Category: pr

> Reigning champions Maulana and Boquida among 44-strong regional entry
> Brands stages first of Asia’s five 60-minute Sprint Series races
> Entry list: Brands Hatch

44 of the Asia-Pacific region’s best professional and amateur sim drivers have the honour of kickstarting SRO Motorsports Group’s global virtual race series this Thursday (May 20) when Brands Hatch hosts the opening round of 2021’s GT World Challenge Asia Esports Championship.

The eight-round campaign, reserved for Asia-Pacific gamers, is split between five 60-minute sprints and three more endurance races of durations lasting three, six and 10 hours. North Americans will compete in their own eight-event series, which begins on Saturday, while Europe stages the first of its 15 rounds – 10 Sprint, five Endurance – over consecutive days starting this Friday.

All 31 regular season races and the subsequent Grand Final will be staged on Assetto Corsa Competizione, the official game of GT World Challenge. Technical assistance is provided by AK Esports, The Sim Grid, and real-world title sponsor Fanatec.

Season 2 of SRO’s Asian Esports championship begins a little over six months after Duvashen Padayachee, Kevin Tse, Andika Rama Maulana and Philippa Boquida each claimed one of four Real and Sim titles. Those four classes have now been combined into one Overall classification that awards a single continental drivers’ crown, prize money and several guaranteed entries into the GT World Challenge Esports Grand Final, which will gather the fastest gamers from Asia, Europe and America.

Plenty to play for, then. But what about the here and now, and specifically Brands Hatch?

Well, each of the 44 drivers earned their entry via a Hot Lap Qualifying competition in which the fastest four per GT3 manufacturer progressed. This Thursday’s top-10 race finishers score points counting towards the Sprint classification and the top-five will earn an automatic invitation to contest Round 2 at Zandvoort on June 24. Subsequent Hot Lap Qualifying results decide the remaining 39 slots.

THE CONTENDERS

Several familiar faces from Season 1 have made the cut, including reigning Pro and Am champions Maulana and Boquida. The former emerged as the class of the field in 2020 but has now switched from his trusty Mercedes-AMG to Ferrari, albeit with the same Legion of Racers support. Boquida, meanwhile, prepares to renew her rivalry with last year’s title rival Ryan Hoolihan after the pair finished one-two in McLaren’s section.

But they’re not the only former overall and class winners on the Brands Hatch entry.

Last season’s Real-Pro runner-up Melvin Moh has qualified amongst the sim specialists, while Laundry House – so prolific in both the Pro and Am ranks throughout 2020 – is represented by five drivers. One of them, Andrew O’Hara, led a Ferrari 1-2-3 in Hot Lap Qualifying. The Australian’s 1m21.924s was a tenth quicker than either Maulana or Dillan Tan Qi Long could muster aboard their 488s. Fadhli Rachmat’s JMX Phantom Bentley finished fourth overall.

Two-time race winner Andrew Laurenson topped Porsche’s leaderboard, which featured a top-four covered by less than a tenth. Another Laundry House stalwart, Terry Rayton, was fastest in Mercedes-AMG’s section, while Mia Rose – the first woman to claim class and outright SRO Esports victories – lines up for Honda after qualifying a shade slower than experienced NSX pilot Yuki Shirakawa.

Wako’s Fliptable Racing’s Yat Lam Law once again leads the line for BMW, and Isaac Norman will be hoping to build on his selected outings last year after setting the quickest Lamborghini time.

But there are also newcomers who can’t be discounted. Oscar Lui topped Lexus’ tight qualifying group, Muhammad Andri Abirezky starts as Aston Martin’s fastest hot lapper, and Audi’s always dependable R8 LMS could be a contender in Moreno Pratama’s hands.

Other potential front-runners include 2020’s Sim-Pro runner-up Kin Long Li and Sergey Mironenko.

Thursday’s action commences with a Free Practice and Qualifying session before the race itself starts at 19:40 HKT / 13:40 CEST. Live streaming begins 10 minutes earlier on SRO’s GT World Youtube and Twitch channels.

A mandatory pitstop featuring at least one litre of fresh fuel must be served between minutes 25 and 35. Changing tyres is not enforced but will provide a noticeable performance advantage, albeit with the caveat of remaining stationary for longer.

SRO MOTORSPORTS GROUP’S OTHER ESPORTS ACTIVITIES

GT World Challenge’s tri-continental sim racing programme complements the Fanatec Esports GT Pro Series, a five-event championship for professional racing drivers that awards real-world points. This and the British GT Esports Championship, which concluded in April, uses the acclaimed Assetto Corsa Competizione software developed by Kunos Simulazioni, which sets the standard in driving realism with its highly authentic physics, stunning graphics and photo-realistic weather conditions.

2021 GT WORLD CHALLENGE ASIA ESPORTS CHAMPIONSHIP CALENDAR

May 20 – Brands Hatch – Sprint
June 24 – Zandvoort – Sprint
July 17 – Bathurst 6 Hours – Endurance
July 22 – Misano – Sprint
August 12 – Spa-Francorchamps – Sprint
September 18 – Suzuka 10 Hours – Endurance
October 14 – Suzuka – Sprint
October 30 – Monza 3 Hours – Endurance

• New series to test leading sim drivers and teams using Assetto Corsa Competizione
• Minimum €50,000 prize money guaranteed across three continents

Registration is now open for the new GT World Challenge Esports Championships in Europe, Asia and America, with all three set to stage their maiden races this month. 

Utilising the highly authentic physics and unmatched driving realism of Assetto Corsa Competizione from Kunos Simulazioni, each continental championship will comprise a Sprint Series for individual sim drivers and an Endurance Series catering for leading esports teams. A minimum of €50,000 prize money is guaranteed across the three continents and competitors hoping to stake their claim can register now at SRO-esports.com.

