In the team classification, the Porsche sim racing team heads to Saudi Arabia ranking third. The inaugural EWC event represents the final of the ESL R1 sim racing premier class.
Drivers’ championship
Joshua Rogers travels to Riyadh as one of the hot favourites. Last November, the Australian won the ESL R1 fall series’ final in Jönköping, Sweden. He will tackle the EWC as the newly crowned ESL R1 champion with a points advantage. The top nine finishers in the championship go straight through to the final round. Rogers’ teammates Charlie Collins from Great Britain, Dayne Warren (Australia) and Mitchell deJong (USA) are among the twelve participants competing in the so-called 2nd-chance round for the last three spots in the offline final. There, a prize pool of 100,000 US dollars (approx. 90,700 euros) is up for grabs for the contenders. The winner will receive 25,000 US dollars (approx. 22,700 euros).
Team championship
Starting Friday, the Porsche Coanda Esports Racing Team will compete for the team title. This boasts a total prize purse of 400,000 US dollars (approx. 363,000 euros), with 170,000 US dollars (approx. 154,000 euros) going to the winners. Just over a year ago at the same venue, the works squad won the team competition at the Gamers8 Festival, the predecessor event to the EWC. Twelve highly professional esports organisations are taking part in the competition, which ends on Sunday. Porsche took third place in the ESL R1 team championship – putting them in a promising position for the World Cup.
Esports highlight of the year
With 23 different esports competitions in eight weeks, the EWC is the largest public event of its kind. The event commenced on 3 July and ends next Sunday. It takes place in an event centre covering around 60,000 square metres, comprising four separate esports arenas. Across all disciplines, the prize pool totals over 60 million US dollars.
Nina Braack (Esports Manager Porsche Motorsport): “Our drivers banked enough points in the ESL R1 to fight for the titles in the EWC. As the new ESL R1 champion, Joshua Rogers has even qualified directly for the final round. Last year, we won the team competition at the Gamers8 event in Riyadh. In Jönköping, Sweden, Josh won the fall final of the ESL R1. We’ve once again prepared meticulously for the upcoming tournament. We feel well prepared and determined to win.”
Schedule (CEST)
22 August, from 15:00 hrs: Drivers’ championship – Group phase and final
23 August, from 15:00 hrs: Team championship – Group phase
24 August, from 15:00 hrs: Team championship – 2nd chance round
25 August, from 14:45 hrs: Team championship – Final
Live Broadcast
Fans can follow the Esports World Cup races live on Porsche’s official Twitch channel.
ESL R1 and Esports World Cup – brief overview
- The unofficial sim racing premier class is contended on the “Rennsport” platform.
- The cars fielded are based on GT3 regulations, including the 911 GT3 R.
- Like in real racing, the Balance of Performance (BoP) ensures a level playing field.
- 12 teams consisting of 4 drivers each compete in a team and driver championship.
- The drivers qualify for the final in front of an audience in Riyadh through online events.
- The 21 best ESL R1 drivers compete against each other in the Esports World Cup.
- 500,000 US dollars in prize money up for grabs in ESL R1 and Esports World Cup.
- The Porsche Motorsport Hub offers further information about the series.
