Category: Senza categoria

• 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. 

• BMW driver Schill secured his first SRO Esports victory at virtual Silverstone
• Chris Harteveld stays perfect with win in the Silver class 
• Race Results | Standings | Race Replay 

The second edition of the Mobileye GT World Challenge America Esports Championship looked to be another Porsche dominated affair with the pair of GTWR R8G Academy Drivers jumping out to an early lead on a gloomy morning at virtual Silverstone. 

Both polesitter Chris Harteveld and his teammate Luke Whitehead seemed to be the duo to beat, following an early exit by Tobias Pfeffer’s Mercedes-AMG E-Sports Team Unicorns of Love Mercedes-AMG GT3 after grabbing the lead on the opening lap. 

Further back in the field, a three-wide mid-pack opening lap incident claimed several competitors. Early car damage and loss of track position would dash their hopes of moving up in the field at Silverstone.   

As the race went on, Gregor Schill maintained pace with the Porsche drivers, capitalizing on mistakes to move his BMW Team BS+ Turner Motorsport BMW M3 GT3 past Whitehead and eventually Harteveld. The leaders entered the pits together at the very last moment, rejoining in the same order with an advantage to Schill as Whitehead spun and lost control of his racecar on the out lap. 

From there, the BS+ Turner BMW cruised to victory for Schill’s first major win in SRO Esports competition. He credited managing his tires and slipping past his competitors following small mistakes that he was able to capitalize on in what was a close three-way battle for the overall lead for a majority of the race. 

Turner Motorsport of course competes in the real world Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS championship which has expanded its esports collaborations to include the Mobileye GTWC America series this season. 

Chris Harteveld earned the Silver class victory for GTWR R8G Academy, staying perfect in his quest for the Silver championship. He now holds a 27 point advantage over Gabriel Felipe in the standings. His team Whitehead, would finish 3rd on the road but 2nd in the Pro category. 

Michael Kundakcioglu, the two-time GTWC America Esports champion, held on to the final podium spot in Pro finishing 3rd in the FFS Racing Porsche. A thrilling battle between multiple competitors kept Kundakcioglu busy in the 60-minute contest.  

Chris Severt and Igor Rodrigues rounded out the Top 5 in Pro. 

Following Harteveld in Silver, DeltaSport’s Luke Southall took second place with Race Anywhere Simsport’s Renato Dornelles completing the podium. Josh McKeen and Ryan Yee held on to fourth and fifth respectively to complete the Silver Top 5. 

The series heads to virtual Kyalami next on Saturday, June 25th. Home to the Intercontinental GT Challenge powered by Pirelli’s Kyalami 9 Hour, Round 3 will be a true test to see who will be championship contenders for the 5 round series. 

To learn more, visit www.sro-esports.com.  

• BMW driver Schill secured his first SRO Esports victory at virtual Silverstone
• Chris Harteveld stays perfect with win in the Silver class 
• Race Results | Standings | Race Replay 

The second edition of the Mobileye GT World Challenge America Esports Championship looked to be another Porsche dominated affair with the pair of GTWR R8G Academy Drivers jumping out to an early lead on a gloomy morning at virtual Silverstone. 

Both polesitter Chris Harteveld and his teammate Luke Whitehead seemed to be the duo to beat, following an early exit by Tobias Pfeffer’s Mercedes-AMG E-Sports Team Unicorns of Love Mercedes-AMG GT3 after grabbing the lead on the opening lap. 

Further back in the field, a three-wide mid-pack opening lap incident claimed several competitors. Early car damage and loss of track position would dash their hopes of moving up in the field at Silverstone.   

As the race went on, Gregor Schill maintained pace with the Porsche drivers, capitalizing on mistakes to move his BMW Team BS+ Turner Motorsport BMW M3 GT3 past Whitehead and eventually Harteveld. The leaders entered the pits together at the very last moment, rejoining in the same order with an advantage to Schill as Whitehead spun and lost control of his racecar on the out lap. 

From there, the BS+ Turner BMW cruised to victory for Schill’s first major win in SRO Esports competition. He credited managing his tires and slipping past his competitors following small mistakes that he was able to capitalize on in what was a close three-way battle for the overall lead for a majority of the race. 

Turner Motorsport of course competes in the real world Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS championship which has expanded its esports collaborations to include the Mobileye GTWC America series this season. 

Chris Harteveld earned the Silver class victory for GTWR R8G Academy, staying perfect in his quest for the Silver championship. He now holds a 27 point advantage over Gabriel Felipe in the standings. His team Whitehead, would finish 3rd on the road but 2nd in the Pro category. 

