Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup Contender Series mid-season report: Coanda Esports controls rankings at halfway

October 10th, 2024 by

The Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup will return for its seventh season in 2025, and the second step in qualifying for the top-ranked Sports Car series is the Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup Contender Series. Following the Qualifying Series on the PESC Road to Pro ladder, 34 hopeful drivers are vying for their spot on the grid of the top level in the upcoming season.

This series utilizes the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (992), and it is expected that the top-15 finishing drivers by the end of the season will have earned a chance to advance on to the Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup roster. A quick glance at that top-15 reveals one team in particular is aiming to fill the grid with as many drivers as possible—Coanda Esports.

Earlier in the 2024 Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup season, Zac Campbell held the banner for the team, finishing 11th to retain his license. His other three teammates—Julien Soenen, Oscar Py, and Bryn Collins, were all sent back down to the Contender ranks through relegation. However, they aren’t the only Coanda members in the Contender field. Coanda brought in new faces while welcoming back some of the most-renowned drivers series history through the Qualifying ranks.

Soenen, Py, and Collins are seemingly on their way back towards a possible license in 2025, all currently in those top-15 positions. Ahead of them, a few of their other teammates. Michael Janney made the move from Stormforce ART since the 2024 Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup season ended, and now finds himself on top of the standings at the halfway point. He’s tied with his teammate looking to make the series for the first time in his career—Tristan Iglesias, the Qualifying Series champion who also competed in the IMSA Esports competition last season with Simufy eSports.

Neither of the points leaders have wins (yet) on the season, but their teammate in sixth—Elvis Rankin— has both a Feature win at Algarve in the opening round and a Sprint win at Okayama the following week. There’s another Coanda driver with a Sprint and Feature win already this season (at Algarve and Laguna Seca), one of the most decorated Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup drivers of all time—Joshua Rogers.

Joshua Rogers (92) making moves into the Corkscrew at Laguna Seca in the third race of the Contender season.

Joshua Rogers (92) making moves into the Corkscrew at Laguna Seca in the third race of the Contender season.

Rogers hasn’t competed in the top-level series since 2021. In his first three seasons, in 2019, 2020, and 2021, Rogers won the title twice—his first and last seasons—and stepped away from the series. Mitchell deJong also stepped away that same season after finishing runner-up, and he too is looking to add his name back to the roster in 2025. In between, deJong had a short stint as an eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series competitor, winning a handful of times and qualifying for the Championship 4 in 2021.

Xander Reed and Elliott Vayron also find themselves inside the top-15, making that 10 out of 15 spots reserved currently by Coanda competitors. There are still two more drivers—Dayne Warren and Bobby Zalenski—who wear the purple and orange and could still make their claim for a top-15 position over the final three weeks. Both of those names could definitely do just that, mind you. Warren in particular is a three-time winner at the top level and is looking to make his way back after giving up a spot after the 2022 season.

Carlos Fenollosa (28) leading the rest of the field behind the Coanda parade at Algarve in Race #1.

Carlos Fenollosa (28) leading the rest of the field behind the Coanda parade at Algarve in Race #1.

That’s not to say it’s been the Coanda show the entire season, to date. There have been two non-Coanda drivers who have taken victories this season, and will likely have no problem holding a ticket to the top level. Known for his open-wheel prowess on the iRacing service, having won in the Dallara Grand Prix ranks and currently sits fourth in the INDYCAR ButtKicker iRacing Pro Series, Florian Lebigre is looking to add another Team Redline machine to the grid in 2025, and has a win in the Sprint at Laguna Seca to back him up.

The other non-Coanda winner thus far is one of the Porsche-invited drivers, William Chadwick. Chadwick is attempting Contender for the second-straight season, and took victory in the rainy Feature at Okayama representing the HYMO Setups brand. Chadwick is no stranger to top-level competition, mind you, having competed and won in the 2023 Porsche Esports Carrera Cup GB.

Drago Racing also has a decent showing in this year’s 34-car Contender field, and two of their drivers—Carlos Fenollosa and Nicolas Mateo—currently hold positions inside the top-15, in 7th and 13th, respectively. The final spot in the top-15 that’s not held by a Coanda competitor is Moreno Sirica, in 14th, driving once again for Williams Esports. Sirica has been a staple of the series since his first in 2021, and is looking to be back for a fifth-straight in 2025.

Andrew Caron (6) chasing Raphael Silva (78) in the treacherous conditions at Okayama in the second race of the season.

Andrew Caron (6) chasing Raphael Silva (78) in the treacherous conditions at Okayama in the second race of the season.

2024 Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup Contender Series points through Race #3 at Laguna Seca are as follows:

Pos. Driver Pts Sprint W’s Feat. W’s Avg Start Avg Fin.
1 Michael Janney 151 0 0 8 7
1 Tristan Iglesias 151 0 0 5 8
3 Florian A Lebigre 147 1 0 10 6
4 Joshua K Rogers 143 1 1 13 7
5 Mitchell deJong 125 0 0 6 4
6 Elvis Rankin 122 1 1 12 11
7 Carlos Fenollosa 118 0 0 9 7
8 William Chadwick 115 0 1 9 12
9 Xander Reed 97 0 0 9 14
10 Julien Soenen 92 0 0 9 13
11 Elliott Vayron 91 0 0 13 15
12 Oscar Py 86 0 0 7 8
13 Nicolas Mateo 77 0 0 13 12
14 Moreno Sirica 75 0 0 15 12
15 Bryn Collins 74 0 0 11 10
16 Matti Sipilä 62 0 0 13 16
17 Jakub Maciejewski 61 0 0 19 15
18 Beckham Jacir 58 0 0 16 14
19 Roger Fjeldstad Kristiansen 43 0 0 17 18
20 Aaron Vazquezz 42 0 0 15 14
20 Dayne Warren 42 0 0 17 16
20 Daniel Pásztor 42 0 0 18 17
23 Andrew Caron 16 0 0 25 23
24 Bobby Zalenski 15 0 0 24 19
25 Quentiin Vialatte 14 0 0 20 25

Still to come are races at Circuit Zolder, the Sachsenring, and a finale at the famed Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, all wrapping up before the month of October ends. Will Coanda be able to continue their dominance, or will names like Matti Sipilä, Jakub Maciejewski, or Beckham Jacir—the first three outside the top-15—be able to fight their way onto the grid for next season? What about hopefuls such as Quentiin Vialatte, Lasse Bak, or Simone Maria Marcenò, who have a lot of ground to make up in the final three weeks?

Stay tuned, and watch the conclusion to the Contender Series live on the iRacing YouTube channel every remaining Saturday in October at 19:00 GMT / 3:00 pm ET. The first three race broadcasts are listed below!

For more information on the Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup, visit www.iracing.com/pesc. For more information on iRacing and for special offers, visit www.iracing.com.

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