Boothby turns the tables as Whitehead wins in Europe Sprint Series showdown at Barcelona

+RESULT: Mobileye GT World Challenge Esports Europe Sprint Series, Barcelona

+FINAL STANDINGS: Mobileye GT World Challenge Esports Europe Sprint Series, After Rd5

George Boothby came out on top of a four-way fight to seal the 2023 Mobileye GT World Challenge Esports Europe Sprint Series title in a nervy final race at Barcelona.

While Boothby’s second place ensured him this year’s championship, the race-day laurels went the way of another Veloce driver, as Luke Whitehead became the fifth different overall winner this season, meaning each round featured a different victor – with four of them racing for different brands as Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes-AMG and Porsche all celebrated outright successes this year.

Vojtech Fiala may have had his Silver class winning streak ended in Barcelona, but he still did more than enough to secure this year’s class championship by some margin, sparking chatter of a move up to the Pro ranks for 2024.

Boothby’s title success came amid a backdrop of trouble for the Mercedes-AMG runners, which opened the door for Boothby to vault from fourth in the championship coming into the race to eventually seal the title.

The first signs that we may be in for a title turnaround came during qualifying when championship leader Dominik Blajer could only manage 23rd on the grid as the leading Mercedes-AMG, with fellow title chaser Niklas Houben even further back in 32nd.

That trend continued in the race as the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya wasn’t kind to the Mercedes-AMG brigade and all of them struggled to make too much forward progress. 

With the AMGs in trouble, Whitehead stormed to pole aboard the traction-heavy Veloce Porsche 992 GT3 R, just ahead of Grantas Kareckas’ Veloce McLaren, Eric Del Fante’s superbly driven Honda NSX – which secured Silver class pole by a mile – Tinko van der Velde’s Ferrari and Boothby making it three Veloce drivers inside the top five. 

That set the tone as Whitehead got away well to fend off Kareckas into turn one and then the top five settled into a train for the first half of race, with many opting to play things safe and tour clear of the rest of the field.

Behind, the pressure was on Blajer. He enjoyed a rocket start and was fortunate to escape some first-lap drama as the #5 Williams Esports AMG made its way up to 14th during the early stages, but that’s as far as he could get by the time the pit window opened. Blajer completed his stop, but dropped a place while doing so, eventually crossing the chequered flag 15th overall and 10th in the Pro order, throwing the door wide open for the championship. Houben fared even worse and lost his title chance when he was nerfed around during the early laps and lost a heap of time. He’d be just 15th in class at the finish.

With two title contenders down, the momentum shifted. Mikhail Statsenko was the only other driver standing in Boothby’s way, having qualified his ITB Saintéloc Racing Audi a solid eighth. But he struggled to stay in touch with the leading train, and eventually wound up eighth overall at the finish. Game on for Boothby. 

Knowing any additional points would be crucial, Boothby stuck to the top three like glue, constantly pressuring Del Fante’s Honda for third overall without wanting to risk a move on a rival that wasn’t in the same class. When David Tonizza pitted early and emerged in a fight with Kareckas, both cars were delayed allowing Boothby to nip into the pits, complete his stop and undercut both Kareckas and Del Fante to secure second overall. 

From then on it was cruise control, as Whitehead led superbly with champion-elect Boothby just behind, knowing he’d done enough. Kareckas completed the overall podium after shaking off the attentions of Tonizza, with van der Velde fifth ahead of the super-impressive Del Fante, who claimed his first Silver class win.

Maciej Malinowski was seventh ahead of Statsenko, who at least did enough to leapfrog Blajer in the standings and secure the championship runner-up spot. Dario Iemmulo was ninth and second in Silver, right ahead of the runaway championship leader Fiala, who simply kept things clean on his way to both a fourth podium finish from five races, and the Silver championship.

2023 Mobileye GT World Challenge Esports Europe Sprint Series champion George Boothby said: “It feels amazing because the last two rounds were so difficult. I underperformed and the car wasn’t quite there, so that put me on the back foot. But I knew the potential was in the car so I grinded as much as I could to make the car as good as I could and just get into the fight, and this was always going to be a good track for me. The pit stops were pivotal for me as I got the undercut, and then it was about keeping it tidy and keeping my head. I just can’t believe it’s gone my way!”

The Mobileye GT World Challenge Esports Europe Sprint Series will return in 2024.

Houben scores big, but Blajer fires into the lead of the Mobileye GT World Challenge Esports Europe Sprint Series in Germany

  • Result: Mobileye GT World Challenge Esports Europe Sprint Series, Nürburgring
  • Standings: Mobileye GT World Challenge Esports Europe Sprint Series, After Rd4 

Niklas Houben celebrated his breakthrough Mobileye GT World Challenge Esports Europe Sprint Series victory of the season with a supreme performance at the Nürburgring, but arguably the biggest winner of the night was Dominik Blajer, who rocketed into the championship lead with second place.

In Silver, a controlled performance from Vojtech Fiala helped earn him a second successive victory and extend his class championship margin.

Both Mercedes-AMG drivers Houben and Blajer capitalised on a bad night for the top Pro championship contenders, with joint points leaders George Boothby and Mikhail Statsenko both struggling in qualifying. The host of Ferraris in the field seemed to lack pace around the German track, with Boothby qualifying a lowly 33rd on the grid, and Statsenko just 18th in his Audi.

That left the way clear for Houben to snatch top spot in his Team HRT by UOL Mercedes-AMG, ahead of a super-impressive effort from Fiala, who put the Silver points-leading Williams Esports Fanatec Porsche on the front row.

When the lights went out Houben closed the door of Fiala into turn one and started to forge an early gap. He got the margin out to around 1.5sec by the time of the pit window, performed a clean mandatory stop, rejoined in the lead, and then simply kept things neat and tidy to secure the victory. 

