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+ RESULT: Mobileye GT World Challenge Esports Asia Sprint Series, Suzuka

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

Dillan Tan secured his second-straight Mobileye GT World Challenge Esports Asia Sprint Series title after coming out on top of a nervy season finale at Suzuka, while Russel Reyes did just enough to secure the Silver class laurels after a race-long three-way fight.

Having dominated last year’s championship and won three out of four rounds heading to the Suzuka finale, Legion of Racers star Tan was always going to be favourite for the crown, even if his event started in a rare way when he was bested in qualifying.

Philippa Boquida managed to edge Tan out, putting her BMW M Team BS+Competition M4 GT3 on pole by seven thousandths of a second, with Fadhli Rachmat’s Honda in third as four different brands occupied the top five.

Even though Tan failed to grab pole for just the second time this year, his title chances were still boosted by his main rival Ferris Stanley starting just sixth in his BS+Competition BMW. While Boquida excelled, Stanley never seemed to have the raw pace, and that would set up a tough event for him. 

When the lights went out, Boquida didn’t get the best launch and Tan dived for the lead around the outside of turn one, but even with the Tarmac Works-backed Mercedes-AMG out front, Boquida refused to let him escape and stuck to the AMG’s bumper through the first half.

Boquida pitted a lap earlier than Tan to try the undercut, and the two cars rejoined nose-to-tail when the order shook out, with Tan inches in front but not yet up to speed. Contact between the two entering the Esses gave Tan a grassy off and a worrying moment, but he gathered it up to continue to lead, and was then handed a decisive margin when Boquida got crossed up through Spoon, giving Tan the breathing room he needed to secure both the win, and the championship.

Boquida was still a clear second, ahead of Sota Muto after he pressured Rachmat into a mistake to pass the Honda. That started a sad slump down the order for Rachmat who was clearly struggling with understeer and eventually suffered a costly spin.

Naquib Azlan was fourth ahead of Stanley, who spent the first half of the race with his mirrors full of Andika Rama Maulana’s AMG and failed to make anywhere near the progress he needed to worry Tan. Maulana finished right behind the BMW in sixth. 

The biggest title tension came in the Silver class, where things stayed on a knife-edge until the closing stages. 

Things were shaken up when Daffa Boediharjo snatched pole ahead of all the championship favourites and a no-show from second in the points KuiSheng Huang made it a three-way fight. Huang’s absence left Reyes leading by 10pts from Rialto Ristofani, but while Ristofani qualified third in class and within the top 11, Reyes struggled to 15th and fourth in the class order. With the pressure firmly on, Reyes worked his way up to 13th overall to put himself on the back of the leading Silver train, and this fight only intensified over the second half of the race as the leaders were bunched by the pit window.

Knowing fourth would still be enough to claim the title if Ristofani didn’t win, the pressure switched to Ristofani and things came to a head when he made contact with Kobe Chan’s Pro class BMW exiting the hairpin as he attempted to chase down class leader Boediharjo. Ristofani was hit with a time penalty for the move, sealing the championship for Reyes.

Boediharjo took a well-deserved class win – and in doing so made it five different winners from five races this season – with Reyes being elevated to second after getting the better of Shuning Gong’s Audi and Ristofani’s penalty setting him back to fourth at the flag.

Two-time Mobileye GT World Challenge Esports Asia Sprint Series champion Dillan Tan said: “I’m really happy. And I’ve been really happy with the performance from myself this entire year. At the start of this race I found the right line at the start to get into the lead and that just kinda saved my entire race. I’m not really sure how things all came together so well this year, but they did.”

Silver champion Russel Reyes said: “I’m so hyped up to get the championship in my first year. It’s been a big fight all season in Silver. I had some trouble with my pace at the start of the year, especially in qualifying, which I had again today, but things came together for me in the race it feels great.”

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

+ ENTRY LIST: Mobileye GT World Challenge Esports Asia Sprint Series, Rd5 Suzuka

The curtain will come down on a scintillating Mobileye GT World Challenge Esports Asia Sprint Series season with one final blast at Suzuka this Wednesday (September 6), with both class championships going to the wire and a €6000 prize fund up for grabs.

Dillan Tan is close to securing his second successive Pro class championship aboard the Tarmac Works Mercedes-AMG GT3, but he hasn’t got the title over the line just yet and will face renewed competition from his closest rival Ferris Stanley as the BMW M Team BS+Competition man looks to mount a late charge for the crown.

This year’s Silver contest has been a thriller, with four different race winners from the four rounds so far, meaning the championship is poised on a knife edge. Russel Reyes holds the slenderest of advantages, with the JMX Phantom BMW driver leading by a single point heading to Suzuka. But any of the top four could still walk away with the title.

All Mobileye GT World Challenge Esports Asia Sprint Series races take place on the Assetto Corsa Competizione platform and are staged in partnership with AK Esports.

Can Tan do the double in Pro?

With three wins from four outings this season, together with three outright pole positions, it’s hard not to argue that Dillan Tan has been this season’s stand-out driver.