Entry to Sprint Series events will be determined by hot lap qualifying sessions. Up to 44 single-driver cars can compete in each one-hour race and registration will remain open for the duration of the championships. The full-season Endurance Series grids will be determined by single hot lap qualifying sessions dedicated to each continent, with 44 cars able to make the cut. Teams wishing to compete in Europe must register by 16 May, while in Asia and America the cut-off date is 11 July. 

The European campaign will launch at Monza, with the iconic Temple of Speed hosting a one-hour Sprint race on 21 May and a three-hour Endurance contest on 22 May. Hot lap qualifying for both events will run from 10-16 May and, with significant prize money up for grabs, the competition promises to be fierce.

Asia will launch its GT World Challenge Esports season with a Sprint Series race at Brands Hatch on 20 May, while its opening Endurance event will be a six-hour run at Bathurst on 17 July. Qualifying for the Sprint round will be open from 10-16 May, while the Mount Panorama hot lap session runs from 5-11 July. 

The American championship gets underway with a Sprint Series event at Kyalami (22 May) and a six-hour Endurance race at legendary Californian venue Laguna Seca (17 July). Sprint qualifying will be open from 10-16 May, while Endurance teams can stake their claim for a place on the grid from 5-11 July. 

The GT World Challenge Esports Championship is the latest virtual racing initiative organised by SRO Motorsports Group in collaboration with Fanatec, Kunos Simulazioni and AK Informatica, with additional support provided by The Sim Grid. Each event will be streamed live across YouTube, Twitch and Facebook, with an expert broadcast team guiding fans through the action.

> Sim: Rose becomes first female overall race winner; Laurenson claims PRO class victory
> Real: Lights-to-flag win for Wells; Tse seals AM title in style
> Race results: Sim-PRO & AM | Real-PRO & AM
> Final championship points: Sim-PRO & AM | Real-PRO & AM

Duvashen Padayachee, Kevin Tse, Andika Rama Maulana and Philippa Boquida are the inaugural TCL GT World Challenge Asia Esports Presented by Tarmac Works champions after each clinched their respective class titles at Suzuka’s season finale earlier today (December 8).

History was also made in the Sim race where Mia Rose (Privateer, Aston Martin) became the first woman to win an SRO Esports event outright. What’s more, she was followed home by Boquida (Laundry House, McLaren) who made sure of the AM title by finishing second overall.

Team-mate Andrew Laurenson (Porsche) picked up the Pro win in third overall while fourth in class was enough for Andika Rama Maulana (Legion of Racers, Mercedes-AMG) to wrap up the Sim-PRO crown.

The second 60-minute race featured a straight shootout for the Real-PRO championship between Melvin Moh (Craft-Bamboo Racing, Mercedes-AMG) and Padayachee (Tarmac eMotorsports, Mercedes-AMG). The latter recovered from a tricky start to ultimately seal the crown by completing the overall podium behind race winner Dan Wells (Leipert Motorsport, Lamborghini) and chief title rival, Moh.

Further back, Tse (Craft-Bamboo Racing, Mercedes-AMG) finished fifth overall and scored his third Real-AM victory of the campaign en route to the class championship.

SIM: ROSE AND BOQUIDA MAKE HISTORY; MAULANA WINS PRO CROWN

An early coming together between the front row starters set up a fascinating first race at Suzuka where the same incident left Sim-PRO champion-elect Andika Rama Maulana playing catch up while giving Philippa Boquida an easier route to the AM class title.

Maulana’s contact with pole-sitter Karl Petersen effectively ended the AM championship contender’s chances but also resulted in a drive-through penalty for the PRO points’ leader, who dropped down the order as a result.

It also elevated Boquida into the overall race lead, a position she would comfortably maintain until serving her mandatory pitstop after 40 minutes. Her progress thereafter suggested the Australian would comfortably re-take the place once the stops had shaken out, but that didn’t account for Mia Rose whose pace and faster pitstop helped her jump from third to a net first late on.

She duly cruised to her second Sim-AM class win and first overall victory of the season ahead of Boquida who was happy to take no chances in securing the title.

An early pitstop meant Andrew Laurenson’s true position didn’t become clear until the final 15 minutes when, one by one, the Laundry House Porsche picked off the late stoppers. Like Rose, he also came through to claim a second PRO class victory of the campaign ahead of Kelvin Chen whose 911 remained a top-five contender throughout and rounded off the AM podium.

Behind, PRO’s championship rivals took the chequered flag together, albeit with Kin Long Li just ahead of Maulana who worked his way back to the front after serving his penalty. In any case, Li wouldn’t have scored sufficient points to overhaul the Indonesian.

Ryan Hoolihan dropped to seventh late on but still scored sufficient points to finish second in the final AM standings, while long-time PRO leader Charles Theseira also faded to eighth following his late pitstop.

REAL: PADAYACHEE LEAVES IT LATE TO DENY MOH

60 minutes of fluctuating fortunes for the PRO title contenders summed up the Real race at Suzuka where Dan Wells claimed victory and Duvashen Padayachee wrapped up the championship.

However, Jasper Thong’s lap one collision initially threatened to derail Padayachee’s title tilt almost before it began. Having started third – right behind championship rival Moh – the Tarmac eMotorsports Mercedes-AMG was down to eighth and stuck amongst traffic. A second incident 10 minutes later only compounded matters and, whether planned or on a whim, it sent the Australian diving for the pits.

Back at the front Moh didn’t quite have the pace to live with Wells but was content that, as things stood, he would be crowned champion. Indeed, it wasn’t until the final 15 minutes that a seemingly re-focused Padayachee began picking off the late stoppers to put himself back into the title mix.

Every place gained inched him closer to Moh’s theoretical points total. Fifth in class would leave him a point shy, but one more spot would be enough to overhaul the Craft-Bamboo Mercedes-AMG. The top-two were, by then, too far clear to be caught. But the late-stopping Matt Solomon, Evan Chen and Tengku Djan Ley all provided hope.

