The races
“It was a tough season because Diogo Pinto and I were neck-in-neck right up until the final event. This makes my victory even sweeter,” says Benecke after the doubleheader on the digital version of the Spanish Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The three best-placed drivers in the final rankings are awarded a total of 25,000 Euros in prize money: Benecke earns 12,000 Euros for the overall victory, Diogo Pinto (Portugal) takes home 8,000 Euros for second place and Christopher Dambietz (Germany) receives 5,000 Euros for third.
A total of 21 sim racers lined up on the starting grid in their Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars (Gen. 991.2) to tackle the season finale. The limelight was on the title duel between championship leader Benecke and his pursuer Pinto. In the first race, polesitter Benecke set the stage for a preliminary decision when he made a perfect getaway to take the lead and scored a convincing win over Dambietz and Alexander Thiebe (Germany). The two British sim racers Dylan Scrivens and David Williams followed in fourth and fifth place. Pinto, however, was hampered by bad luck. After a collision on the first lap, the 19-year-old hot contender for the title had to park his vehicle in the pits early.
In the second race, many drivers took a higher risk. Viewers watching via live stream on the YouTube channel of the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland and Porsche’s official Twitch account witnessed a gripping race with Benecke emerging as the lights-to-flag winner. The 27-year-old again beat Dambietz. “I defended third place in the overall standings, that was my goal. At the beginning of the season, I wasn’t able to achieve great results, otherwise I might’ve been able to do more,” explains Dambietz. Pinto made an impressive charge through the field – the Portuguese powered from 21st on the grid to take the flag in third. Williams crossed the finish line in fourth, with fifth place going to Simon Amoser (Switzerland).
Season three of the Porsche Esports Carrera Cup Deutschland consisted of 16 races in total. Benecke not only topped the overall rankings but also won most of the races (nine wins). In addition to the two championship races, the final event also included two show races with well-known online gamers. These content creators drove the current version of the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (Gen. 992), which was recently added to iRacing. Dan Suzuki won both races.
“The finale wraps up a great season for the Porsche Esports Carrera Cup Deutschland. Congratulations to Maximilian Benecke, who earned the title with two victories at the last event. After the virtual racing, we return to the real cockpit next weekend. There’ll be some nail-biting decisions in the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland. Three classifications will be decided and a champion will be crowned,” says Hurui Issak, Project Manager Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland.
Result race 15, Porsche Esports Carrera Cup Deutschland
1. Maximilian Benecke (Germany)
2. Christopher Dambietz (Germany)
3. Alexander Thiebe (Germany)
4. Dylan Scrivens (Great Britain)
5. David Williams (Great Britain)
Result race 16, Porsche Esports Carrera Cup Deutschland
1. Maximilian Benecke (Germany)
2. Christopher Dambietz (Germany)
3. Diogo Pinto (Portugal)
4. David Williams (Great Britain)
5. Simon Amoser (Switzerland)
Standings after 16 of 16 races*
1. Maximilian Benecke (Germany), 737 points
2. Diogo Pinto (Portugal), 681 points
3. Christopher Dambietz (Germany), 582 points
4. David Williams (Great Britain), 513 points
5. Ricardo Ferreira (Portugal), 382 points
*Overall standings: www.peccd.racespot.live/standings
The preview
Thirty-two sim racers will compete and fight not only for the title but also 25,000 Euros in prize money. Like the seven previous events, the finale of the 2021 season will be contested on the iRacing simulation platform. “I am delighted that with the Porsche Esports Carrera Cup Deutschland, we have run a successful digital racing series for the third consecutive year. The large starting grids and action-packed races have shown us that sim racing is extremely attractive. I’m eager to see who will win the two finals and come out on top,” says Bastian Schramm, Director Marketing Porsche Deutschland GmbH.
The sim racers collected championship points at seven events throughout the season to secure a starting position for the finale. A total of over 1,100 Esports players took part in the qualifying sessions for the respective events. The top 32 online racers of the championship make up the field on the Spanish Formula 1 circuit on Sunday. The programme consists of two 30-minute races – at which drivers can harvest a maximum of 100 points.
The hot favourites for the title include Maximilian Benecke (Germany) and Diogo Pinto (Portugal). In the final, the two sim racers from the experienced Esports team Porsche24 Driven by Redline are determined to build on their strong performances from the season so far: Both 27-year-old Benecke and 19-year-old Pinto celebrated seven victories each and thus tackle the final with confidence. Both of them had previously showcased their expertise in the Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup.
Show races with some distinguished names
In addition to the two finals, spectators can also look forward to two show races with some distinguished names including the YouTuber “Dave Gaming”, the well-known online streamer Matt Malone as well as Mathieu Wacker, who represents the YouTube channel “DiePixelHelden”
The season finale of the Porsche Esports Carrera Cup Deutschland starts on Sunday at 16:15 (CEST) and will be broadcast on the official Porsche Twitch account and the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland YouTube channel. In addition to his appearance in the show races, driver Nico Menzel will be a co-commentator. The complete starting lineup and further information about the final of the Porsche Esports Carrera Cup Deutschland is also available at www.peccd.racespot.live.
Points’ standings before the final*
1. Maximilian Benecke (Germany), 637 points
2. Diogo Pinto (Portugal), 628 points
3. Christopher Dambietz (Germany), 492 points
4. David Williams (Great Britain), 440 points
5. Gianni Vecchio (Germany), 363 points
*Overall standings: www.peccd.racespot.live/standings
Schedule 2021 Porsche Esports Carrera Cup Deutschland finale
16:35 to 16:50: Qualifying for the show races
16:50 to 17:20: Show races
18:05 to 18:19: Qualifying for both final races
18:19 to 18:49: Race 1
18:59 to 19:29: Race 2