The Legion of Racers ace has been in a league of his own during recent outings and, had it not been for one tough outing at Donington Park where all of the Mercedes-AMG runners struggled, Tan would likely already be champion. Even during that tough second outing, Tan managed to battle to fourth place to still net a healthy points score, showing he’s capable of doing much more than just leading from the front.

And that’s bad news for his closest rival Ferris Stanley. Winner of that Donington event, the BMW M Team BS+Competition driver has endured a few tough outings of his own, most notably during the last two races where he’s been forced to fight to sixth and fourth at Bathurst and Kyalami respectively. There’s no doubting Stanley has the pace to cause an upset, but with 27 points to make up to Tan, and the championship leader showing his own formidable powers of recovery, Stanley is reliant on Tan having some serious issues to turn the tables.

A tricky last two rounds have put Stanley’s BS+Competition team-mate Philippa Boquida third in the points and out of the title picture, but she could still play a part in the final outcome having shown great speed and racecraft all season, all of which could make her the perfect wingwoman to aid Stanley if she was in a position to.

However, Tan could well have his own wingman on hand in the form of LoR team-mate Andika Rama Maulana. A sluggish start to the year meant he’d not really featured in the title fight, but second place last time out at Kyalami showed he’s back on form and ready to mix it with the twin BMWs up front.

Sota Muto is fifth for Williams Esports Mercedes-AMG and has a habit of getting himself into the mix, while Zachary Smith’s superb podium finish at Kyalami in the Alpha Venturi Racing Aston Martin AMR Vantage has helped him to sixth in the championship and made him a late-season one to watch.

Roll the dice and pick a winner in Silver…

Put simply, this year’s Silver class championship has been a classic, and four drivers head into the final round capable of stealing the crown.

Catering for the best non-professional Esports drivers from the Assetto Corsa Competizione community, all of this season’s title contenders have already shown themselves to have the potential to step up to next year’s Pro class.

Russel Reyes is the form man heading to Suzuka, with the JMX Phantom driver holding a formidable record of not yet finishing a race outside the class podium places. Allied to his victory at Bathurst, he leads the way, but only just…

The recent resurgence of Full Pace Racing Porsche driver KuiSheng Huang has Reyes under some serious pressure. Huang’s breakthrough win in the last round at Kyalami means he’s just a single point behind Reyes, setting up a winner-takes-all finale.

Rialto Ristofani makes it a three-horse race too, with the MPRGP BMW M4 GT3 racer just 10 points off top spot. A class race winner already this year and second last time out at Kyalami, Ristofani could be primed for a late charge to the front.

Shuning Gong is the only other driver with a mathematical chance of snatching the title, but the DriveJustBoyz Racing Team Audi needs a huge heap of luck – and all three in front of it to essentially fail to score – to stand a chance.

Luke Addison has suffered some rotten luck in recent rounds with twin non-scores that have left him fifth in the standings and out of the title fight. It’s a shame as he looked every inch the title challenger early on (backed up by victory at Imola), but there’s still time for the Genisus Esports BMW driver to finish the year on a high.

Others to watch for include Damario Haznam (MPRGP BMW), Porsche driver Matthew Lamb, the rapid but so far hugely unlucky Daffa Boediharjo (SOLOX BMW), Matthew Pignata (Alpha Venturi Racing Aston Martin) and Bruno Gallo (Laundry House Porsche).

Action for the fifth and final round of the Mobileye GT World Challenge Esports Asia Sprint Series at Suzuka gets underway with free practice at 16:30HKT (10:30CEST) ahead of qualifying and the race start at 18:00HKT (12:00CEST). The race will feature live coverage on the GT World YouTube channel.

• Dillan Tan proves untouchable to score his third win from four races
• Ferris Stanley keeps the title fight alive with fourth
• Stunning Silver victory for KuiSheng Huang means a different winner each round
• RESULT: Mobileye GT World Challenge Esports Asia Sprint Series, Kyalami
• STANDINGS: Mobileye GT World Challenge Esports Asia Sprint Series, After Rd4

Legion of Racers’ Dillan Tan proved a class apart at Kyalami, almost cruising to a third win of the Mobileye GT World Challenge Esports Asia Sprint Series season during a dominant display in South Africa.

Reigning champion Tan showed once again why he is the series’ benchmark driver with a masterful performance, during which he took a clean sweep of pole position, led every lap and even bagged fastest lap on his way to an extended championship lead. With the Mercedes-AMG driver on such form, the pressure fell on BMW M Team BS+Competition’s Ferris Stanley to simply keep the title fight alive by finishing inside the top five, a feat he achieved after a cagey race-long battle. 

While Tan is running away with the Pro class, this year’s Silver fight continues to go from strength to strength, with KuiSheng Huang scoring his first win of the year, and in doing so the Full Pace Racing Porsche driver became the fourth different winner in as many races to set up a grandstand finish at Suzuka next month.