Sure enough all three emerged behind Padayachee who swept through to complete the Real overall podium and seal the PRO title by four points.

Solomon – whose class was incorrectly marked as AM – came home fourth ahead of the genuine AM class winner Kevin Tse who finished a fine fifth overall. It was also more than sufficient to wrap up the championship after his only rival, Billy Lo, endured a tricky race.

Chen wound up sixth after stopping late while Kang Ling recovered from a meeting with 130R’s barriers to finish seventh. Ley, Matthew Marsh and JiaTong Liang completed the top-10.

Antares Au was second in the Am class (and 12th overall), while Lo completed the class podium down in 18th overall.

TCL GT World Challenge Asia Esports Presented by Tarmac Works will return in 2021.

> Real: Padayachee leads PRO battle; Tse vs Lo in AM
> Sim: Maulana on course for PRO crown; AM title fight remains wide open
> Suzuka entry lists: Sim-PRO & AM | Real-PRO & AM
> Championship points: Sim-PRO & AM | Real-PRO & AM

The inaugural TCL GT World Challenge Asia Esports Presented by Tarmac Works campaign concludes this Tuesday (December 8) at Suzuka where all four drivers’ titles will be decided across two 60-minute races.

The world’s best-known figure-of-eight racetrack also represents one of the greatest challenges in Assetto Corsa Competizione – the official game of GT World Challenge Asia Powered by AWS. A fitting choice, then, for a championship showdown in which a total of 13 drivers could win one of four class titles.

REAL: PADAYACHEE AND TSE LEAD THE WAY

Two wins from the first two races offered Duvashen Padayachee a chance to wrap up the Real-PRO crown two weeks ago at Spa-Francorchamps. Instead, events in the Ardennes conspired against the Tarmac eMotorsports driver whose sudden internet outage resulted in early retirement and a chance for others to close the gap.

Melvin Moh failed to take full advantage but still finds himself seven points adrift with 25 to play for. Should the Craft-Bamboo Racing driver claim his second victory of the season and Padayachee finishes runner-up, the pair will tie on points as well as four of their five results across the season. In this instance Moh’s 11th place at Monza would trump Padayachee’s Spa DNF, handing the title to the Malaysian.

Aaron Borg would, ordinarily, also be in contention after winning at Spa-Francorchamps. However, personal circumstances have forced the SRT Team Sydney driver’s withdrawal.

Further back, Kang Ling (Climax Racing, Lamborghini) could yet finish on the same total as Padayachee but would lose the title on countback, two victories to one.

Another potential front-runner without a championship to fight for is Dan Wells (Leipert Motorsport, Lamborghini) who might have won at Spa without incurring a time penalty. He also claimed pole for Suzuka’s Charity Cup event earlier this year when he was beaten to victory by Evan Chen whose Laundry House Porsche should also feature near the sharp end on Tuesday.

The Real-AM class battle is a little more straightforward thanks to Kevin Tse’s 13-point advantage over Billy Kai Fung Lo. Should the Audi Sport Asia TSRT driver claim a third victory of the campaign, his Craft-Bamboo rival could still claim the title by finishing anywhere else on the podium. The same scenario, albeit with the latter finishing fourth, would be enough for Lo to win on countback.

Lo’s recent form suggests a third-straight win shouldn’t be discounted. However, Tse’s consistency – two wins and two second place finishes – make him a clear favourite to lift the title at Suzuka where he also finished third in the pre-season Charity Cup race.

Antares Au (Modena Motorsports, Porsche) and Nan Lin (Toro Racing, Mercedes-AMG) both finished ahead of Tse on that occasion but have failed to beat the Hong Kong driver ever since.

SIM: MAULANA ON THE CUSP; BOQUIDA LEADS SEVEN-WAY AM SCRAP

19 points clear with only 25 available: there’s no doubt that Andika Rama Maulana holds all the aces heading to Suzuka where his only Sim-PRO championship rival, Kin Long Li, must win to have any chance of upsetting the significant odds.

There’s no doubting the latter’s consistency, but that now has to make way for speed if he’s to beat the Legion of Racers Mercedes-AMG ace who heads to Japan with two wins from his last two outings.

Nevertheless, should the Wako’s Fliptable Racing Mercedes-AMG honour its side of the bargain then Maulana would only require seventh place and the six points that go with it to win the title on countback.

Behind, Andrew Laurenson (Laundry House, Porsche) has failed to hit the same heights since winning at Laguna Seca but can cement his third place – and potentially overhaul Li – with a decent result on Tuesday.

But while the PRO class appears all-but settled, there’s nothing straightforward about the Sim-AM title fight, which features seven drivers covered by 23 points.

Non-scores at Spa for Philippa Boquida (Laundry House, McLaren) and Karl Petersen (Laundry House, Mercedes-AMG) helped Ryan Hoolihan (Privateer, McLaren) make it a top-three now covered by just four points. All can clinch the crown with victory regardless of their primary rivals’ results.

Next up is Spa’s class winner Ferris Stanley who has vaulted into title contention following a slow start. The Laundry House Ferrari lies 12 points adrift of Boquida but nine clear of team-mate Terry Rayton (Lamborghini), while Mia Rose (Privateer, Aston Martin) and Kelvin Chen (Privateer, Porsche) must also win to have any chance of overturning their deficits.

Both races will be livestreamed back-to-back on GT World Challenge Asia Powered by AWS’s Facebook page and SRO’s Youtube/Twitch channels later today at 19:40 and 21:00 HKT. The same coverage is also available with native commentary on Chinese digital platforms Huya and iQIYI.

ABOUT TCL GT WORLD CHALLENGE ASIA ESPORTS PRESENTED BY TARMAC WORKS

SRO Motorsports Group’s officially sanctioned sim racing franchise extends to Asia this autumn with the creation of the TCL GT World Challenge Asia Esports Presented by Tarmac Works. The five-round campaign began on October 6 and follows standalone, non-championship Charity Cup races at Suzuka on August 29.

