In the newly established Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Virtual Edition, the current drivers and teams, as well as selected participants, will pit themselves against each other in virtual Porsche 911 GT3 Cup racing cars.
Four double-header events make up the digital version of the international one-make cup series, which normally runs as part of the Formula 1 support programme.
“Virtual motor racing, or so-called 'sim racing', is becoming more and more popular, on a professional level as well," said Oliver Schwab, Project Manager of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup.
"This is underlined by the great success of Porsche’s general esport activities. Until the postponed start of our real season, we’ve created a tremendous platform with the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Virtual Edition for our teams and drivers.”
Now two different online Supercup series
The virtual edition of the racing series is not in competition with the 'Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup', which enters its second season in 2020. This is aimed at professional sim racers and those who strive to become one.
“With the Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup, we’ve expanded our presence in the motor racing world and have opened the door for sim racers to join the international Porsche Motorsport family,” said Marco Ujhasi, Esports Manager at Porsche Motorsport.
“We now look forward to supporting our colleagues from the real Supercup and to be able to offer them an appropriate platform with iRacing.”
Following a test day (29 March), the first two races of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Virtual Edition will be held on 4 April at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain. Other venues to host rounds are the Silverstone Circuit (Great Britain), the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium) and the Autodromo Nazionale Monza (Italy). The final virtual event is to take place on 16 May, 2020.
In addition to two 25-minute sprint races, the event programme will consist of a free practice (30 minutes), a qualifying session (15 minutes) and a warm-up (20 minutes).
There will be a maximum grid of 40 drivers, however only the teams and drivers officially registered for the actual Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, as well as invited guest drivers, are eligible to take part.
The vehicles run by the Supercup teams will sport the same livery as on the real circuits. In addition to the overall classification, drivers in the ProAm and rookie classes will also fight for victories.
“In the current situation, instead of real racing, I spend a lot of time on the simulator," said Porsche Junior Ayhancan Güven (TR/Martinet by Alméras).
"The Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Virtual Edition is a great opportunity to fill the gap. I can hardly wait until the first race.”
The young racer discovered his love for esports as a twelve-year-old and has driven for the world’s largest teams with today’s Formula 1 drivers Max Verstappen and Lando Norris. Güven lines up on the virtual grid with fellow Porsche Junior and former Carrera Cup Australia champion Jaxon Evans (NZ/Lechner Racing).
The Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Virtual Edition utilises the iRacing simulation portal. All events of the virtual one-make cup will be broadcast worldwide via the Internet. Fans can follow the sessions live on the YouTube and Twitch video platforms.
Racing calendar Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Virtual Edition 2020
|
Event |
Date |
Location |
|
Official test |
29.03.2020 |
Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya (Spain) |
|
Races 1+2 |
04.04.2020 |
Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya (Spain) |
|
Races 3+4 |
18.04.2020 |
Silverstone Circuit (Great Britain) |
|
Races 5+6 |
25.04.2020 |
Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium) |
|
Races 7+8 |
16.05.2020 |
Autodromo Nazionale Monza (Italy) |
Info
Further information can be found on the Porsche Motorsports Hub.