As far as the fight for overall victory went, the writing was on the wall when Tan put his Tarmac Works AMG on pole ahead of Kobe Chan’s REVOLT PuiPuiRacing BMW, and then claimed the lead at the start as his team-mate Andika Rama Maulana snuck past Chan to make it a Legion of Racers one-two just a few turns into the contest.

With Rama Maulana acting a rear ginner behind, Tan simply cruised clear up front, was over four second up by the time he made his pit stop, executed it perfectly, and that was the last anybody saw of him as he took the chequered flag over seven seconds clear. Job done. 

With Tan gone, the championship interest rested with Stanley, who would have to finish inside the top five to keep the contest alive. He’d qualified fifth, and then faced a tense struggle with Zachary Smith’s Alpha Venturi Racing Aston Martin, Chan and his team-mate Philippa Boquida.

Smith enjoyed by far his best race of the season, settling into an early fourth before using an early pit stop to undercut Chan for third, and only just failing to depose Rama Maulana from second in the process. While Rama Maulana defended well to hold onto second, Smith’s evening wasn’t finished as he’d have to endure a nervy final few laps with Stanley crawling all over him in a desperate search for extra points.

Having also deposed Chan after the stops, Stanley was released into a clear fourth when Boquida got things wrong through Cheetah corner, clipped the inside kerb and suffered a huge slide that led to a whack with the barrier. The incident would end her own title hopes, leaving the #326 BMW down in seventh in class at the flag.

Still, Stanley needed any points he could get and crawled all over the rear of Smith’s Vantage, but fell just short. His fourth place means Tan holds a commanding 27-point lead heading to the final round next month.

Chan was fifth, with Sota Muto completing the top six in his Williams Esports Mercedes-AMG. 

The Silver class continues to be the highlight of the season, with Huang’s breakthrough win leaving the title fight on a knife edge. Despite qualifying on class pole, Daffa Boediharjo lost his shot at victory when he was handed a time penalty for aggressive driving during an early exchange with Boquida. Then it looked like Rialto Ristofani was set to score big, until he had a huge moment through the Esses, running off track and only just managing to hold onto his MPRGP BMW when he rejoined. That opened the door for Huang to strike and put the Porsche out front.

Ristofani held on to second, while championship leader Russel Reyes fought back from a tough qualifying to finish third in the JMX Phantom BMW. That result means the top three are covered by just 10 points, with Huang trailing Reyes by a single point heading to Suzuka.

+ENTRY LIST: MOBILEYE GT WORLD CHALLENGE ESPORTS ASIA SPRINT SERIES, KYALAMI

With just two races remaining in this year’s Mobileye GT World Challenge Esports Asia Sprint Series, this Wednesday’s fourth round at Kyalami could well prove decisive in the title chase, especially if nobody can topple Dillan Tan.

The reigning series champion once again sits at the head of the Pro class points for Mercedes-AMG E-Sports Team Legion of Racers and has a second straight championship firmly in his sights. However, the combined efforts of BMW M Team BS+Competition’s Ferris Stanley and Philippa Boquida mean Tan hasn’t had everything his own way. Both drivers are still squarely in the title picture, but one of them has to strike soon to keep it that way.

This year’s Silver category has been superb so far, with a different driver securing victory in each of the three races so far. Russel Reyes’ breakthrough win at Bathurst last time out has put the JMX Phantom BMW driver on top, but only just as five drivers are still in with a shot at the crown.

All Mobileye GT World Challenge Esports Asia Sprint Series races are held on the Assetto Corsa Competizione platform, with races being staged in partnership with AK Esports.

Tan the target man heading into the penultimate round

With two wins from the three rounds this year, it’s easy to suggest that things have been relatively straightforward for reigning champion Dillan Tan, but there’s been more than one bump in the road so far.

A tricky second outing at Donington Park left Tan just fourth, and opened the door for Ferris Stanley to break his stranglehold on the top step, firing himself into championship contention. That round was a dream for the BMW brigade, with Philippa Boquida following her team-mate through to score a one-two and set the tone for what would quickly become a three-way fight for honours.

Tan struck back with another win at Bathurst last time out to resume the points lead, but with both Stanley and Boquida still within the top six, just 12 points separate Tan and Stanley, with Boquida a further 12 back. With 35pts on offer for a race victory and a further point awarded for pole, the chances are slim that Tan can wrap up a second crown early at Kyalami, but equally Stanley and Boquida’s title hopes could well hinge on a strong score in South Africa.

Sota Muto runs fourth for Williams Esports Mercedes-AMG and needs a miracle to have any chance at the title, ditto for Tan’s LoR team-mate Andika Rama Maulana. Despite bouncing back to form at Bathurst, two tough opening rounds have put last year’s championship runner-up pretty much out of the title race this season.

There’s still a load of talent to watch beside the championship challengers, such as Daffa Nabiel (JMX Phantom BMW), Fadhli Rachmat (Tarmac Works Honda NSX), Zachary Smith (Alpha Venturi Racing Aston Martin), Moreno Pratama (Tarmac Works Honda) and Kobe Chan (REVOLT PuiPuiRacing BMW).