Assetto Corsa Competizione – the official game of GT World Challenge Powered by AWS – will host all six events after successfully staging SRO’s European and US esports championships earlier this year.

Indeed, following the success of its other esports series, SRO is now fully focused on providing Asia’s real-world drivers, pro sim racers and general public with a professionally managed and highly competitive online racing environment. Experience gained in Europe and America will make TCL GT World Challenge Asia Esports SRO’s most polished sim racing product to date and introduce several new aspects familiar to fans of real-world competition.

Like its continental counterparts Asia’s esports series will be staged on Assetto Corsa Competizione’s popular PC platform with the help of ACC’s developers, Kunos Simulazioni, while AK Informatica will once again provide first-class technical assistance and management.

2020 TCL GT WORLD CHALLENGE ASIA ESPORTS PRESENTED BY TARMAC WORKS CALENDAR

Charity Cup – August 29 – Suzuka, JPN (non-championship)
R1 – October 06 – Monza, ITA
R2 – October 27 – Laguna Seca, USA
R3 – November 10 – Silverstone, UK
R4 – November 24 – Spa-Francorchamps, BEL
R5 – December 08 – Suzuka, JPN

Images (click to download): Xynamic Automotive Photography

Download more high-resolution esports images at www.gt-world-challenge-asia.com/press-members
Username: asiamedia
Password: media2017

All media enquiries: Tom Hornsby | tom@sro-motorsports.com

Web sro-esport.com/asia   Facebook GTWorldChallengeAsia   Instagram @GTWorldChallengeAsia   Twitter @GTWorldChAsia

> Qualifying closes December 4
> 19 Sim-AM spaces available at Round 5
> Suzuka’s season finale takes place on December 8
> Register and qualify here

The fifth and final round of the TCL GT World Challenge Asia Esports Presented by Tarmac Works campaign takes place at Suzuka on December 8. And YOU can be part of it!

Amateur sim racers from across the Asia-Pacific region can set hot lap times on the PC version of Assetto Corsa Competizione – the official game of GT World Challenge Powered by AWS – in an effort to qualify.

19 of the fastest drivers will compete against the continent’s best professional sim racers and Spa’s top-five Sim-AM finishers – Ferris Stanley, Brandon Dove, Ryan Hoolihan, Otto Bismarck and Alwi Shahab – who have all automatically qualified.

Points will once again be awarded at the end of two 60-minute races – one for real-world professionals and amateurs, the other for sim drivers. This year’s class champions will also be crowned.

Amateur sim racers from across the Asia-Pacific region should visit asia.sro-esport.com to register and qualify before December 4.

> Race results: Sim-PRO & AM | Real-PRO & AM
> Championship points: Sim-PRO & AM | Real-PRO & AM

All four TCL GT World Challenge Asia Esports Presented by Tarmac Works class titles will be decided at the season finale on December 8 after several championship protagonists hit trouble in the penultimate round at Spa-Francorchamps earlier today (November 24).

Aaron Borg (SRT Team Sydney, Mercedes-AMG) moved into Real-PRO contention by claiming his first victory of the season on a day when internet failure cost points’ leader Duvashen Padayachee dear. And the Real-AM crown will also be settled at Suzuka after Billy Kai Fung Lo (Audi Sport Asia TSRT) beat Kevin Tse (Craft-Bamboo Racing, Mercedes-AMG) to class top spot.

Like her Real counterpart, Sim-AM championship leader Philippa Boquida also non-scored for the first time this year to give the chasing pack – including Spa class winner Ferris Stanley (Laundry House, Ferrari) – renewed hope heading to Japan. 

But there was better news for Andika Rama Maulana (Legion of Racers, Mercedes-AMG) who extended his Sim-PRO advantage to 19 points with a routine second victory in as many events during the first of today’s two 60-minute races.

SIM: MAULANA MARCHES TOWARDS PRO TITLE; STANLEY COLLECTS FIRST AM WIN

Andika Rama Maulana took a significant step towards winning this year’s Sim-PRO drivers’ title with a commanding victory – his second in as many races – at Spa-Francorchamps.

The gap between first and second now stands at 19 points after Kin Long Li recovered from a spin at La Source to finish seven seconds further back, while Luis Moreno’s well-judged drive earned the Legion of Racers Nissan its first podium of the season.

Should Long Li win at Suzuka, Maulana will require six points – that’s seventh place – in order to secure the crown. 

The Indonesian was again prepared to play the long game at Spa where poleman Ferris Stanley led for much of the first 35 minutes. Maulana was never far behind the Ferrari, though, and took the lead when Stanley moved aside approaching Fagnes after coming under increasing pressure.

From there the Mercedes-AMG eased clear before making its mandatory pitstop with five minutes remaining.

Behind, Stanley had soon fallen into the clutches of Long Li who was enjoying a quiet but effective race up to that point. A coming together in traffic saw the Mercedes-AMG loop at La Source, but the time lost wasn’t sufficient to drop a place. Indeed, Long Li’s decision to pit immediately after helped him make up the time and more before Stanley made his mandatory stop with a lap remaining.

The Laundry House Ferrari would lose another place before the chequered flag thanks to Moreno whose earlier pitstop also paid dividends towards the end despite a wild moment or two. The Nissan finished four seconds clear of Sim-AM class winner Stanley, while Brandon Dove (Unleashed Drivers, BMW) – who led briefly after the start – wound up fifth overall and second in class following an early pitstop.

Another M6 driven by Yat Lam Law (Wako’s Fliptable Racing) completed the top-six ahead of Charles Theseira (Craft-Bamboo, Mercedes-AMG) and Zheng Yin (Privateer, Mercedes-AMG).

Philippa Boquida’s retirement and Karl Petersen’s failure to start sees Ryan Hoolihan (Privateer, McLaren) head to Suzuka’s season finale just four points adrift of Sim-AM championship top spot after completing the class podium in ninth overall. Debutant Otto Bismarck (Privateer, BMW) rounded out the top-10.