Michael Kundakcioglu, the two-time GTWC America Esports champion, held on to the final podium spot in Pro finishing 3rd in the FFS Racing Porsche. A thrilling battle between multiple competitors kept Kundakcioglu busy in the 60-minute contest.  

Chris Severt and Igor Rodrigues rounded out the Top 5 in Pro. 

Following Harteveld in Silver, DeltaSport’s Luke Southall took second place with Race Anywhere Simsport’s Renato Dornelles completing the podium. Josh McKeen and Ryan Yee held on to fourth and fifth respectively to complete the Silver Top 5. 

The series heads to virtual Kyalami next on Saturday, June 25th. Home to the Intercontinental GT Challenge powered by Pirelli’s Kyalami 9 Hour, Round 3 will be a true test to see who will be championship contenders for the 5 round series. 

To learn more, visit www.sro-esports.com.  

• 47 virtual GT3 machines set for Round 2 at Silverstone in Assetto Corsa Competizione 
• Whitehead leads Pro Championship after dominate season opener win 
• Harteveld holds Silver class lead for GTWR R8G Academy 
• Entry List | Timetable

The Mobileye GT World Challenge Esports America Esports Series returns to action at virtual Silverstone Circuit with a massive grid featuring some of the top sim-racing talent and teams in North America. The field is headlined by GTWR R8G Academy driver Luke Whitehead who scored a dominant win in the season opener at Zolder the last time out.  

Whitehead is one of eight drivers entered in a Porsche 911 GT3 R, along with Madhaus Racing’s Ryan Yee and Felix Tazvinzwa-Hacker, YAS HEAT’s Angel Inostroza and George Boothby, Tritium Racing’s Sean Piner, and reigning champion Michael Kundakcioglu of FFS Racing.

Whitehead and Boothby completed a Porsche 1-2 at Zolder but were chased to the line by Williams Esports driver Igor Rodrigues in a Bentley Continental GT3. Six of the thundering British machines will race on home soil in the second round of the season with Rodrigues, his teammate Fidel Moreira, and Race Anywhere Simsport driver Harry Spiers in the Pro class and Silver entries for Nicolas Gonzalez, Gabriel Felipe, and Luke Southall for Protocharge Simpsort, Oak Racing Team Dynasty, and DeltaSport, respectively.

Fellow British marque McLaren has four entries, one in the Pro division and three in Silver. The Pro-class 720S GT3 is a privateer entry for frontrunner Sam Michaels, while Jack Noller, Aloo Gobi, and Jonathan Seville will line up for Silver honors.

Rounding out the British supercar contingent is Aston Martin with five entries, three in Pro and two in Silver. The Pro class entries are for Chris Severt, Killian Ryan-Meenan, and William Hendrickson. Renato Dornelles and Josh McKean are entered in Silver.

Italian carmakers Lamborghini and Ferrari are once again represented with three raging bulls on the entry list alongside a pair of prancing horses. Daniel de Oliveira and Vinny Oliveira are listed in the Ferraris, both in the Pro class, while the Lamborghinis are set to be driven by frontrunner Cody Blanton and Florian Duehrkop in Pro and Jonathan Clifford in Silver.

The new BMW M4 GT3 continues to be a popular platform with nine entries across the two classes set to take the green at Silverstone. In Pro, Gregor Schill is looking to back up his fourth place finish in Pro at Zandvoort for the BMW Team BS+ TURNER Motorsport outfit and will be joined by ST Racing’s Cameron Martineau, Philippe Simard, and Phelipe Roberto. Renan Negrini, Caique Oilveira, Felix Ruppert, and Alessandro Silva are entered in Silver. 

HPD JAS Pro Academy has entered four Acura NSX GT3 Evos for drivers Josh Staffin, Zach Patterson, Karl Wittmer, and Cardin Lu, while RacingSimTools eSports has an additional NSX in the Pro class for Nicolas Avlarado. Mike Fritz is entered in an Acura in the Silver class for Pass on da Grass.

As always, the racers will utilize the official simulation of Fanatec GT World Challenge powered by AWS – Assetto Corsa Competizione.

Tune-in this Saturday at 12:00 PDT / 3:00 EDT on SRO’s GTWorld YouTube or SROMotorsports Twitch channel to catch all the esports action. 

• GTWR R8G Teammates Sweep Class Wins with Whitehead in Pro and Harteveld in Silver 
• Next Round: Silverstone on May 28th, 2022 
• RACE RESULTS | STANDINGS

Luke Whitehead scored a dominant pole-to-checkers victory in the season-opening round of the Mobileye GT World Challenge  America Esports Sprint Series at Zolder, leading home a 1-2 finish for the GTWR R8G Academy team. 