Thrilling Silver show set to stun again

This year’s fight for silver honours seems to have swung with every race, making picking a winner near impossible from any of the previous rounds this year. So far each has featured a different driver on top, leading to a tight five-way championship fight.

Russel Reyes secured his first win of the year at Bathurst to catapult himself into the points lead aboard the JMX Phantom BMW. With two third-place finishes already in his pocket, Reyes’ consistency will be key to his title bid, provided he makes no errors at Kyalami.

KuiSheng Huang runs second but has yet to register a win this year, instead a pair of second places and an astute ability to stay clear of trouble has paid off, keeping the Full Pace Racing Porsche driver just 11pts down on Reyes.

Rialto Ristofani won at Donington and is just four points further back in third for MPRGP BMW, while early season pace-setter Luke Addison will be eyeing a return to form after he was caught in a huge early tangle at Bathurst that cost the Genisus Esports BMW driver any hope of improving back to the top of the points table in Australia. Addison is still in this, thanks to his win and second from the first two rounds, but with 21 points to make up to catch Reyes, the pressure is firmly on.

Shuning Gong is the last driver in realistic contention, with the DriveJustBoyz Racing Team Audi man running fifth having just scored his best result of the year – third at Bathurst.

Others to watch for include Damario Haznam (MPRGP BMW), Matthew Lamb (Privateer Porsche), Paul Britt (PB McLaren), Bruno Gallo (Laundry House Racing Porsche) and Daffa Boediharjo, who has shown some superb pace aboard the SOLOX BMW this year, but hasn’t had the fortune around the pit stops to capitalise on it so far.

Action for the fourth round of the Mobileye GT World Challenge Esports Asia Sprint Series at Kyalami gets underway with free practice at 16:30HKT (10:30CEST) ahead of qualifying and the race start at 18:00HKT (12:00CEST). The race will feature live coverage on the GT World YouTube channel.

+ RACE RESULT: Mobileye GT World Challenge Esports Asia Sprint Series, Bathurst

+ STANDINGS: Mobileye GT World Challenge Esports Asia Sprint Series, After Rd3

Dillan Tan produced a masterful performance to catapult himself back into the lead of the Mobileye GT World Challenge Esports Asia Sprint Series with a second victory of the year at Bathurst.

The Legion of Racers ace – and reigning category champion – bounced back from a disappointing last round at Donington Park with a pole-to-flag showing in the third round of the season in Australia, putting the Mercedes-AMG driver back atop the championship standings. 

But perhaps the biggest drama came in the Silver class, where former championship leader Luke Addison was eliminated in a huge multi-car tangle early on, leaving Russel Reyes to become the third different winner in as many rounds, with the JMX Phantom driver also ascending to the top of the class points table.

With the last round at Donington suiting the BMW brigade so well, the tables were turned by the tight and twisty Bathurst layout, and the writing was on the wall when Tan rocketed his #144 Mercedes-AMG to pole position by just half a tenth.

The surprise of the session was the resurgence of Honda’s NSX GT3, which enjoyed a 40kg reduction in the Balance of Performance for this round, with Fadhli Rachmat making the most of his lightened Tarmac Works-run car to snag second on the grid behind Tan.

Rachmat made a decent enough start but couldn’t find a way through as Tan held the line through turn one and up toward Quarry Corner. That set the tone, as the top two gradually pulled clear as things kicked off behind them.

By the time the pit window opened, Tan had edged his lead out to just under two seconds, that, combined with a super-slick pit stop, helped the Mercedes-AMG rejoin in clean air and it was game over, as Tan ticked off impressively consistent lap times to scamper away to a clear win.

But if things at the front were rather settled, what was going on behind wasn’t. After a disappointing first two rounds, Andika Rama Maulana was back on form aboard the sister Legion of Racers Mercedes-AMG, qualifying well and running third, but with Philippa Boquida’s BS+Competition BMW M4 all over the rear of the AMG.

This battled raged until the pit window, when Boquida stopped first in the hope of undercutting her rival, but a rapid in-lap from Maulana meant he rejoined the track a fraction ahead. Their fighting had also brought Naquib Azlan’s McLaren Axle Sports 720S Evo into play, and suddenly it became a three-way fight right after the pit window. Azlan edged ahead of Boquida, but was elbowed wide into Quarry, earning the BMW driver a penalty and putting Maulana clear on his way to the final step of the podium. 

Things weren’t settled between Boquida and Azlan either, as the two cars collided not once, but twice, into The Chase chicane as the McLaren desperately tried to find a way past. While they finished fourth and fifth on the road, both scooped penalties for their parts in the various clashes, dropping them down to fifth (Boquida) and 11th (Azlan).

That elevated runaway Silver leader Russel Reyes to a spot in the overall top four. The JMX Phantom BMW driver didn’t put a wheel wrong all race, qualifying well clear of his class competition and then putting in a controlled drive to a top result. In doing so, Reyes became the third different Silver winner in as many races, and grabbed the championship lead after huge drama behind.