REAL: PADAYACHEE’S RETIREMENT BLOWS PRO TITLE RACE WIDE OPEN; LO KEEPS AM CHANCES ALIVE

Aaron Borg took advantage of Duvashen Padayachee’s internet woes and Melvin Moh’s fourth place class finish to vault into Real-PRO title contention with victory in the day’s second race at Spa.

The SRT Team Sydney Mercedes-AMG shared the overall podium with Dan Wells (Leipert Motorsport, Lamborghini), whose victory challenge was checked by a 15s penalty, and the hard charging Kang Ling (Climax Racing, Lamborghini), while Billy Kai Fung Lo recovered from an early incident in traffic to claim the Real-AM spoils for Audi Sport Asia TSRT in fourth overall.

Padayachee’s race lasted just half a lap before a home internet outage ended the championship leader’s evening just as the Tarmac eMotorsports Mercedes-AMG had moved into third.

That handed the advantage to his nearest rival and Silverstone race winner Moh who, along with poleman Borg and Wells, broke clear of Lo in fourth. The trio circulated as one for a while before the Lamborghini took third from Moh who then dropped down the order with separate incidents on the same lap.

With just 10 minutes gone the pattern of the race was set – Wells tracking Borg whose lead ebbed and flowed through the traffic. However, a 15-second penalty for avoidable contact with Darryl O’Young soon left the Leipert Lamborghini not only searching for a way past but also with a sizeable gap to build.

Just 12 minutes remained when Wells finally prised the door open at Bruxelles. However, he was unable to build enough of an advantage and ultimately finished 13s adrift of Borg after both drivers made their mandatory pitstops late in the race.

Ling finished 30s further back but secured a fine overall podium after a fast, mistake-free drive from 16th on the grid. The Lamborghini – which has shown prodigious pace in Ling’s hands all year – pitted at the first opportunity and spent the rest of the race picking off its rivals when they also stopped.

Just behind came Lo who was initially the chief beneficiary of Moh’s issues before having a moment of his own in traffic after 15 minutes. That dropped the Audi behind title rival Kevin Tse who knew that victory would secure him the Real-AM crown. The pair weren’t too far apart when the Audi pitted 10 minutes later, and it was Lo’s pace thereafter that allowed him to undercut the Craft-Bamboo Mercedes-AMG en route to class victory, fourth overall and a title shot at Suzuka.

Moh recovered to finish fifth overall and fourth in class – enough to reduce Padayachee’s advantage from 19 points to seven ahead of the season finale – while Borg’s victory leaves him five more further back.

Alister Yoong was once again effective en route to sixth in the Axle Sports Lexus, while Tse now leads Real-AM rival Lo by 13 points after finishing second in class and seventh overall.

The best of the Porsches was next up – Viper Niza Racing’s Dominic Ang beating Laundry House’s Evan Chen to eighth – while Jasper Thong (EResports, BMW) rounded out the top-10. Alex Au (Ryzen Racing, Lamborghini) completed the AM podium finishers one place further back.

Suzuka hosts the TCL GT World Challenge Asia Esports Presented by Tarmac Works season finale on December 8.

ABOUT TCL GT WORLD CHALLENGE ASIA ESPORTS PRESENTED BY TARMAC WORKS

SRO Motorsports Group’s officially sanctioned sim racing franchise extends to Asia this autumn with the creation of the TCL GT World Challenge Asia Esports Presented by Tarmac Works. The five-round campaign began on October 6 and follows standalone, non-championship Charity Cup races at Suzuka on August 29.

Assetto Corsa Competizione – the official game of GT World Challenge Powered by AWS – will host all six events after successfully staging SRO’s European and US esports championships earlier this year.

Indeed, following the success of its other esports series, SRO is now fully focused on providing Asia’s real-world drivers, pro sim racers and general public with a professionally managed and highly competitive online racing environment. Experience gained in Europe and America will make TCL GT World Challenge Asia Esports SRO’s most polished sim racing product to date and introduce several new aspects familiar to fans of real-world competition.

Like its continental counterparts Asia’s esports series will be staged on Assetto Corsa Competizione’s popular PC platform with the help of ACC’s developers, Kunos Simulazioni, while AK Informatica will once again provide first-class technical assistance and management.

2020 TCL GT WORLD CHALLENGE ASIA ESPORTS PRESENTED BY TARMAC WORKS CALENDAR

Charity Cup – August 29 – Suzuka, JPN (non-championship)
R1 – October 06 – Monza, ITA
R2 – October 27 – Laguna Seca, USA
R3 – November 10 – Silverstone, UK
R4 – November 24 – Spa-Francorchamps, BEL
R5 – December 08 – Suzuka, JPN

Images (click to download): Xynamic Automotive Photography

Download more high-resolution esports images at www.gt-world-challenge-asia.com/press-members
Username: asiamedia
Password: media2017

All media enquiries: Tom Hornsby | tom@sro-motorsports.com

Web sro-esport.com/asia   Facebook GTWorldChallengeAsia   Instagram @GTWorldChallengeAsia   Twitter @GTWorldChAsia

> Padayachee, Tse, Maulana and Boquida could all clinch titles on Tuesday
> Entry lists: Sim-PRO & AM | Real-PRO & AM
> Championship points: Sim-PRO & AM | Real-PRO & AM

All four drivers’ titles could be decided with a round to spare on Tuesday (November 24) when Spa-Francorchamps hosts the penultimate round of this season’s TCL GT World Challenge Asia Esports Presented by Tarmac Works campaign.

Duvashen Padayachee (Real-PRO), Kevin Tse (Real-AM), Andika Rama Maulana (Sim-PRO) and Philippa Boquida (Sim-AM) lead their respective classes with two events remaining. The first three enjoy double digit advantages with a maximum of 50 points still available.