Houben’s winning margin was aided by a tight fight for the remaining podium places. Blajer – winner of the last round at Spa – qualified fourth aboard his Williams Esports Razer Mercedes-AMG, but pulled a great move on Marco Jonkers’ similar AMG to snatch third and chase Fiala.

The opening half remained static, with Houben leading Fiala and Blajer as the top three gradually pulled clear. Blajer and the chasing Dennis Schöniger were the first frontrunners to pit from third and fourth respectively, banking on some clean air to play a part in an undercut of Fiala, and it worked nicely, with both cars jumping the Silver Porsche after it suffered a sluggish stop. Fiala rejoined a secure fourth, and simply shadowed the front three to the flag knowing he had a full score in the bag.

Blajer’s second place moves him into the championship lead, but only just as both Statsenko and Boothby performed their own recovery missions. Statsenko fought back from being elbowed wide early on to finish eighth overall and fifth in class, meaning he trails Blajer by a single point. Boothby survived a big off at the chicane to take the flag ninth in class, meaning he drops to fourth in the championship behind Houben. However, just 10 points cover the top four heading into the Barcelona finale.

Behind runaway Silver winner Fiala, Bastian Richter took fifth overall and of Erik del Fante, who fought hard to second in Silver in his Honda NSX run by The Italian Job. Jonkers rounded out the Silver podium right behind. Two-time class leader Valentin Barrier was another victim of Ferrari’s struggles, qualifying way down in 24th overall. His steely fight back into the top 10 in class wasn’t enough to keep him in title contention, with only Fiala and Dario Iemmulo (fourth in the class at this race) still in the title picture.

The final round of the Mobileye GT World Challenge Esports Europe Sprint Series takes place at Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya on August 23.

Tied at the top as the Mobileye GT World Challenge Esports Europe Sprint Series nears crunch time in Germany

With just two rounds of the Mobileye GT World Challenge Esports Europe Sprint Series remaining, things literally couldn’t be any tighter ahead of tomorrow evening’s fourth round at the Nürburgring.

Following a turbulent last outing at Spa, McLaren Veloce driver George Boothby and ITB Saintéloc Racing’s Mikhail Statsenko are locked together at the top of the Pro standings as the field heads to Germany.

While in Silver an early Belgian bath for YAS Heat Esports’ Valentin Barrier blew the title fight wide open, with Vojtech Fiala snatching the points lead for Williams Esports Fanatec. But, as we saw during round three, everything can change in an instant with the championship fights set to only gain in intensity heading into the final two races.

All Mobileye GT World Challenge Esports Europe Sprint Series rounds take place on the Assetto Corsa Competizione platform and are staged in partnership with AK Esports. The championship is split into two classes: Pro for professional Esports drivers affiliated with world-leading brands, teams and manufacturers; and Silver, which caters for the best GT sim racers from the Assetto Corsa Competizione community.

Pro: Boothby’s bruising helps Statsenko draw level

There was a point before Spa when George Boothby looked the epitome of consistency. Two podium finishes from the first two races had helped the McLaren Veloce driver to the top of the standings and all was well. Until lap one in Belgium…

A difficult qualifying left Boothby down the order and at risk of being caught up in other people’s incidents, and it played out exactly that way as Boothby was eliminated in a multi-car tangle heading to Raidillon. Championship leader out with no points… cue a title turnaround!

Mikhail Statsenko has quietly worked his way up the championship table, not through being spectacular, but by being remarkably consistent. The ITB Saintéloc Audi driver has yet to finish lower than fifth all year, and therefore drew level with the non-scoring Boothby at the head of the championship.

Just 10 points further back in third is Williams Esports Razer driver Tinko van der Velde. A runaway winner in his Ferrari at Monza, a clash at Circuit Paul Ricard and another tough outing at Spa have set him back, but he unquestionably has the pace to fight at the front.

David Tonizza is fourth for Automobili Lamborghini Squadra Corse, with Dominik Blajer’s maiden Europe Sprint Series win last time out elevating the Williams Esports Razer Mercedes-AMG driver to fifth in the points, still well within striking distance of the top runners.

Victory in France for McLaren Veloce’s Maciej Malinowski was followed by a non-score at Spa after a bizarre incident when leaving the pit lane. Although blameless in that clash with a slower car, the McLaren 720S GT3 Evo driver lost any hope of scoring points and runs just sixth in the championship as a result.

Others to watch for include Grantas Kareckas (McLaren Veloce), Niklas Houben (Mercedes-AMG Esports Team HRT by UOL), Michael Tauscher and Bastian Richter (Mercedes-AMG Esports Team Unicorns of Love), Dáire McCormack (Mercedes-AMG Team Williams Esports) and Kamil Pawlowski (ITB Thrustmaster Racing Audi).

Silver: Fiala out front in three-way fight

A prime example of how quickly things can change in a championship this tight comes in the Silver class, where Valentin Barrier almost looked to be in a class of his own before Spa. Two races in and two dominant victories had given Barrier the perfect edge in the points, but a damaging Spa day left him well down the order and allowed his closest challenger, Vojtech Fiala, to steal through into the points lead.

As Barrier’s YAS Heat Esports Ferrari was involved in a nasty accident, Fiala kept things clean to score his first win of the year in the Williams Esports Fanatec Porsche to open out a 16-point lead in the standings.

A strong score for Dario Iemmulo at Spa has helped to make it a three-way fight, with the VS Racing by Ballas Lamborghini running just three points behind Barrier in third. Danila Cherepenin’s SMP Racing Esports Mercedes-AMG is fourth and not totally out of the title picture, with Michael Romagnoli’s Absolute Res-Tech by Acelith Aston Martin right behind.