Luke Addison led the class points coming into the event, but when he could only manage P26 in qualifying aboard his Genisus Esports BMW there would always be a risk on a track as tight at Bathurst. Addison was then caught up in a huge 11-car tangle on the run out of Quarry on lap one, putting him out on the spot.

KuiSheng Huang (Full Pace Racing Porsche) and Shuning Gong (DriveJustBoyz Racing Team Audi R8) completed the Silver class podium, with Huang doing enough to nab second in the points, while fifth in class helped Rialto Ristofani (MPRGP BMW) also vault past the non-scoring Addison in the table.

Donington Park winner Ferris Stanley had a muted event, coming home a clean sixth in class in his BMW M Team BS+Competition M4, which keeps him second in the Pro class standings, 12pts behind Tan.

The next round of the Mobileye GT World Challenge Esports Asia Sprint Series takes place at Kyalami in South Africa on August 9.

+ENTRY LIST: Mobileye GT World Challenge Esports Asia Sprint Series, Rd3, Bathurst

The Mobileye GT World Challenge Esports Asia Sprint Series reaches its halfway point tomorrow, with the championship fight finely poised as the huge grid heads to the iconic Bathurst circuit in Australia.

It’s becoming increasingly tough to pick a favourite from either the Pro or Silver classes, with each category featuring different winners from the two rounds so far, meaning nobody has been able to establish a solid advantage in either contest.

Unlike last year, when Dillan Tan strolled to the title for Legion of Racers, this season’s Pro fight was ignited by Ferris Stanley’s breakthrough victory for BMW M Team BS+Competition last time out at Donington Park, which helped him vault past Tan and into the championship lead.

Likewise, Rialto Ristofani’s win for MPRGP catapulted him into a three-way BMW battle in Silver, putting him right in the mix with Genisus Esports’ Luke Addison and JMX Phantom’s Russel Reyes as the pack heads to Mount Panorama.

The Mobileye GT World Challenge Esports Asia Sprint Series races take place on the Assetto Corsa Competizione platform, with all races staged by AK Esports. The 49-car field is split between Professional Esports drivers, with the cream of the ACC racing community competing in the Silver class. Across both categories, a prize fund of €6000 is up for grabs.

Ferris wheels his way into the Pro lead ahead of Bathurst

The fight for the Pro category title appeared to be going true to form when Dillan Tan took a comfortable victory in the season opener at Imola for Mercedes-AMG Esports Team Legion of Racers. However, things definitely didn’t go to plan at Donington Park, with BMW coming to the fore both in the race and the championship to shake things up heading into the halfway stage of the season.

Ferris Stanley took a lights-to-flag victory for BMW M Team BS+Competition, leading team-mate Philippa Boquida home in a dominant one-two for the squad. That backed up Stanley’s second place in Italy, and Boquida’s fine fourth on her Pro class debut to move both into what is fast becoming a three-way title fight.

Tan struggled at Donington, qualifying way down the order, but he kept things clean in the race to score fourth place in class to stay in touch with Stanley. And, if championships are truly decided on your worst events rather than your best, Tan is still showing he’s the one to beat. Stanley holds a nine-point advantage over Tan, with Boquida a further six back.

Sota Muto (Williams Esports Mercedes-AMG) runs fourth after consistent finishes in both opening rounds, while Daffa Nabiel (JMX Phantom BMW) made amends for a disappointing start at Imola to finish third at Donington, elevating him to fifth in the points.

Kobe Chan (REVOLT PuiPuiRacing BMW) sits fifth ahead of Tan’s LoR team-mate Andika Rama Maulana, who has yet to hit the sort of form he’s capable of this season. Having finished as championship runner-up last year, he has work to do to climb back to striking distance of the leaders.

Others to watch for include Naquib Azlan (McLaren Axle Sports), Zachary Smith (Alpha Venturi Racing Aston Martin), Chris Tsang (Z-Challenger Racing BMW) and Nabil Azlan (McLaren Axle Sports).

Can anyone break the BMW stranglehold in Silver?

The race at Donington Park showed just how tight this year’s Silver battle will be, with all three championship contenders locked together throughout the race. And the common factor they all have is that they’re mounted in BMW’s M4 GT3.

Luke Addison celebrated victory in round one for Genisus Esports, but had to play backup to Rialto Ristofani’s MPRGP car at Donington. His two big scores mean Addison leads the standings, but only by 12pts from Ristofani. And don’t think it’s a two-horse race, as Russel Reyes was a star of the last round in the JMX Phantom M4, and probably should have won had it not been for a penalty that would ultimately leave him third. Regardless, all three have shown race-winning pace.

Of the non-BMW runners, KuiSheng Huang is best placed in Full Pace Racing’s Porsche, with Shuning Gong fifth aboard DriveJustBoyz Racing Team’s Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II. Damario Haznam (MPRGP BMW), Taariq Adam (Genisus Esports Porsche) and Bruno Gallo (Laundry House Porsche) cannot be discounted. And then there’s Daffa Boediharjo, who has been rapid in both rounds so far in the SOLOX BMW M4 but just hasn’t had the luck to go with it. He’s ninth in the points with plenty of ground to make up.