Whitehead and his teammate Chris Harteveld swept the front row for the team in qualifying with Harteveld the highest-placed Silver class entry in the session. The pair, both in Porsche 911 GT3 R machinery, had a clean getaway at the drop of the green flag and neither were troubled in pursuit of the first class wins of the new campaign.

Speaking after the race, Whitehead said it was a perfect start to the season for the team but added that he expects fierce competition for the rest of the season. “I think everyone at the front is extremely close,” he said. “You can’t count anyone out.

“You’ve obviously got the really strong Yas Heat team who are ultra-strong in their own right, you’ve got Williams Esports up at the front, you’ve got so many strong heavy-hitters. I think what won it for us today was working with the team.

“We came into it working on a setup with about four or five of us working on it and we were relentless trying to find that edge. The team element really helped, having Chris at the front was awesome.

“Regardless of who was P1 or P2 in that moment I think the goal would have been the same: to back up the guy who’s leading and make sure we get a 1-2.

“It worked completely as it should have done, as we wanted it to. Going into the next round, it’s a long-old season, there’s a lot of different circuits, and there are so many really hard hitters.

“I would not count anyone out, it’s not going to be an easy ride, but we’ve put ourselves in good position.”

Behind the top pair the fight was fierce with YAS HEAT driver George Boothby constantly fending off challenges, first from BMW Team BS+Turner Motorsport driver Gregor Schill and later from the Williams Esports Bentley Continental GT3 of Igor Rodrigues.

The Porsche driver never cracked and held on to third overall and second in the Pro class with Rodrigues completing the Pro class podium in third. A faulty pit strategy for Schill, precipitated by a wild entry to the pit lane done possibly to avoid contact with Boothby while battling for second in class, dropped the BMW driver down the order. He ultimately settled for fourth in class and sixth on the road. Gabriel Felipe turned in a strong drive to fifth overall and second in Silver while Felix Ruppert held on to the final podium position in Silver, placing 11th overall.

It was a trying day for many of the series veterans including two-time and reigning champion Michael Kundakcioglu. The Canadian qualified well down the order but had raced his way up to 11th overall just past the halfway mark. Misfortune of some kind cost him eight positions in one lap but the FFS Racing driver did manage to recover to eighth in Pro and score two points.

Less fortunate was 2021 series runner-up Philippe Simard who picked up damage in the first 10 minutes of the race, drastically impacting the pace of the No. 42 Mobileye x FFS Racing BMW M4 GT3. Simard soldiered on but ultimately finished a lap down and well out of the points.

If Zolder was any indication of how this seasons’ Mobileye GT World Challenge America Esports championship will be, it will certainly be entertaining and a new challenge for 2022. Up next for the Sprint championship is a date at Silverstone on May 28th.

• 47 Esport Entries Kick Off 2022 Mobileye GT World Challenge America Esports Season 
• Two-time Sprint Champion Michael Kundakcioglu Returns to Defend Title 
• Round 1 Entry List | Timetable 

The 2022 Mobileye GT World Challenge America Esports championship roars to life this weekend with a one-hour Sprint race at virtual Zolder. 47 entries featuring some of the top Esports talent in North America are set to contest the race which will be held using Assetto Corsa Competizione, the official simulation of the Fanatec GT World Challenge powered by AWS. New for this season is the split Pro and Silver classes, with Pro featuring racers that qualified by virtue of their performance in previous races while Silver is home to North American sim racers who qualified in open competitions preceding the official rounds. 

Headling the entry list is two-time and reigning Sprint series champion Michael Kundakcioglu. The Canadian, once again entered under the FFS Racing banner, will spearhead the assault from Porsche this season after representing McLaren and Mercedes-AMG in previous seasons. Joining him in the Porsche camp in the Pro ranks will be Luke Whitehead of GTWR R8G Academy and George Boothby from the YAS HEAT team. Three drivers qualified for the Silver division in Porsche 911 GT4 R machines, including Angel Inostroza of YAS HEAT, Sean Piner of Tritium Racing, and Madhaus Racing’s Felix Tazvinwa-Hacker.

Perennial contenders Chris Severt (Team Severt Racing), William Hendrickson (Jean Alesi Esports Academy) and Killian Ryan-Meenan (FFS Racing) will represent Aston Martin in the Pro class at Zolder, with a pair of Astons entered in the Silver class for Renato Dornelles (Race Anywhere Simsport) and Josh McKean (DeltaSport).

The HPD JAS Pro America operation is back for another go with no fewer than four Acura NSX GT3 Evos on the Pro class entry list, headlined by real-world racer Karl Wittmer. Series stalwarts Cardin Lu, Zach Patterson, and Josh Staffin round out HPD’s American Esports squad.