Marco Jonkers (West Competition Racing Mercedes-AMG), Tommy Razeyre (SDL eSports by Logitech G McLaren), Erik Del Fante (The Italian Job Honda NSX), Alberto Garcia (Odox Motorsport Lamborghini) and Léo Boulay (Race eSports Team Mercedes-AMG) are all also well worth keeping an eye on.

The race night begins with two free practice sessions from 19:30CEST, ahead of qualifying at 20:35 and the race at 21:00. The race will be streamed live via the GT World YouTube channel.

Reports and results will be published on the SRO Esports website.

The race results will be posted on SRO-Esports.com.

Consistency the key for Boothby as Mobileye GT World Challenge Esports Europe Sprint Series reaches half-time at Spa

Winning a championship isn’t always simply down to winning races, as Veloce Esports driver George Boothby is proving by leading the pack into the third round of the Mobileye GT World Challenge Esports Europe Sprint Series this evening (Wednesday, June 21).

Of the two races held so far, Boothby hasn’t won either, but he has been the most consistent driver of the season, having finished as runner-up at both Monza and Circuit Paul Ricard aboard his Veloce Ferrari 296 GT3.

With this evening’s visit to the world-famous Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium being the third race out of five this year, the pressure will ratchet up with every lap from now until the end of the season, meaning everything can change in just a single race.

Another icon of consistency has been Silver class leader Valentin Barrier, who has lodged a perfect score in the category thus far to open out a handy points lead.

Once again, the Europe Sprint Series will feature a packed-out 50-car field, with 26 professional GT sim drivers fighting it out over a total prize fund of €12,000, while 24 of the best drivers from the Assetto Corsa Competizione community will do battle in the Silver category, which boasts its own €6500 prize pot.

Boothby sets the bar heading to Spa

Veloce driver George Boothby has been an oasis of calm across the first two Europe Sprint Series rounds, managing to ably avoid scrapes, incidents and mistakes to record two second places, while the drivers that finished ahead of him each time have endured rather more mixed fortunes.

Williams Esports Razer’s Tinko van der Velde looked every inch the man to beat this year with a dominant performance in Monza, and he was right at the front at Circuit Paul Ricard too, before a costly penalty for contact with David Tonizza while fighting for the race lead dropped him way down to 14th in the race and fifth in the championship table, meaning he has a lot of ground to make up in not a lot of races.

Tonizza did survive the incident to finish fourth in his Automobili Lamborghini Squadra Corse Esports Huracan, meaning he now runs second in the standings, some 15 points behind Boothby.

The biggest beneficiary of the clash between van der Velde and Tonizza in France was McLaren Veloce’s Maciej Malinowski, who steamed through to take his first victory of the year at Circuit Paul Ricard. However, a tough opening round at Monza means he’s only fourth in the standings, 22 points off Boothby’s pace.

Mikhail Statsenko has been quietly racking up the points aboard the ITB Saintéloc Racing Audi R8 LMS Evo II. While not perhaps as spectacular as his rivals, Statsenko has stayed clear of trouble to record a fifth in Monza and third in France to sit third in the championship, easily within striking distance of the leaders.

McLaren Veloce’s second car of Grantas Kareckas is a constant threat, as is Charlie Crossland in the Williams Esports Fanatec Lamborghini. Then there’s the matter of the pack of Mercedes-AMG drivers primed to strike. Best placed so far is Dennis Schöniger (Team Williams Esports), but Dáire McCormack (Team Williams Esports), Michael Tauscher (Esports Team Unicorns of Love), Dominik Blajer (Williams Esports Razer), Bastian Richter (Esports Team Unicorns of Love) and Niklas Houben (Esports Team HRT by UOL) are all capable of putting an AMG out front.

Others to watch include Oscar Tringale (Kessel Glitch Ferrari), Sebastian Apostol (West Competition Racing BMW M4), Luke Whitehead (Veloce Esports Porsche 992 GT3 R), Kamil Pawlowski (ITB Thrustmaster Racing Audi) and Alexander Smolyar (SMP Racing Esports Honda NSX).

Barrier blowing them away in Silver

YAS Heat Esports is living up to its title, as driver Valentin Barrier is proving too hot to handle on current form in the fight for the Silver class title.

Having been firmly in the mix for the top spots overall in both races so far, Barrier’s Ferrari 296 GT3 has become a familiar sight at the front of races, and it’s paying off nicely in the championship with two category wins putting him 15 points clear of anybody. If he could add a third here at Spa, it could be close to game over for the title chase.

But there’s a stacked entry of talent aiming to stop him, and it’s currently led by Williams Esports Fanatec’s Vojtech Fiala. Two podium finishes mean he represents Barrier’s biggest threat in the team’s Porsche 992 GT3 R. VS Racing by Ballas Dario Iemmulo runs third in his Lamborghini, and he’s just four points down on Fiala in a fight that could easily go either way.

Michael Romagnoli’s Absolute Res-Tech by Acelith Aston Martin has also been one to watch in recent races, with two top-five finishes so far putting him in a strong position in the points table.

It’s also well worth keeping an eye out for Tommy Razeyre (SDL eSports by Logitech G McLaren 720S GT3 Evo), Danila Cherepenin (SMP Racing Esports Mercedes-AMG), Leo Boulay (Race eSport Team Mercedes-AMG), Daniil Tylyk (SMP Racing Esports BMW M4), Nils Klinkmüller (Team Unicorns of Love Mercedes-AMG), Niklas Ahrnke (Team One · FF Porsche) and Kieran Prendergast, who has endured a luckless start to the year with two non-scores so far in Brabham Esports’ Honda NSX and will be keen to get some points on the board before it’s too late.

The race night begins with two free practice sessions from 19:30CEST, ahead of qualifying at 20:25 and the race at 21:00. The race will be streamed live via the GT World YouTube channel.