Action for the third round of the Mobileye GT World Challenge Esports Asia Sprint Series at Bathurst gets underway with free practice at 16:30HKT (10:30CEST) ahead of qualifying and the race start at 18:00HKT (12:00CEST). The race will feature live coverage on the GT World YouTube channel.

+RESULT: Mobileye GT World Challenge Esports Asia Sprint Series, Donington Park

+STANDINGS: Mobileye GT World Challenge Esports Asia Sprint Series, After Rd3

Ferris Stanley celebrated his maiden Mobileye GT World Challenge Esports Asia Sprint Series victory by leading home BMW M Team BS+Competition team-mate Philippa Boquida at Donington Park, and in doing so both grabbed the championship lead and finally ended Dillan Tan’s winning streak.

Heading into round two, reigning champion Tan had won all but one race since the start of the 2022 championship, but when it quickly became clear that the BMW M4 GT3 was most at home around the fast sweeps of Donington, the momentum shifted away from the Mercedes-AMG runners. 

Stanley snatched pole just 0.038s ahead of Boquida as BMWs filled the front three rows of the grid. The Mercedes-AMGs struggled in comparison, with Sota Muto the best placed in 13th, with Tan’s Tarmac Works car right behind in a disappointed 14th, 0.5s off the pole pace. With his prospects of a win slim, Tan instead concentrated on picking up what places he could against the rapid BMWs.

Stanley made a great getaway when the lights wen out to swoop ahead of Boquida into Redgate, and from then the two BS+Competition M4s forged a gap over the rest of the field. By the time he pitted, Stanley held a near three-second gap over Boquida, completed a clean mandatory stop, and rejoined still comfortably ahead. Even traffic couldn’t shake the order, as Stanley picked his way through perfectly to complete a lights-to-flag performance with Boquida a clear second.

While the fight for the lead was relatively straightforward, the battle for Silver victory raged right behind as four cars fought over the honours. Daffa Boediharjo qualified on class pole in his SOLOX M4 but had a train of Russel Reyes (JMX Phantom BMW), Rialto Ristofani (MPRGP BMW) and championship leader Luke Addison (Genisus Esports BMW) crawling all over him.

Things came to a head when Boediharjo was forced to pit twice mid-race when his mandatory tyre-change wasn’t completed, leaving Reyes, Ristofani and Addison to squabble. Two five-second time penalties for aggressive driving early in the race made life tough for Reyes, but he did pull great moves on first Addison at Redgate and then on Ristofani to snatch the class lead and third overall in the closing stages. While Reyes took the Silver win on the road, he was shuffled back to third in class (sixth overall) once the extra time was added. That handed Ristofani victory ahead of Addison, who extended his class points lead with another controlled drive.

Daffa Nabiel (JMX Phantom) was fifth overall and completed the Pro class podium, with Tan taking seventh overall, which translated to fourth in the Pro order. Considering his lowly starting position, an incredible opening lap brought Tan up to ninth, before he made up some extra ground after the pit window. Tan may not have won, but the score ensures he’s still well in the title hunt.

Muto was eighth for Williams Esports, ahead of Kobe Chan (REVOLT PuiPuiRacing BMW) and Taariq Adam (Genisus Esports Porsche 992 GT3 R). Notably far down the order was Andika Rama Maulana, who once again had a tough qualifying session and started well down in 26th. While he did make up good ground in the Legion of Racers Mercedes-AMG to finish 16th, it was another disappointing outing for last year’s championship runner-up.

The next round of the Mobileye GT World Challenge Esports Asia Sprint Series takes place at Bathurst in Australia on July 12.

+ENTRY LIST: Mobileye GT World Challenge Esports Asia Sprint Series Rd1 Imola

The third season of the Mobileye GT World Challenge Esports Asia Sprint Series is set for blast-off at the iconic Italian circuit of Imola this Wednesday (May 31), as the best sim racers of the Far East gather for what promises to be another epic contest.

With all races held on the Assetto Corsa Competizione platform and organised in partnership with AK Esports, the Mobileye Asia Sprint Series will be played out across five rounds this season, with races taking place on three continents and a healthy prize pot on offer for the most successful.

The field is split into two classes; Pro – for professional sim racers with ties to either factory teams or OEM manufacturers – and Silver, which is reserved for the cream of the Assetto Corsa Competizione community. 

The field will boast a 49-car entry, with 25 Pro runners and 24 Silver. As for prizes, €4000 is on offer for the Pro grid, with Silver racing for a further €2000.

Who can stop Legion of Racers’ Tan?

Dillan Tan was the standout star of the 2022 campaign, with the Legion of Racers driver celebrating four wins from five as he rocketed his way to the championship. The bad news for the rest of the field is that Tan is back aboard the team’s Mercedes-AMG GT3, and hungry for yet more success.

The good news is that his closest challenger also returns. Andika Rama Maulana will be aboard the second LOR Mercedes-AMG, and was the only person to break Tan’s winning streak last term, so expect both of these cars to be somewhere near the front at Imola.