The most notable differences are found in the Real standings where Padayachee (Tarmac eMotorsports) and Tse (Craft-Bamboo Racing) hold 19 and 20-point leads, respectively. Class victory for either driver at Spa would be enough to clinch the PRO or AM title regardless of their nearest challengers’ results.

In truth, only Melvin Moh – the overall winner at Silverstone two weeks ago – has a realistic shot at challenging Padayachee. But with a seven-point difference between finishing first and second, the Craft-Bamboo driver is also relying on a mistake or below par performance from his main rival to make a serious dent in the championship lead before Suzuka’s season finale.

The gap between Real-AM’s first and second place drivers is one-point greater but involves similar maths and the same form book as PRO. Wins at the first two rounds allowed Tse to open a sizeable advantage before Billy Kai Fung Lo (Audi Sport Asia TSRT) pegged his Mercedes-AMG rival back with victory at Silverstone. Audi’s GT World Challenge Europe Esports domination at the Ardennes in May suggests Lo’s R8 will be the car to beat on Tuesday.

Alex Au (Ryzen Racing) and Yuke Taniguchi (KCMG) also remain title contenders but need big results and for Tse to falter if they’re to claw back some of their 32 and 37-point deficits.

The separate hour-long race for Sim drivers could also produce champions, although the smaller gaps between first and second make this less likely.

Maulana’s (Legion of Racers) season has gathered momentum since finishing 13th overall and fourth in PRO at Monza. Indeed, his current 12-point championship lead over Kin Long Li (Wako’s Fliptable Racing) owes much to a well-judged victory at Silverstone plus fellow class winners Andrew Laurenson (Laundry House) and Joseph De Jesus (Tarmac eMotorsports) recording at least one non score across the three races held so far.

Li, on the other hand, has been steadily consistent, but must now aim for a class podium at least in order to pressurise Maulana. Should the latter win again, Li will have to finish third in order to retain a title shot at Suzuka, while Laurenson – currently five points further back – would have no choice but to finish second.

The closest battle is reserved for Sim-AM where Boquida (McLaren) enjoys a three-point lead over Laundry House team-mate Karl Petersen courtesy of her maiden class victory at Silverstone last time out. She’s also the only driver not racing a Mercedes-AMG to top one of the four championship standings with two races remaining.

Both Petersen and Boquida featured on Silverstone’s Sim-AM podium, but it was the latter’s impressive comeback drive to reclaim the class lead and second overall after being punted into a spin that really turned heads. 

Ryan Hoolihan (Privateer) and Terry Rayton (Laundry House) have also been there or thereabouts all season but both now realistically require a first class win in order to remain title contenders at the final round.

Both races will be livestreamed back-to-back on GT World Challenge Asia Powered by AWS’s Facebook page and SRO’s Youtube/Twitch channels later today at 19:40 and 21:00 HKT. The same coverage is also available with native commentary on Chinese digital platforms Huya and iQIYI.

ABOUT TCL GT WORLD CHALLENGE ASIA ESPORTS PRESENTED BY TARMAC WORKS

SRO Motorsports Group’s officially sanctioned sim racing franchise extends to Asia this autumn with the creation of the TCL GT World Challenge Asia Esports Presented by Tarmac Works. The five-round campaign began on October 6 and follows standalone, non-championship Charity Cup races at Suzuka on August 29.

Assetto Corsa Competizione – the official game of GT World Challenge Powered by AWS – will host all six events after successfully staging SRO’s European and US esports championships earlier this year.

Indeed, following the success of its other esports series, SRO is now fully focused on providing Asia’s real-world drivers, pro sim racers and general public with a professionally managed and highly competitive online racing environment. Experience gained in Europe and America will make TCL GT World Challenge Asia Esports SRO’s most polished sim racing product to date and introduce several new aspects familiar to fans of real-world competition.

Like its continental counterparts Asia’s esports series will be staged on Assetto Corsa Competizione’s popular PC platform with the help of ACC’s developers, Kunos Simulazioni, while AK Informatica will once again provide first-class technical assistance and management.

2020 TCL GT WORLD CHALLENGE ASIA ESPORTS PRESENTED BY TARMAC WORKS CALENDAR

Charity Cup – August 29 – Suzuka, JPN (non-championship)
R1 – October 06 – Monza, ITA
R2 – October 27 – Laguna Seca, USA
R3 – November 10 – Silverstone, UK
R4 – November 24 – Spa-Francorchamps, BEL
R5 – December 08 – Suzuka, JPN

Images (click to download): Xynamic Automotive Photography

Download more high-resolution esports images at www.gt-world-challenge-asia.com/press-members
Username: asiamedia
Password: media2017

All media enquiries: Tom Hornsby | tom@sro-motorsports.com

Web sro-esport.com/asia   Facebook GTWorldChallengeAsia   Instagram @GTWorldChallengeAsia   Twitter @GTWorldChAsia

Fast-growing consumer electronics company and leading player in the global TV industry, TCL Electronics, is the new title sponsor of GT World Challenge Asia Esports Presented by Tarmac Works.

The brand’s logos will appear on screen and in game throughout the championship’s final two rounds, which take place at Spa-Francorchamps later today (November 24) and Suzuka on December 8, while a new ‘TCL Driver of the Year’ award will be presented following the season finale.

Henceforth, the series will be known as TCL GT World Challenge Asia Esports Presented by Tarmac Works.

Founded in 1981, TCL now operates in over 160 markets globally. According to Sigmaintell, TCL ranked second in the global TV market in terms of sales volume in 2019. TCL specialises in the research, development and manufacturing of consumer electronics products ranging from TVs, audio and smart home appliances.
 
TCL represents the second major sponsorship collaboration for SRO Motorsports Group’s new Asian sim racing series, which also counts Tarmac Works as a presenting partner.

