The all-new Porsche Esports Team has now been established and consist of many well-known drivers that will take on the Le Mans 24h virtual race on 13/14 June on the virtual version of the legendary Circuit des 24 Heures in Sarthe, France.
The team will be entering with four 2017-spec Porsche 911 RSR fielded in the GTE class and will have 16 Porsche works drivers, junior and other professional athletes join in for the fight.
The driver list includes Le Mans winner André Lotterer, American rallycross and professional Esports driver Mitchell DeJong, Australian Porsche Carrera Cup champions Matt Campbell and Jaxon Evans, and sportscars driver Simone de Silvestro to name a few.
The event will be hosted on the sim racing game rFactor2 and it will be the first true 24 hours endurance racing for the championship.
“Under the current circumstances, the virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans offers an excellent opportunity to reach many fans around the world,” Pascal Zurlinden, Director Factory Motorsport at Porsche, said.
“Le Mans is considered the most traditional long-distance race and the digital version can now attract a completely new target group to professional motor racing. I’m curious to see how the combination of works drivers and elite sim racers will work.”
The online event promises some high octane action and entertainment for the teams as well as the fans, just like the real-life one. Last year Porsche made their step in to the sim racing with sights on the professionalisation of it.
“With the virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans, two worlds converge. The passion for racing now builds the bridge between the real and virtual worlds. The know-how from the racetracks and the skills required on simulation platforms come together in the newly-founded Porsche Esports team.” Marco Ujhasi, Manager Esports at Porsche Motorsport, added
“This unique synergy opens up new possibilities for everyone involved. Just like in real-life racing, the virtual motorsport marathon requires not only a perfect setup and decent pace but also a little bit of luck.”
In the last season, Porsche took home all the four GT titles and a class win at Le Mans with the 911 RSR; with a further 108 class wins and 19 overall victories. The team has established themselves to be the most successful team in the iconic endurance race.
Porsche Esports Team drivers
No. 91 | André Lotterer (Germany) | Neel Jani (Switzerland) | Mitchell DeJong (USA) | Martti Pietilä (Finland) |
No. 92 | Jaxon Evans (New Zealand) | Matt Campbell (Australia) | Mack Bakkum (The Netherlands) | Jeremy Bouteloup (France) |
No. 93 | Nick Tandy (United Kingdom) | Ayhancan Güven (Turkey) | Josh Rogers (Australia) | Tommy Ostgaard (Norway) |
No. 94 | Patrick Pilet (France) | Simone de Silvestro (Switzerland) | Martin Krönke (Germany) | David Williams (United Kingdom) |
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