The majority of the top 10 from 2022 are also back for more this season. Third in the championship last year, Fadhli Rachmat, perhaps represents the biggest threat to LOR in his Tarmac Works Honda NSX GT3 Evo. Ferris Stanley was fourth last season in a Porsche, but will be fired up to help his new squad BMW M Team BS+Competition climb up the championship table.

Last season’s Silver champion Philippa Boquida makes the step up to Pro as part of BMW M Team BS+Competition. Another BMW driver – Yat Lam Law for Wako’s Fliptable Racing – will also be looking to build on his podium-finishing performances last year. Daffa Nabiel was third in Silver class in 2022 and now makes his Pro debut in a JMX Phantom BMW. Further Silver class graduates include Andrew O’Hara (Laundry House Lamborghini Huracan Evo2) and Zachary Smith (Alpha Venturi Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR).

Others to watch include Moreno Pratama (Tarmac Works Honda NSX), Ryan Hoolihan (Alpha Venturi McLaren 720S), King Long Li (Godzpeed Honda NSX), Yugo Ohsaki (HPD JAS Pro Asia Honda NSX), Luis Moreno (LOR x Motul Mercedes-AMG) and Sean Maddison (HPD JAS Pro Asia Honda NSX).

Competition is wide open in Silver class

In contrast to the Pro category, the Silver class entry features an all-new set of drivers ready to fight for glory.

With the majority of last season’s top drivers moving up to Pro, the way is clear for a new name to surge to the front of this year’s Silver field.

Of the 24 cars entered, nine different brands will be represented, with BMW being the most populous with five of its new M4 GT3s on the grid, driven by Luke Addison (Genisus Esports), Daffa Boediharjo (Solox), Rialto Ristofani (MPRGP), Russel Reyes (JMX Phantom) and Damario Haznam (MPRGP).

There are also some top teams in action. Full Pace Racing has both an Aston Martin for Yi Kuang and a Porsche 992 GT3 R for KuiSheng Huang, LOR x Motul will field a Mercedes-AMG for Nigel Chuah, Mitch Hobbs drives Asetek SimSports Visceral’s Ferrari 296 while Alpha Venturi Racing has an Aston Martin for Matthew Pignata and a Lamborghini Huracan for Jake Baldwin.

Further challengers include Shuning Gong (DriveJustBoyz Racing Team Audi R8 LMS Evo II), Chris Kewley (Rent Free Racing Aston Martin), Billie Ebenhaezer (Javasim Esports Bentley Continental) and Muhammad Irfan (Team Tecno Honda NSX).

Action for the opening round of the Mobileye GT World Challenge Esports Asia Sprint Series gets underway with practice and qualifying from 16:30 HKT (10:30 CEST), with the race scheduled for 18:00 HKT (12:00 CEST). The race will be streamed live via the GT World YouTube channel.

• 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.

Endurance Series in Europe, Asia and America merge to create comprehensive global championship

• Pro and Silver categories introduced for Intercontinental GT Challenge Esports and continental Sprint Series

• Entry fee and prize pool restructured, additional bonuses for top-10 teams and drivers.

The GT World Challenge Esports Endurance Series in Europe, Asia and America will join forces this year to form the new Intercontinental GT Challenge Esports, bringing together the best sim racers from across the globe to compete at five iconic venues.

Organised by SRO Motorsports Group and Ak Esports in partnership with Fanatec, Kunos Simulazioni, Pirelli and The Sim Grid, utilising the highly authentic physics and unmatched driving realism of Assetto Corsa Competizione, the new championship will tackle legendary long-distance events such as the 24 Hours of Spa and Bathurst 12 Hour. Pro and Silver categories will be implemented to ensure a more dynamic and competitive field, while this system will also be adopted by the continental GT World Challenge Esports Sprint Series, which will continue to run in Europe, Asia and America this season.

What’s more, a new entry fee and prize structure have been introduced for teams and drivers, with even more to play for in the Pro and Silver classes of each championship. The prizes on offer include Fanatec gear, VIP hospitality for events and track activities, bringing the total value of cash and sponsor products to €120,000. 

New year, new series

The new Intercontinental GT Challenge Esports will test competitors at five of the world’s best-known and most demanding venues. It kicks off on 16 April when the Bathurst 12 Hour is staged at the iconic Mount Panorama, followed by the Suzuka 10 Hours (21 May) at Japan’s legendary figure-eight circuit.

The biggest challenge of the season will see competitors undertake a gruelling twice-around-the-clock contest when the 24 Hours of Spa runs on 18-19 June. The 8 Hours of Laguna Seca (16 July) and the Kyalami 9 Hours (27 August) will conclude the campaign and decide the destination of the title. 

Each continental GT World Challenge Esports Sprint Series will also consist of five rounds in 2022. In Europe, the championship will play out with 60-minute contests at Misano (6 April), Zandvoort (4 May), Nürburgring (8 June), Hungaroring (6 July) and Monza (3 August). In a change from 2021, each European event will run on a Wednesday.