The regional esports championship brings together professional and amateur real-world and virtual drivers from across Asia and the south Pacific who compete at five events on Assetto Corsa Competizione – the official game of GT World Challenge Asia Powered by AWS.

Each round’s two 60-minute races – one for sim racers, the other for real-world drivers – can be watched live anywhere in the world via SRO Motorsports Group’s Twitch and GT World Youtube channels, while Mandarin commentary is available on Huya and iQIYI’s dedicated Chinese broadcasts.

Kevin Wang, CEO of TCL Industries Holdings Co., Ltd. and TCL Electronics: “Sports are essential to TCL’s global branding strategy. We are thrilled to be partnering with SRO Motorsports Group to offer exciting games to fans around the world.”

The penultimate round of 2020’s TCL GT World Challenge Asia Esports Presented by Tarmac Works begins this Tuesday at 19:40 HKT.

ABOUT TCL GT WORLD CHALLENGE ASIA ESPORTS PRESENTED BY TARMAC WORKS

SRO Motorsports Group’s officially sanctioned sim racing franchise extends to Asia this autumn with the creation of the TCL GT World Challenge Asia Esports Presented by Tarmac Works. The five-round campaign began on October 6 and follows standalone, non-championship Charity Cup races at Suzuka on August 29.

Assetto Corsa Competizione – the official game of GT World Challenge Powered by AWS – will host all six events after successfully staging SRO’s European and US esports championships earlier this year.

Indeed, following the success of its other esports series, SRO is now fully focused on providing Asia’s real-world drivers, pro sim racers and general public with a professionally managed and highly competitive online racing environment. Experience gained in Europe and America will make TCL GT World Challenge Asia Esports Presented by Tarmac Works SRO’s most polished sim racing product to date and introduce several new aspects familiar to fans of real-world competition.

Like its continental counterparts Asia’s esports series will be staged on Assetto Corsa Competizione’s popular PC platform with the help of ACC’s developers, Kunos Simulazioni, while AK Informatica will once again provide first-class technical assistance and management.

2020 TCL GT WORLD CHALLENGE ASIA ESPORTS PRESENTED BY TARMAC WORKS CALENDAR

Charity Cup – August 29 – Suzuka, JPN (non-championship)
R1 – October 06 – Monza, ITA
R2 – October 27 – Laguna Seca, USA
R3 – November 10 – Silverstone, UK
R4 – November 24 – Spa-Francorchamps, BEL
R5 – December 08 – Suzuka, JPN

Images (click to download): Xynamic Automotive Photography

Download more high-resolution esports images at www.gt-world-challenge-asia.com/press-members
Username: asiamedia
Password: media2017

All media enquiries: Tom Hornsby | tom@sro-motorsports.com

Web sro-esport.com/asia   Facebook GTWorldChallengeAsia   Instagram @GTWorldChallengeAsia   Twitter @GTWorldChAsia

> Qualifying closes November 20
> 19 Sim-AM spaces available at Round 4
> Spa-Francorchamps takes place on November 24
> Register and qualify here

Round 4 of the GT World Challenge Asia Esports Championship Presented by Tarmac Works takes place at Spa-Francorchamps on November 24. And YOU can be part of it!

Amateur sim racers from across the Asia-Pacific region can set hot lap times on the PC version of Assetto Corsa Competizione – the official game of GT World Challenge Powered by AWS – in an effort to qualify for the fourth of this year’s five championship rounds.

19 of the fastest drivers will compete against the continent’s best professional sim racers and Silverstone’s top-five Sim-AM finishers – Philippa Boquida, Kelvin Chen, Karl Petersen, Ryan Hoolihan and Ferris Stanley – who have all automatically qualified. 

Points will once again be awarded at the end of two 60-minute races – one for real-world professionals and amateurs, the other for sim drivers – which take place at the home of the Total 24 Hours of Spa in late November.

Amateur sim racers from across the Asia-Pacific region should visit asia.sro-esport.com to register and qualify before November 20.

ABOUT GT WORLD CHALLENGE ASIA ESPORTS CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY TARMAC WORKS

SRO Motorsports Group’s officially sanctioned sim racing franchise extends to Asia this autumn with the creation of the GT World Challenge Asia Esports Championship Presented by Tarmac Works. The five-round campaign begins on October 6 and follows standalone, non-championship Charity Cup races at Suzuka on August 29.

Assetto Corsa Competizione – the official game of GT World Challenge Powered by AWS – will host all six events after successfully staging SRO’s European and US esports championships earlier this year. 

Indeed, following the success of its other esports series, SRO is now fully focused on providing Asia’s real-world drivers, pro sim racers and general public with a professionally managed and highly competitive online racing environment. Experience gained in Europe and America will make GT World Challenge Asia Esports SRO’s most polished sim racing product to date and introduce several new aspects familiar to fans of real-world competition.

Like its continental counterparts Asia’s esports series will be staged on Assetto Corsa Competizione’s popular PC platform with the help of ACC’s developers, Kunos Simulazioni, while AK Informatica will once again provide first-class technical assistance and management.

2020 GT WORLD CHALLENGE ASIA ESPORTS CALENDAR

Charity Cup – August 29 – Suzuka, JPN (non-championship)
R1 – October 06 – Monza, ITA
R2 – October 27 – Laguna Seca, USA
R3 – November 10 – Silverstone, UK
R4 – November 24 – Spa-Francorchamps, BEL
R5 – December 08 – Suzuka, JPN

Images (click to download): Xynamic Automotive Photography

Download more high-resolution esports images at www.gt-world-challenge-asia.com/press-members
Username: asiamedia
Password: media2017

All media enquiries: Tom Hornsby | tom@sro-motorsports.com

Web sro-esport.com/asia   Facebook GTWorldChallengeAsia   Instagram @GTWorldChallengeAsia   Twitter @GTWorldChAsia

> Race results: Sim-PRO & AM | Real-PRO & AM
> Qualifying results: Sim-PRO & AM | Real-PRO & AM
> Championship points: Sim-PRO & AM | Real-PRO & AM

Andika Rama Maulana (Legion of Racers, Mercedes-AMG) and Melvin Moh (Craft-Bamboo Racing, Mercedes-AMG) claimed a GT World Challenge Asia Esports Championship Presented by Tarmac Works victory apiece at Silverstone earlier today (November 10) while Philippa Boquida (Laundry House, McLaren) and Billy Kai Fung Lo (Audi Sport Asia TSRT) took home the Am class spoils.

