HRT squad along with Tobias Pfeffer from Mercedes-AMG E-Sports Team Unicorns of Love. The Three Pointed Star will have René Sievert to fly the flag in Silver.

Italian sports car makers Lamborghini and Ferrari have five cars split between them on the entry list for Kyalami. Williams Esports ace Daniel de Oliveira and BagBlu Snow Schatten’s Vinny Oliveira will contest the race for the Prancing Horse, both in the Pro division, while Race Anywhere Simsport’s Cody Blanton and Unicorns of Love Sexy Edition driver Florian Dührkop are set to race in Pro for the Raging Bull. A lone Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo for Jonathan Clifford has qualified for the Silver class.

Two Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II machines are on the entry list including Taha Malih in the Pro entry from Race Anywhere Simsport. Alpha SimSport’s Timothy Flammger is entered in Silver. 

Four Aston Martins split evenly between the two classes are due to take part. The Pro entries belong to William Hendrickson of Jean Alesi Esports Academy and Team Severt Racing’s Chris Severt with Renato Dornelles and Josh McKean joining them in Silver.

Completing the grid are six Acura NSX GT3 Evos including five in the Pro class. HPD JAS Pro America makes up the lionshare of the entries with cars for Josh Staffin, Zach Patterson, and Cardin Lu. That trio will be joined in the Pro ranks by Nicholas Alvarado of RacinSimTools eSports. Mike Fritz of Pass on da Grass is the sole Acura in the Silver category.

As always, the race will be held utilizing Assetto Corsa Competizione, the official simulation of the Fanatec GT World Challenge powered by AWS. Tune-in live on YouTube (GTWorld) or Twitch (SROMotorsports) this Saturday at 11:50am PDT / 2:50pm EDT.