Reports and results will be published on the SRO Esports website.

The Mobileye GT World Challenge Esports Europe Sprint Series takes place across five events, all held midweek, over a schedule that mirrors the real-world Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS. Following the opening round at Monza, drivers will then tackle Circuit Paul Ricard in France, the legendary Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium and Germany’s Nürburgring before finishing the series at Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya in Spain.

Malinowski lucks in for Veloce as late drama denies Van Der Velde at Circuit Paul Ricard

Maciej Malinowski completed a dream week for Veloce Esports by coming out on top of an action-packed second round of the Mobileye GT World Challenge Esports Europe Sprint Series at Circuit Paul Ricard, beating his team-mate George Boothby after late drama.

Malinowksi was the chief beneficiary of contact between David Tonizza’s Lamborghini and championship leader Tinko Van Der Velde in the Williams Esports Razer Ferrari, which opened the door for both Veloce drivers as Malinowski snuck past and then George Boothby was elevated to second when Van Der Velde collected a hefty penalty. Having also won the recent Mobileye Intercontinental GT Challenge Esports Bathurst 12 Hours, it’s safe to say that Veloce has enjoyed a decent week… 

Valentin Barrier continued his superb start to the season in the Silver class by fighting back from a tough qualifying to celebrate a second victory and build his gap in the championship standings. 

A combination of an ultra-tight field and the long straights of Circuit Paul Ricard produced a classic slipstreamer of a race, with three different drivers taking a turn in the race lead, and the entire lead pack being separated by fractions of a second.

Quite how tight the race would be was emphasised by the qualifying result, where Boothby grabbed pole from Tonizza and Van Der Velde as the top five were covered by just 0.017s, and the top nine by less than 0.1s. And when the lights went out, Boothby did just enough to fend off Tonizza through the first sector, but couldn’t build the early gap he’d have liked.

When Tonizza got a strong draft down the Mistral Straight on lap five, Boothby ran wide at De Beausset and Tonizza was through. Soon after Van Der Velde drafted past Boothby on the Mistral to establish the top three. 

Van Der Velde then honed-in on Tonizza, repeatedly attacking the Lamborghini until the pit window opened and the championship leader was the first to stop, while Tonizza stayed out to try and overcut his challenger. 

Tonizza completed his mandatory stop a lap later and things couldn’t have been closer when he rejoined, with the Huracan just getting up to speed as Van Der Velde’s Ferrari tried to slip down the inside. The two ran together through the first sector, before Tonizza just edged ahead again.

However, with a lap of extra heat in his tyres, Tonizza had no answer when Van Der Velde got a tow down the Mistral and became the race’s third different leader. From there, things seemed set, until Tonizza regrouped and attacked again with just a few minutes left. His pressure looked to have paid off when Van Der Velde ran deep into Signes, allowing Tonizza up the inside, but contact between the two as they ran through De Beausset sent the Lamborghini spinning down to fifth, and earned Van Der Velde a 30-second penalty that would eventually drop him down to 14th. And Veloce capitalised in the finest way.

The team had already shuffled its drivers before the incident, with Boothby allowing the then-faster Malinowski past to allow him a shot at attacking the top two. When they collided, Malinowski picked his way through to secure the win, with Boothby picking up second – and the championship lead – after Van Der Velde’s penalty. 

Mikhail Statsenko was third in the ITB Saintéloc Racing Audi, with Tonizza fourth. Grantas Kareckas was fifth for Veloce with Dennis Schöniger rounding out the top six for Mercedes-AMG Team Williams Esports. 

After qualifying, few would have bet on Monza winner Barrier claiming a second Silver victory, yet a superb charge up the order turned the tables in the race.

Barrier started just 22nd on the grid, some 13 places behind class pole-man Daniil Tylyk, but a clean start and superb race pace soon brought Barrier into the mix. He was soon into third in class and pressuring Tommy Razeyre’s SDL eSports by Logitech G McLaren for second. After the pit window, Barrier managed to find a way past for second, and then zapped by class leader Tylyk, pulling as much as a 2.5s gap to control the closing stages and take the flag in 12th overall in the YAS Heat Esports Ferrari 296.

Tylyk was second on the road for SMP Racing Esports, but a post-race 30s penalty for contact dropped him back to 11th. That elevated Vojtech Fiala’s Williams Esports Fanatec Porsche to the runner-up spot. Fiala had come out on top of a superb late fight with Dario Iemmulo to score the final class podium spot. Iemmulo himself was then docked a few seconds after the race for his part in a clash. That moved him down to fourth in the final order, behind Danila Cherepenin in the SMP Racing Esports Mercedes-AMG. Michael Romagnoli (Absolute Res-Tech by Acelith Aston Martin) and Leo Boulay (Race eSport Team Mercedes-AMG) completed the top six.

The next round of the Mobileye GT World Challenge Esports Europe Sprint Series takes place at Spa-Francorchamps on June 21.

Tinko on top as Mobileye GT World Challenge Esports Europe Sprint Series pack heads toward round two  

The second round of the Mobileye GT World Challenge Esports Europe Sprint Series takes place at Circuit Paul Ricard in France this evening (Wednesday, May 24) with a huge 50-car field looking to reel in a pair of runaway Ferrari drivers.

Tinko Van Der Velde celebrated outright victory during round one at Monza earlier in the month, notching a useful perfect score after taking the win from pole position aboard his Williams Esports Razer Ferrari 296 GT3.

Valentin Barrier did likewise in the Silver category, putting on an impressive show to mix with the Pro entries at the front in the YAS Heat Esports Ferrari 296.

But with a field stacked with talent in both categories and a total prize pot of €18,500 on the line, staying on top of the pack will take both skill and consistency.