Maulana beat Boquida and pole-sitter Kelvin Chen (privateer, Porsche) by 3.4s under overcast skies in the 60-minute Sim-PRO & AM encounter before Moh romped to a 14.6s victory over Kang Ling (Climax Racing, Lamborghini) in sunnier conditions after Aaron Borg (SRT Team Sydney, Mercedes-AMG) and championship leader Duvashen Padayachee (Tarmac eMotorsports, Mercedes-AMG) collided at the final corner of the last lap. The latter initially recovered to complete the Real-PRO & AM race podium before a post-race penalty promoted Borg to third.

Elsewhere, Lo ended Kevin Tse’s perfect start to the season by taking the Real-AM win in ninth place overall.

SIM: MAULANA MAKES THE MOST OF BOQUIDA/KIM COLLISION

Andika Maulana was happy to play the long game en route to his first Sim-PRO and Overall victory of the season at Silverstone where an early collision put paid to Philippa Boquida and Gyumin Kim’s victory chances.

The McLarens ran one-two at the end of lap one after passing Kelvin Chen’s pole-winning Porsche before Kim’s CJ Logistic Racing Team 720S spun Boquida at Village with 15 minutes gone.

Kim’s resulting 10s penalty, to be served during his mandatory pitstop, and Boquida dropping to sixth handed the net lead to Chen who continued to circulate within a second of the soon-to-be-penalised McLaren.

Maulana, meanwhile, had been tracking the top two and took the McLaren’s pitstop with 16 minutes left as his cue to up the pace. Indeed, the Legion of Racers ace quickly closed down and passed Chen into Copse before the pair pitted together with five minutes remaining.

They emerged in the same order, albeit with a recovering Boquida – who pitted just after Kim – bearing down on both of them. A brave move at Stowe with just a minute left wrestled second overall and the AM class lead away from Chen, but there was no time to catch Maulana who took the chequered flag 3.4s clear.

Erstwhile AM championship leader Karl Petersen (Laundry House, Porsche) qualified and finished fourth overall, as well as third in class, ahead of Zheng Yin (privateer, Mercedes-AMG) who also featured in the top-six throughout. Ryan Hoolihan (privateer, McLaren) came home sixth while Ferris Stanley (privateer, Ferrari) took seventh after starting 12th.

Kim’s penalty dropped him to eighth, one place ahead of Kin Long Li (Wako’s Fliptable Racing, Mercedes-AMG) who fought through from 24th on the grid. Laguna Seca race winner Andrew Laurenson (Laundry House, Porsche) rounded out the overall top-10.

Today’s race winners also now lead their respective Sim class championships: Maulana the PRO and Boquida the AM.

REAL: MOH MOVES INTO TITLE CONTENTION WITH FIRST WIN

Melvin Moh combined fuel saving with outright pace to run out a comfortable Real-PRO and Overall winner in the day’s second race at Silverstone where a final corner kerfuffle handed Kang Ling an unlikely second place finish ahead of long-time victory candidate Aaron Borg and penalised championship leader Duvashen Padayachee.

Moh’s pass around the outside of pole-winner Borg at Maggotts on lap one saw Craft-Bamboo’s Mercedes-AMG remain up front until just before half-distance when his SRT Team Sydney rival repaid the favour with an equally ballsy move at Brooklands.

He was, however, unable to shake off Moh who hit back at Club with 20 minutes of the race remaining. Borg pitted at the end of the same lap in an effort to avoid Padayachee’s undercut, but it didn’t work and the pair remained locked together thereafter.

Moh, meanwhile, spent the following two laps making good his escape before also serving the mandatory pitstop. Quick in-laps helped him emerge 3.4s clear of Padayachee, a gap that would extend to 14s by the finish despite the expected need to save fuel.

Attention instead switched to the fight for second where Padayachee and Borg were now tied together.

Their battle spilled over on the last lap when Borg bumped into the back of his rival at the final corner. That contact allowed Ling – who ran longest of all before pitting – to dive past both and into second after spending most of the race running a net fourth.

Padayachee recovered to cross the line third ahead of Borg before a post-race five-second penalty for causing a collision with Antares Au saw the positions reversed. Adderly Fong (Tarmac eMotorsports, Lamborghini) finished fifth after a relatively lonely but incident-free performance.

Alister Yoong (Axle Sports, Lexus) ran line astern with his illustrious father for much of the first stint before rounding out the top-six by mirroring Ling’s late-stop strategy. Hideto Yasuoka (The Magarigawa Club) was best of the Ferraris in seventh and debutant Louis Prette (AF Corse APM Monaco, Ferrari) completed the top-eight.

Billy Lo ended Kevin Tse’s early-season winning streak by claiming AM class victory and ninth overall. The Audi Sport Asia TSRT driver was 14s behind Tse before the pitstops but clawed his way back into contention to score the R8’s first esports win of the campaign.

Behind, Evan Chen rounded out the top-10 after fighting back from an early incident. The Laundry House Porsche initially ran third before being punted off by JiaTong Liang, which necessitated a pitstop.

Padayachee now leads the PRO championship by 19 points from Moh with Tse 20 clear of nearest AM challenger Lo.

The 2020 GT World Challenge Asia Esports Championship Presented by Tarmac Works campaign continues in two weeks at the legendary Spa-Francorchamps (November 24). Public hot lap qualifying for one of 19 Sim-AM places begins this Thursday – register now at asia.sro-esport.com.