ESL R1 Round 6 – a tough pill to swallow.

The pressure increases from round to round for the whole grid of the ESL R1 Spring Season. 48 drivers competed in rounds 1 and 2 at the IEM Katowice. Only half of the grid will maintain the chance to fight for the driver’s championship. Round 6 invited the drivers to the Nürburgring once again. Four truly intense qualifying sessions followed by the respective quarter-finals determined the driver’s fate for making it to Monday. Dayne Warren and Joshua Rogers impressively secured their ticket by winning their races. Mack Bakkum joined them with third place in the last quarter-final. There, it looked promising for the team, but problems at the start for Dayne Warren and Joshua Rogers and a time penalty for Mack Bakkum meant the early end for the team in the semi-finals.

It was again up to Dayne Warren to take on the first quarter-final for the Porsche Coanda Esports Racing Team. A flawless performance in qualifying secured him the pole position. In his race, there was no doubt about his win: a start-to-finish line race secured his spot in the semi-finals on Monday. His compatriot Joshua Rogers also impressed with a pole position in qualifying. Right at the start, Sebastian Job from G2 Esports got off better, but with the checkered flag in sight, Joshua Rogers overtook the Briton for a drag race to the finish line. Mitchell deJong took on the challenge of quarter-final 3. Some minor mistakes in qualifying meant that he would start from P10. Two positions gained in the race weren't enough for the semi-finals. His race day got to an early end. In quarter-final four, Mack Bakkum showed once again a cunning performance. The Dutch converted a P3 in qualifying into the same position at the end of the race and will fight for the final again in semi-final 2 on Monday.euvre. His second place made Friday perfect for the Porsche Motorsport Esports works team.

The two Australians headed for the first semi-final on Monday. In the qualifying session, Joshua Rogers put an impressive P2 on the scoring board, and his teammate Dayne Warren set a time worth P5. A great starting point for the first semi-final. Both drivers had problems right at the start: Dayne Warren just couldn't get moving, and Joshua Rogers was penalized for his jump start with a drive-through penalty. Ultimately, P11 and P12 meant early elimination from the race day. A disappointing start to Monday for the team. Mack Bakkum competed in semi-final 2 with a solid P6 in qualifying. Also, the race start looked promising for the Dutch driver. After an intense battle in lap 1, he was involved in a crash in the first corner and was handed a 10-seconds time penalty. With the ESL R1 sprint format racing, this meant the end for Mack Bakkum's hopes for the finale. In the end, he crossed the line in P9.

The triple header in April will see the Porsche Esports works drivers compete again in round 7 next Friday and Monday. The world's sim racing elite will meet once again on the virtual rollercoaster of Spa-Francorchamps. The following eighth round marks already the end of the ESL R1 online phase. But it’s all at stake for the drivers: only those who finish in the top 24 will make their way to the Spring Major finals in June at the Rennsport Summit in Munich. For all information and news about the Porsche Coanda Esports Racing Team and the new ESL R1 racing series, follow Coanda's social media platforms (Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook), the Porsche Twitch channel, the Porsche Motorsport Instagram channel, and the Porsche Motorsport Hub.