All of the Mobileye GT World Challenge Esports Europe Sprint Series events are held on the Assetto Corsa Competizione platform and are staged in partnership with AK Esports. 

Van Der Velde leads the way in Pro

Tinko Van Der Velde’s win in Monza looks simple from the time sheets: pole position converted to overall victory. However, he was made to work hard for it by Veloce Esports driver George Boothby.

Boothby led a good portion of the race across the opening stages after squeezing by Van Der Velde at the start, and the two put on their own private duel before Van Der Velde timed his mid-race pit stop perfectly to emerge ahead and then hold on to the finish. On home turf, Ferrari’s new 296 GT3 impressed, but the technical curves of circuit Paul Ricard could change all that.

David Tonizza is still finding his feet in the Automobili Lamborghini Squadra Corse Huracan GT3 Evo2 after switching from Ferrari for this season, but he still grabbed third place at Monza and is certain to only get faster and faster as the year goes on. He’s partnered by Luca Losio in the sister car. Likewise, expect Dáire McCormack to be well in the mix in the Mercedes-AMG Team Williams Esports entry. 

Fresh from victory in the Intercontinental GT Challenge Esports Powered by Mobileye Bathurst 12 Hours, McLaren Veloce has two cars out for Grantas Kareckas and Maciej Malinowski, while Luke Whitehead (the other driver to make up the Bathurst-winning team alongside Boothby, Kareckas and Malinowski) handles Veloce’s Porsche 992 GT3 R.

Mikhail Statsenko was impressive at Monza in ITB Saintéloc Racing’s Audi, while Williams Esports Fanatec driver Charlie Crossland sits sixth in the standings with his Lamborghini. 

Others to watch for include Dominik Blajer (Williams Esports Razer Mercedes-AMG), Bastian Richter and Michael Tauscher (both Mercedes-AMG Esports Team Unicorns of Love), Sebastian Apostol (West Competition BMW M4) and Oscar Tringale (Kessel Glitch Ferrari 296).

Who can topple Barrier in Silver?

Reserved for the cream of the Assetto Corsa Competizione sim racing community, the Silver category is promising to be an incredibly close-fought battle this season, if Monza is anything to go by.

Valentin Barrier’s start to the season was so good that he found himself fighting on the fringes of the outright podium places at Monza, and his tactic of keeping things clean and staying out of trouble paid off handsomely first time out.

Choosing not to fight the Pro entries around him too fiercely meant Barrier controlled the class in the YAS Heat Esports Ferrari, finishing comfortably clear of Dario Iemmulo’s VS Racing by Ballas Lamborghini. Expect this rivalry to heat up again in round two.

Vojtech Fiala could well have been in the mix for the class win but for a penalty, but he regardless pulled off a masterful late pass to grab third in the Williams Esports Fanatec Porsche. Michael Romagnoli’s Absolute Res-Tech by Acelith Aston Martin Vantage AMR proved a bit of a handful at Monza, but fourth gives him a solid platform to build from.

Tommy Razeyre impressed on his run to fifth aboard the SDL eSports by Logitech G McLaren 720S, while Niklas Ahrnke sits sixth in the Team ONE ∙ FF Porsche.

Also keep an eye on promising chargers such as Léo Boulay (Race eSport Team Mercedes-AMG), Alberto Garcia (Odox Motorsport Lamborghini), Daniil Tylyk (SMP Racing Esports BMW M4), Marco Jonkers (West Competition Mercedes-AMG), Kieran Prendergast (Brabham Esports Honda NSX) and Leon Hoppe (Grid Finder Racing Bentley Continental).

The race night begins with two free practice sessions from 19:30 CEST, ahead of qualifying at 20:25 and the race at 21:00. The race will be streamed live via the GT World YouTube channel.

The Mobileye GTWC Esports Europe Sprint Series takes place across five events, all held midweek, over a schedule that mirrors the real-world Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS. Following the opening round at Monza, drivers will then tackle Circuit Paul Ricard in France, the legendary Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium and Germany’s Nürburgring before finishing the series at Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya in Spain.

ESPORTS: Van Der Velde wins it for Williams in Mobileye GTWC Esports Europe Sprint Series opener at Monza

Tinko Van Der Velde produced a beautifully controlled drive to snatch victory in the opening Mobileye GTWC Esports Europe Sprint Series round of the season, the Williams Esports Razer driver making his performance around the pit stop count.

Likewise, a clever drive from Valentin Barrier secured him a clear victory in the Silver class. He chose his battles wisely and romped home to the first class victory of the season.

Van Der Velde qualified his Ferrari 296 GT3 on pole, but was powerless to prevent Veloce Esports’ George Boothby slipping into the lead at Curva Grande after the two had run door-to-door through the first chicane, with Boothby just finding the inside line on corner exit.

Initially, Barrier held a superb third place behind the two leading Ferraris, but soon opted to ease the pressure from the charging Lamborghini of David Tonizza by allowing the Pro class runner through to concentrate purely on building his own advantage in the Silver class. 

Up front, Boothby continued to lead by around half-a-second and, despite racing with a hand injury, appeared to have the edge on Van Der Velde as the pit window approached. Boothby was the first of the two to make his mandatory stop, diving into the pits as the leaders began to hit backmarker traffic, whereas Van Der Velde opted to stay out and try to work his way through the pack ahead. 

It looked like an error on paper, but Van Der Velde made swift work of the lapped cars, completed his pit stop a lap later and managed to rejoin with an advantage of 0.9s over Boothby when the true order shook out. From that moment on Van Der Velde was in complete control, eventually stretching his advantage to 3s at the flag.

