The ESL R1 series on the “Rennsport” sim racing platform comprises six rounds. Three of them count towards the drivers’ championship, and the other three towards the team championship. This was the case at the season opener a week ago at the digital Daytona International Speedway. The recent races took place on the new ‘Orchard Road’ street circuit in Singapore. The format remains largely unchanged from last year: The twelve participating teams each send one of their four drivers to the four quarter-final races. The six best-placed drivers qualify for the two semi-finals, from which the top six in each qualify for the final. In Singapore, both heats on the 3.2-kilometre Orchard Road were contested over 13 laps.
Race Highlights
DeJong, Collins, and Rogers were the three of four works drivers from the Porsche Coanda Esports Racing Team to qualify for the semi-finals. Rogers catapulted from second on the grid to claim a commanding victory. His Australian teammate Dayne Warren, however, faced bad luck: a collision through no fault of his own immediately after the start of the first quarter-final robbed him of any chance of progressing.
The semi-final proved to be challenging for Collins and Rogers. Collins had to start from the last grid spot after a fruitless qualifying lap and advanced to seventh place. Rogers started second on the grid but fell back in the chaos of the start. After making up ground to sixth place, a subsequent three-second penalty dropped him back to eighth place.
Impressions After the Race
Jörn Jens (D, Performance Coach Porsche Coanda Esports Racing): “The races on the Orchard Road circuit turned out to be as chaotic as we’d anticipated. That was a disadvantage for us, we lacked a bit of luck today. I believe more would’ve been possible for us. Mitchell DeJong, however, brought home a great result. That should give the whole team a motivational boost for the next races.”
Mitchell DeJong (USA, Porsche Coanda Esports Racing): “I was on my own in the final, which meant I couldn’t rely on any help from my teammates. My qualifying session went well, and I started in sixth place. It was pretty hectic after the start, but I quickly found a decent rhythm and managed to put pressure on the guys in front of me. I’m happy with fourth place; that earns us valuable points.”
Orchard Road (SG) - Final Results
- Maximilian Benecke, BMW M4 GT3 (D, Mouz)
- Erhan Jajovski, Audi R8 LMS GT3 evo II (NMK, Team Vitality R8G Esports)
- Luke Bennett, BMW M4 GT3 (UK, Team Redline)
- Mitchell DeJong, Porsche 911 GT3 R (USA, Porsche Coanda Esports Racing)
Team Standings After Two of Three Races
- Team Redline, 337 points
- Vitality R8G Esports, 231 points
- Williams Esports, 212 points
- Porsche Coanda Esports Racing, 207 points
For complete results and standings, visit: ESL R1 Results
ESL R1 – Brief Overview
- The unofficial sim racing premier class is contested on the “Rennsport” platform.
- The cars fielded are based on GT3 regulations, including the 911 GT3 R.
- Like in real-life 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 live event through the online events.
- 500,000 US dollars in prize money up for grabs in ESL R1 and Esports World Cup.
The Porsche Motorsport Hub offers more information about the series. Follow live updates from Porsche Motorsport on X @PorscheRaces and Instagram @porsche.motorsport.