This weekend will mark the much-anticipated series debut for the virtual BMW M4 GT3, and it’s proven to be a popular pick with eight entries split evenly between the Pro and Silver classes. 2021 series runner-up Philippe Simard figures to lead the charge in the Mobileye x FFS Racing entry, while real-world Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS teams Turner Motorsport and ST Racing make their first foray into the series’ official Esports championship with driver Gregor Schill named to the No. 89 BMW Team BS+Turner machine and Cameron Martineau piloting the No. 38 for ST Racing eSports.

Elsewhere in the Pro class, Williams Esports will be represented by Phelipe Roberto. Renan Negrini (BagBlu Snow Schatten), Caique Oliveira (OAK Racing Team | Dynasty), Felix Ruppert (RennWelten eSports), and Alessandro Silva (BagBlu Snow Schatten) are all piloting Silver-class BMW M4s.

Two Lamborghini Huracan’s for series returnee Cody Blanton (Race Anywhere Simsport) and Florian Dührkop (Unicorns of Love Sexy Edition) are in the Pro ranks and will be joined by a single entry in Silver for Jonathan Clifford (Clifford Racing), while rival Italian supercar maker Ferrari has two entries, both in the Pro category, for drivers Daniel de Oliveira (Williams Esports) and Vinny Oliveira (BagBlu Snow Schatten).

Six Bentley Continental GT3s, three in each class, appear on the entry list for Zolder. Williams Esports drivers Fidel Moreira and Igor Rodrigues, plus Race Anywhere Simsport driver Harry Spiers are listed in the Pro entries. Nicolas Gonzalez (Protocharge Simsport), Gabriel Felipe (Oak Racing Team Dyanasty), and Luke Southall (DeltaSport) qualified for the event in the Silver category.

Fellow British manufacturer McLaren boasts four entries but just returnee Sam Michaels in the the Pro class. Aloo Gobi, who has previous experience in the championship, along with Jack Noller and Jonathan Seville all qualified for the Silver class representing Griphax Engineering, Williams Esports Academy, and Pulse SimSport, respectively.

Don’t miss any of the SRO America Esports action with the livestream kicking off at 11:50am PDT / 2:50pm EDT on SRO’s GTWorld YouTube channel and SROMotorsports Twitch channel.   

• Series to be titled Mobileye GT World Challenge Esports Championships and Intercontinental GT Challenge Esports powered by Mobileye
• Partnership brings together leading pioneers in mobility technology and sim-racing motorsport 
• Launching the fan-voted Mobileye Innovation Award for the best manoeuvre of the race 

SRO Motorsports Group has entered into a sponsorship agreement with Mobileye, an Intel Company, the global innovator in autonomous and assisted-driving technology. 

Starting this season, Mobileye joins as title sponsor of SRO’s global esports output, which will be named the Mobileye GT World Challenge Esports Championships in Europe, Asia, and America, along with the new Intercontinental GT Challenge Esports Championship Powered by Mobileye.

As part of the collaboration, Mobileye will also sponsor the new Mobileye Innovation Award, which will be awarded to the top-performing drivers for their innovative and inspirational manoeuvres, as chosen by fans. 

“With SRO, Mobileye has found a natural partner who also embraces technological innovation in the automotive sphere,” said Diane Be’ery, Vice President of Marketing for Mobileye. “Esports are growing tremendously in popularity worldwide, with more than 700 million viewers in 2021. Mobileye looks forward to the new SRO season and engaging with these virtual motorsports fans who are digitally savvy and have a natural affinity for, and deep interest in, automotive technology and innovation.”

Mobileye and SRO share a passion for automotive technology innovation. Mobileye has been leading the revolution of AI-powered assisted driving for over two decades, while SRO’s esports programme has introduced the popular world of motor racing to new experiences and new audiences in the virtual environment.

“We are delighted that Mobileye has entered into this relationship with SRO Motorsports Group. This is an exciting opportunity to work alongside a highly innovative company at the cutting edge of automotive innovation,” said Stephane Ratel, SRO Motorsports Group founder and CEO. “We share this passion for innovation, having last year become the first championship to merge virtual and real racing. As such, Mobileye’s presence in both areas is a natural fit and one that I believe can bring significant benefits for both parties. I look forward to welcoming Mobileye to both the virtual and real-life circuits this season.“

In addition to Mobileye’s sponsorship of virtual races, Mobileye branding will be displayed at the real-life Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS championship. Mobileye will also launch an employee engagement program utilising two state-of-the-art simulators to be placed at the company’s headquarters in Jerusalem.