Boothby was a comfortable second, with Tonizza an equally secure third for Automobili Lamborghini Squadra Corsa. Mikhail Statsenko brought the ITB Saintéloc Racing Audi R8 LMS Evo II home in fourth at the flag, but was docked five seconds post-race for aggressive driving during a tight fight, dropping him back to sixth. 

Dáire McCormack’s Mercedes-AMG Team Williams Esports car then moved up to fourth, making it three different marques inside the top four.

Barrier celebrated the Silver class victory in fifth for YAS Heat Esports, well clear of his closest class rival, Dario Iemmulo, who finished ninth overall in the VS Racing by Ballas Lamborghini Huracan.

Charlie Crossland was seventh overall for Williams Esports Fanatec, ahead of Kamil Pawlowski in the ITB Thrustmaster Racing Audi. Dennis Shoeniger rounded out the top 10 overall in the second Mercedes-AMG Team Williams Esports car, but only just after surviving a last-lap battle with Grantas Kareckas’ Veloce McLaren.

A time penalty for contact during the first stint looked to have denied Vojtech Fiala a chance at the final step of the Silver class podium, but he fought back from the delay superbly to eventually pass Michael Romagnoli’s Absolute Res-Tech by Acelith Aston Martin during the closing stages to snatch the place back.

The next round of the Mobileye GTWC Esports Europe Sprint Series takes place at Circuit Paul Ricard in France on Wednesday, May 24.

New professional sim series joins 2023 SRO Esports roster

  • World’s best virtual racers to compete on-site at Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS events
  • 30 Assetto Corsa Competizione races scheduled across six on-site and online championships
  • SRO Esports prize money provisionally tops €163,500, with more to follow
  • Download: 2023 SRO Esports information

The world’s best sim racing teams and drivers will become a permanent feature of the real-life Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS paddock this year thanks to the new SRO Esports Sim Pro Series.

The five-round invitational championship joins a packed global SRO Esports calendar, which once again includes four Mobileye-supported online competitions – three sprint and one endurance – as well as the ground-breaking Fanatec Esports GT Pro Series where virtual results count towards the real-life Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS teams’ title. 

The Fanatec Arena that travels to each Endurance Cup event will now stage two 60-minute Assetto Corsa Competizione races per weekend: one – as usual – for GT stars, and another for their professional sim racing counterparts who will battle for points and prize money at Monza, Circuit Paul Ricard, Spa-Francorchamps, the Nurburgring and Barcelona.

The new series stems from the success of 2022’s Spa Racing Night in which manufacturer-supported teams and drivers contested a one-off sprint race in the Fanatec Arena just as dusk descended over the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa. 

23 of the 24 professional team entries will be confirmed in advance, while the final slot per event is determined by a last chance qualifier hosted on-site. And just like the Fanatec Esports GT Pro Series, teams are permitted to use different drivers at each of the season’s five rounds.

Each event is provisionally scheduled to last one day, with rig setup and practice in the morning and early afternoon before warm-up, qualifying and the race all take place immediately after that same evening’s Fanatec Esports GT Pro Series round. 

Prize money totalling €75,000 will be won throughout the campaign.

The other €88,500 is split between SRO Esports’ four online championships, which remain largely unchanged this year. Mobileye GT World Challenge Esports America, Asia and Europe each comprise five hour-long sprint races, while the endurance element is covered by Intercontinental GT Challenge Esports Powered by Mobileye’s five iconic events on as many continents. 24 Pro and 24 Silver entries are permitted per championship.

To promote regional participation, each Mobileye GT World Challenge Esports series is reserved for drivers living in that specific area.

All European and Asian races take place on Wednesdays, American races on Saturdays and IGTC events across weekends.

Elsewhere, changes have been made to the way Balance of Performance is calculated and a penalty points system introduced to encourage a consistently higher level of driving standards.

Further details concerning this year’s Fanatec Esports GT Pro Series, including prize money, will be confirmed before the opening round at Monza in April.

All 30 of this year’s SRO Esports races will be staged in partnership with AK Esports and streamed live on SRO’s Twitch and YouTube channels.

The continued support of Assetto Corsa Competizione’s developer, Kunos Simulazione, is also of paramount importance to SRO Esports’ success. The official Fanatec GT World Challenge videogame provides an extraordinarily accurate simulation of multi-manufacturer GT3 (and GT4) racing that tests real-world drivers and professional sim racers to their limits.

2023 SRO ESPORTS SIM PRO SERIES (ON-SITE SPRINT)
April 22 – Monza
June 3 – Circuit Paul Ricard
June 30 – Spa-Francorchamps
July 29 – Nurburgring
September 30 – Barcelona
Prize money pool: €75,000


2023 INTERCONTINENTAL GT CHALLENGE ESPORTS POWERED BY MOBILEYE (ONLINE ENDURANCE)
May 20 – Bathurst 12 Hour
June 17 – Kyalami 9 Hour
July 15 – 24 Hours of Spa
August 19 – Suzuka 10 Hours
September 16 – Indianapolis 8 Hour
Prize money pool: €58,000


2023 MOBILEYE GT WORLD CHALLENGE ESPORTS EUROPE (ONLINE SPRINT)
May 3 – Monza
May 24 – Circuit Paul Ricard
June 21 – Spa-Francorchamps
July 19 – Nurburgring
August 23 – Barcelona
Prize money pool: €18,500


2023 MOBILEYE GT WORLD CHALLENGE ESPORTS AMERICA (ONLINE SPRINT)
May 6 – Laguna Seca
June 10 – Circuit of the Americas
July 22 – Silverstone 
August 5 – Watkins Glen
September 2 – Indianapolis
Prize money pool: €6,000


2023 MOBILEYE GT WORLD CHALLENGE ESPORTS ASIA (ONLINE SPRINT)
May 31 – Imola
June 28 – Donington Park
July 12 – Bathurst
August 9 – Kyalami
September 6 – Suzuka
Prize money pool: €6,000

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About KUNOS Simulazioni

Kunos Simulazioni is a software house specialized in developing driving simulations for the videogame market and professional applications.

