From the "Green Hell" to Le Mans. Apart from the Nürburgring Nordschleife, no other racetrack has made as much motorsport history as the Circuit des 24 Heures du Mans. The notorious endurance race has put drivers and vehicles through their paces every year since 1923.
Last Saturday, the 35 iRacing drivers of the 2022 Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup gathered here for the penultimate race of the season. The virtual circuit welcomed them for their sprint and main race. As always, the race day was opened by the All-Stars.
Kevin Ellis Jr. sprints to victory
Although Sebastian Job had secured the best starting position for the three-lap sprint by setting the fastest time in qualifying, he soon had to make way for his compatriot Ellis. Not only that; after contact with Coanda driver Dayne Warren, Job dropped even further back into fifth place. Meanwhile, Ellis successfully maintained his lead through challenging slipstream duels on the long Le Mans straights and crossed the finish line in first place. Second and third places went to Alejandro Sánchez (SDK Gaming) from Spain and Jeremy Bouteloup (Coanda) from France. Championship leader Pinto secured sixth place.
Job wins main race Job wins main race
As usual, the top eight from the sprint started the main race, in reversed order over six laps - to the delight of Cooper Webster (Oracle Red Bull Racing), who moved up to pole because of that. Soon, however, teammate Job appeared in the Australian rookie's rear-view mirror. In the following four laps, the two defended their double lead through clever teamwork. Unfortunately, a contact between the two at the Mulsanne corner threw Webster back and gave Pinto a chance to attack. Job, now leading the race, had to withstand the pressure of the three-way battle between himself, Pinto and Campbell (VRS) in the final lap.
He managed to keep his nerve and crossed the finish line ahead of his two rivals. Fourth place went to Bouteloup ahead of Sánchez and Webster.
Ahead of the finale in Monza, Diogo C. Pinto now leads the standings with 503 points. Kevin Ellis Jr. is 37 points behind. Sebastian Job, only eleven points away from Ellis, still has a good chance of winning his second Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup title.
Casey Kirwan wins All-Star Race
In the qualifying and in the sprint race, Tyson "Quirkitized" Meier held his own behind the wheel of his virtual Porsche 911 GT3 R. Dan "Suzuki" Sosulski was able to overtake once, but Meier quickly fought back to the top and drove to victory. Sosulski ended up in third place in the sprint, while second place went to Casey Kirwan, who had made his way up from eleventh.
eNASCAR star Kirwan also showed his strength and experience in slipstream duels in the main race. On the very first lap he made up an impressive eight positions. After two more successful overtaking manoeuvres, the American left both "Suzuki" and Jaroslav "Jardier" Honzik behind him and crossed the finish line in first place. Second place went to "Jadier", third to "Quirkitized" Meier, who passed "Suzuki" in the very last few metres.
All eyes on Monza
With his victory in the main race, Sebastian Job has kept the tension high in the battle for the championship title. Theoretically, four drivers still have a chance to claim it: Diogo C. Pinto, Kevin Ellis Jr., Sebastian Job and Zac Campbell. But the finale on the 5.793km Grand Prix circuit in Monza will also be highly exciting for another reason. A top 15 result in the overall standings automatically entitles contenders to take part in 2023. The remaining grid positions will be allocated in qualifying heats.
Before those decisions are made at 21:15 (CEST) in virtual Monza, the All-Stars will open the final race day at 19:30 with their qualifying. Watch the final showdown of the season live on the Porsche channels on YouTube and Twitch.