The Asian season will begin at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on 13 April before tackling Imola (11 May), Bathurst (15 June) and Zolder (13 July). It concludes on home turf with a deciding round at Suzuka on 24 August. Like its European counterpart, the GT World Challenge Asia Esports will also take place on Wednesdays in 2022. 

For American competitors, each event is scheduled to run on a Saturday. Zolder kicks off the action on 23 April followed by Silverstone (28 May), Kyalami (25 June) and Donington Park (9 July). There will be a home finale for the American contingent, too, with Laguna Seca wrapping up the season on 13 August.

New Pro and Silver categories launched

A new driver rating system is set to be implemented in 2022, using last year’s performances as a guide. Any driver who scored at least 25 points in the European championship, or at least 15 points in the Asian or American championships, will be eligible for entry to the Pro category. Those who did not reach this points threshold will qualify for the Silver category. 

Pro line-ups for Intercontinental GT Challenge Esports will be nominated by manufacturers and must feature at least two Pro drivers at each round, while manufacturers may nominate a maximum of two cars each for Sprint Series events. 

Should they not do so, these slots will be awarded via a qualification process for Pro-ranked sim drivers. Every team nominated by a manufacturer will be automatically considered Pro, as will its drivers.  In the Silver category, there can be only one Pro driver per Intercontinental GT Challenge Esports team. 

Following manufacturer nominations, the qualification process for the remaining Pro team slots will take the form of hot-stint qualifying at two different tracks featured on the calendar. Drivers must set five valid laps during a stint, within 107% of their fastest time and without returning to the pits. The fastest stints from each driver are then combined to make a team average. The top-ranked teams on the leaderboard will be eligible to race in the Pro class. 

In the Silver category, 3 drivers must set a hot-lap around three tracks from the calendar. The combined average of all three times at all three circuits is placed on the leaderboard, with the top-24 ranked teams eligible to compete in the Silver class. 

Entry fee, prize pool and testing for balance of performance  

Thanks to a restructured entry fee and prize pool, the 2022 season will see more drivers rewarded in both the Pro and Silver classes of Intercontinental GT Challenge Esports and the continental Sprint Series. 

Pro and Silver drivers will have their own prize pool and entry fee for the year, which will cover all races during the 2022 season. The prize pool will reward the top-10 teams in the Pro class, and the top-10 drivers in Silver, with a grand total of €120,000 in cash and sponsor’s products available to be won.

Additional prizes will be awarded to teams and drivers in the top-10, including Fanatec and AK Informatica gear, VIP hospitality for a selected race event, and track activities

What’s more, a new testing format will be introduced this season to ensure that the series remains as competitive as possible. Thanks to a new Balance of Performance (BOP) method, drivers can request a test in different machinery. They can then compare data and times should they feel another competitor has an advantage within the game, ultimately leading to fairer racing and closer on-track competition. 

Entries for the Silver class will open first. For those hoping to compete in the continental Sprint Series, the qualification phase begins on 21 February, while Intercontinental GT Challenge Esports qualifying commences on 28 February. For drivers eligible to compete in the Pro categories, qualification begins on 14 March for the Sprint Series and on 21 March for Intercontinental GT Challenge Esports. 

With new initiatives in place and a consolidated global endurance series set to launch, the season ahead promises to take the competition to the next level.

Find out more and register on the official website at sro-esports.com

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

SRO Motorsports Group – The global leader in GT racing

With nearly three decades’ experience at the forefront of a continuously evolving industry, SRO Motorsports Group is the established global leader in GT racing. A busy 2021 season will see events staged under the SRO banner on five continents, highlighted by the prestigious Total 24 Hours of Spa. 

The company’s expanding portfolio of series includes Fanatec GT World Challenge Powered by AWS categories in America, Asia, Australia and Europe. Each retains its unique identity, while also allowing competing brands to dispute a global manufacturers’ title through their continental representatives. What’s more, a groundbreaking new initiative for 2021 will see virtual racing come together with the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS Endurance Cup, where a series of e-sports contests will count towards the real championship.

Staged since 2016, the flagship Intercontinental GT Challenge Powered by Pirelli sees world-leading manufacturers compete through their local teams at marquee events across the globe. Considerable emphasis is placed on amateur competitors, too, with the GT Sports Club concept combining a relaxed environment with highly professional standards for drivers using GT2 and GT3 machinery.

SRO also works with the FIA to organise and promote the FIA Motorsport Games, a multi-disciplinary event in which drivers compete in the colours of their national flag. A range of international and domestic series catering for GT2, GT3, GT4 and touring car machinery also form part of an extensive on-track programme, while the burgeoning sim racing scene has taken on considerable importance through the SRO E-Sport GT Series. 

In addition to promotion and organisation, the company operates the SRO Race Centre by MMC service facility at Circuit Paul Ricard, and provides the ultimate driving opportunities at world-renowned venues through Curbstone Track Events. Combining a passion for performance with industry-leading experience, SRO continues to play a key role in shaping the future of global GT racing.