The company launched in 2005 as a one-man show, and now involves professional expertise capable of producing the technology required to satisfy a diverse range of requirements: from professional training software for car manufacturers and racing teams to advanced videogames dedicated to simracers looking for a driving model with maximum realism. 

The “Assetto Corsa” racing game is the best result of this vision, turning a driving simulation into one of the most recognized and popular brands of racing videogames. 

Its latest iteration, “ASSETTO CORSA COMPETIZIONE”, is one of the most appreciated GT racing simulations on the market, representing a benchmark in terms of car handling, visual realism and track accuracy.

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About Fanatec

Fanatec is the leading brand for dedicated sim racing hardware, including force feedback steering wheels, pedals, and complete cockpits for PlayStation, Xbox, and PC-based racing simulators. Fanatec is a brand of Endor AG, based in Germany, the company has more than 20 years of experience in developing and manufacturing sim racing equipment, constantly striving for innovation and quality. Fanatec is the official hardware partner for several different esports series, including F1 Esports Pro Series, the eSport WRC Championship, and SRO E-sport GT Series, with the sim racing hardware being an integral part of the live broadcasts all over the world. Fanatec is also the main sponsor of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Powered by AWS. Find out more at www.fanatec.com.

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About AK Esports

Ak Esports is an Italian company leader in the organization of Esports competitions, Esports team management and events all over Europe, with a special focus on Sim Racing. Created by Ak Informatica, italian PC Gaming Expert, since 2004 the company has seen a steady growth every year since then, working on the latest technology and Gaming titles to develop Esports Entertainment. Ak Esports developed several Esports assets for many different car manufacturers and in 2019 together with SRO Motorsport Group and Kunos Simulazioni created the first SRO Esports.  Championship. Find out more about AK at www.akesports.it.

Baldwin emerges from rain-soaked Monza finale as two-time Mobileye GT World Challenge Europe Esports champion  

  • Consistency counts as Veloce McLaren ace successfully defends European title 
  • Gronewald scuppered by penalty, heartbreak for McCormack 
  • Blajer takes dominant Silver crown with another win
  • Qualifying | Race Result | Standings

James Baldwin has retained his Mobileye GT World Challenge Europe Esports title, with a third-place finish at Monza giving the Veloce McLaren driver a second successive continental crown.

Heavy rain at the Italian track ensured that the finale was a tense affair. The stress levels rose another notch after qualifying, with championship leader Dáire McCormack mired down in 16th overall. Baldwin was a strong third, while dark horse Tobias Gronewald (Mercedes-AMG E-Sports Team UOL) fared even better by taking second on the grid. 

Kevin Siclari started the 60-minute Assetto Corsa Competizione race from pole, but the Mkers Mercedes-AMG driver was instantly relegated to second by Gronewald and then fell behind Baldwin, making contact with both title aspirants through the Rettifilo chicane. Siclari never recovered: within 10 minutes he had clashed with Robbie Stapleford (BMW G2 Esports) and was subsequently handed a drive-through penalty, wrecking a race that had begun with such promise. 

An even greater disaster befell McCormack. Starting mid-pack in wet conditions always represents a major risk, and so it proved this time. The Munster Rugby Gaming Bentley was among several cars caught up an incident, dropping the championship leader outside the top-30 and leaving his titles hopes in tatters.

Up front Gronewald was doing what he needed to snatch the crown and soon got some help from fellow Mercedes-AMG racer Dennis Schoeniger (Mercedes-AMG E-Sports Team HRT), who relegated Baldwin to third. When Jordan Sherratt (Automobili Lamborghini Esports Team) also passed the McLaren, dropping Baldwin to fourth, Gronewald was in title-winning position.

With all of the front-runners electing to go deep into the pit window, the race was in a holding pattern until shortly before the 45-minute mark. Schoeniger was the first of the lead pack to stop, followed shortly after by Gronewald. It didn’t work out as intended for the latter, who emerged from the pit lane behind his fellow Mercedes-AMG man. This was not a disaster – Schoeniger was likely to allow Gronewald past – but there were far greater problems lurking just around the corner. 

First, Baldwin completed a quick stop and exited pit lane right behind Gronewald. But while he could potentially fight off the charging McLaren, Gronewald could not argue with race control when it handed him a drive-through for track limits violations. Serving this penalty dropped the Mercedes-AMG Team UOL driver down the order and out of title contention. 

Baldwin was now in the box seat, but there was still the small matter of the race win. Sherratt exited the pits alongside Schoeniger and the two ran side-by-side up to turn 1. There was slight contact, causing the Mercedes-AMG to use the run-off while the Lamborghini had a huge sideways moment through the first chicane. 

Schoeniger was chased all the way to the chequered flag by Sherratt in the works Lamborghini, but held on to score his first win of the season. A little further back, Baldwin was in no mood to get involved with the fight at the front. He cruised to third and, in doing so, collected more than enough points to vault him above McCormack in the standings. Baldwin had not previously occupied top spot in the championship, but he was there when it mattered most. 

Nils Naujoks came home fourth after stalking Baldwin for the final few laps without quite getting close enough to make a move on the McLaren. Mike Nobel was fifth to take his and the Honda NSX’s best finish of the 2022 season, while championship outsider David Tonizza (Scuderia Ferrari Velas Esports Team) finished in sixth. McCormack and Gronewald were classified 11th and 12th respectively among the Pro runners. 

