A circuit is often used as a metaphor for a season in motorsport. There are highs and lows. There are crucial sections of track that define a championship and there is a finish line that only one driver can cross first. This metaphor can also be used to review the 2021 season of the Porsche TAG Heuer Esport Supercup by iRacing. So 3, 2, 1 … green flag.

Race one. And victory number one for Joshua Rogers in the sprint race. After failing to defend his title last year, the 2019 champion was now looking to improve and make things difficult on the track for the reigning champion, Sebastian Job of Red Bull Racing Esports. At Interlagos, the world's 40 best simracers demonstrated the full extent of their talent. After securing pole position in qualifying and winning the sprint race, the Virtual Racing School driver missed out on a perfect weekend, due to a contact with an opponent. The driver who enjoyed the last laugh as a result of this was Kevin Ellis Jr, clinching victory in the main race.

The second and third races of the season had plenty of highlights in store for spectators: the focus of the attention was – of course – Sebastian Job and Joshua Rogers. They shared the victories between them, each winning a sprint and a main race. In Imola, Sebastian Job also won the fiercely contested qualifying. But even at this early stage of the season, it became apparent that drivers like Mitchell deJong and Charlie Collins, as well as Kevin Ellis Jr, were not going to allow these two exceptionally talented drivers to resolve the championship battle alone.

After the first three races, the drivers then entered an extremely technical stage of the season – to quote the initial metaphor. After pole-setter, Mitchell deJong, won the sprint race, Sebastian Job secured a home victory in the virtual main race, following an open confrontation with Joshua Rogers on this time-honoured track.

Joshua Rogers recorded three consecutive victories at Road Atlanta and in the sprint race in Montreal. But this was by no means as easy as it sounds in retrospect. At Road Atlanta, an overtaking manoeuvre on the final lap catapulted Joshua Rogers from third to first place – also helped by the fact that while leading the pack, Mitchell deJong collided with his closest rival, Kevin Ellis Jr.
In Montreal, Joshua Rogers' teammate celebrated his first win in a PESC main race. Mitchell deJong led the main race over almost the entire distance and nobody could snatch this maiden victory away from him.

And what about the reigning champion? He responded by recording three consecutive victories: he was unbeatable in the virtual races at Spa-Francorchamps and took advantage of this high point to win the sprint race at Nürburgring too. He therefore scored double points, as Joshua Rogers and Mitchell deJong both crashed out of the race. Sebastian Job also repelled another attack by rookie driver, Charlie Collins.

As dangerous as Nordschleife is, it was a perfect match for the season's action. With an unhappy ending for Sebastian Job. The British driver withdrew from the main race due to engine damage. This failure benefited his rival, Joshua Rogers, who won this race at Nürburgring with a spectacular overtaking manoeuvre at Döttinger Höhe.

Shortly before the season final, Joshua Rogers increased his lead over his teammates, Mitchell deJong and Sebastian Job, giving him an unassailable position at the top of the table. But let's start from the beginning: Joshua Rogers qualified in pole position in Sarthe. He celebrated a photo finish in the sprint race, ahead of Sebastian Job. In the main race, he displayed the full extent of his abilities and delivered an impeccable performance, granting him a comfortable points lead for the last race.

In the final race of the season, the world's best simracers entered the home straight. Apart from Joshua Rogers, almost none of the drivers could be certain of their position. And the final lived up to its promise. Thanks to live scoring, spectators could see exactly which driver was in 20th place – the final position that guaranteed automatic qualification for next season. On a couple of occasions, spectators were left breathless by the thrilling long-distance duel between Yohann Harth and Moreno Sirica. Ultimately, Yohann Harth secured the direct qualification with third place in the main race. The remarkable thing about the final day's racing, however, was Dayne Warren's victory in the sprint race. What was particularly striking was that fact that the Australian was only the fifth driver to win a race this season. Following Kevin Ellis Jr's victory in the main race at Interlagos, Mitchell deJong, Sebastian Job and Joshua Rogers shared all the other wins between them.

Joshua Rogers was crowned the new champion of the Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup by iRacing with his victory in the main race in Monza. His teammate, Mitchell deJong, took second place with an outstanding performance over the entire season. Third place on the podium went to another Virtual Racing School driver, Charlie Collins. The rookie driver attracted attention with a total of two pole positions and a great deal of action on the track and is already a title contender for next season. True to our motto, #NeverNotRacing, preparations for this are already well underway, meaning that the initial qualification stage for the 2022 season will begin in a few weeks. All the information about this is available here: www.porsche.com/esport