Dominik Blajer bagged a fourth Silver class win from five races to secure a title that has looked destined to be his since the opening race. The TRITON Bentley driver’s day started down the order, with championship rival Robbie Stapleford on class pole, but the young BMW driver was delayed by his clash with Siclari. Blajer made forward progress and ultimately passed Marcello Bonaccorsi (VSR by Ballas eSport), the Italian enjoying by far his best run of 2022. Behind them, Stapleford recovered to finish third. 

In the Pro class, the final championship standings put Baldwin on 113 points. McCormack finishes as runner-up with 98 followed by Tonizza (90) and Gronewald (81). In the Silver category, Blajer is champion with a mighty 168-point total, while Stapleford takes runner-up on 134 and third-place Kieran Prendergast (Rocket Simsport) is some way back on 78 points.

With the European season complete, many of the field will now focus on the deciding rounds of the Intercontinental GT Challenge Esports Championship Powered by Mobileye. Their next encounter will be a 10-hour race at Suzuka (27 August), followed by the Kyalami 9 Hour (10 September) and the 24 Hours of Spa (22 October).

Organised by SRO Motorsports Group and Ak Esports in partnership with Mobileye, Fanatec, Kunos Simulazioni, Pirelli and The Sim Grid, Mobileye GT World Challenge Europe Esports utilises the unmatched simulation of Assetto Corsa Competizione. It runs alongside similar continental series in Asia and America, as well as IGTC Esports Powered by Mobileye and the pioneering Fanatec Esports GT Pro Series. 

Mobileye GT World Challenge Europe Esports season approaches finishing straight with penultimate round at Hungaroring

  • Pro championship leader McCormack aiming to extend advantage at tricky Hungarian circuit 
  • Silver standout Blajer chasing fourth successive class victory 
  • Entry List | Standings | Schedule

Dáire McCormack will look to strengthen his grip on the 2022 Mobileye GT World Challenge Europe Esports title tonight (6 July) when the championship stages its fourth and penultimate round at the Hungaroring. 

The Irish driver holds an 18-point advantage at the top of the standings after guiding his Munster Rugby Gaming Bentley to a second win of the season last time out at the Nürburgring and could even seal the European crown this evening. That will be a tall order, however, with fierce competition at the front of the grid promising another epic Assetto Corsa Competizione contest at the tight and twisty 4.4km Hungarian venue. 

Scuderia Ferrari Velas Esports racer David Tonizza sits second in the standings, but slipped 18 points back from McCormack after a difficult run to sixth at the Nürburgring. His qualifying form has been exemplary – Tonizza started the opening two events from pole and was second at the Nürburgring – so the Italian cannot be ruled out of the fight. Indeed, having won last season’s Hungaroring contest, Tonizza should fancy his chances. 

The dark horse in this title race is Tobias Gronewald. The Mercedes-AMG E-Sports Team UOL driver sits third in the standings on 72 points with a pair of podiums to his name. Gronewald was on pole at the Nürburgring and while his race pace was not quite enough to overcome McCormack he has built a strong platform to fight for the championship. 

James Baldwin’s title defence is still alive, but the Veloce McLaren man simply must beat McCormack if he is to have a serious chance of retaining his European crown. The same goes for Nils Naujoks. A runner-up finish at the Nürburgring gave the BMW Team BS+COMPETITION ace his best finish of 2022 and much-needed points after being taken out at Misano, but any hope of a title tilt rests on a big result at the Hungaroring. 

It is difficult to see beyond the current top-five for the 2022 title, even if others are still in play. With 70 points left on the board Tinko van der Velde, Michael Tauscher, Jordan Sherratt, Arthur Kammerer and Maxime Batifoulier are mathematically eligible, but it would require a remarkable turnaround for them to challenge McCormack. There are also several big names still chasing a breakthrough result, including Niklas Houben, Samir Ibraimi and Dennis Schoeniger. 

On one hand, it would be fair to say that Dominik Blajer has dominated the Silver class this season. The TRITON Racing Bentley driver has taken all three wins and frequently competed with the top Pro drivers. But, with Robbie Stapleford (BMW G2 Esports) finishing as runner-up on each occasion, Blajer’s advantage is only 17 points. Nevertheless, Stapleford must beat Blajer on-track if he is to have a serious crack at the title. Fabien Piffet (Team Fordzilla Bentley) and Mateusz Tyszkiewicz (TRITON Racing Bentley) also remain mathematically eligible, though realistically they are contending for the final step on the Silver championship podium.

A field featuring 50 of the world’s finest sim racers will fill the Hungaroring grid. As ever points will be scored towards both the Pro and Silver classifications, while the race will include a strategic element courtesy of a mandatory pit stop between the 15th and 45th minute. Live coverage is free-to-view on YouTube and Twitch, with streaming set to begin at 20:50 CEST. 

Organised by SRO Motorsports Group and Ak Esports in partnership with Mobileye, Fanatec, Kunos Simulazioni, Pirelli and The Sim Grid, the Mobileye GT World Challenge Europe Esports Championship utilises the unmatched simulation of Assetto Corsa Competizione. It runs alongside similar continental Sprint Series in Asia and America, while the Intercontinental GT Challenge Esports Championship Powered by Mobileye tests elite sim racing teams in long-distance events.

Championship Standings – Pro

  1. Daire McCormack – 93
  2. David Tonizza – 75
  3. Tobias Gronewald – 72
  4. James Baldwin – 67
  5. Nils Naujoks – 47

Championship Standings – Silver

  1. Dominik Blajer – 104 points
  2. Robbie Stapleford – 87
  3. Fabien Piffet – 54
  4. Mateusz Tyszkiewicz – 50
  5. Egor Ogorodnikov – 33

2022 Mobileye GT World Challenge Europe Esports Championship

  1. Misano – 6 April
  2. Zandvoort – 4 May
  3. Nürburgring – 8 June
  4. Hungaroring – 6 July
  5. Monza – 3 August