Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup Preview: Interlagos
January 8th, 2021 by Chris Leone
2021 marks the earliest start time yet for a Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup season, as the series kicks off its third campaign with the first of 10 rounds at Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace. Home to the Brazilian Grand Prix for the better part of 50 years, the track makes its debut on the championship schedule on Saturday, with a refreshed crop of 40 drivers ready to make waves and start their season off on a high note.
Red Bull Racing Esports’ Sebastian Job enters the season with the number 1 place, electing to swap numbers to defend his title for the coming year. He’ll have to do it with fewer teammates on the grid, though, as Patrik Holzmann jumped ship in the offseason to Team Redline, where he’ll work with fellow series frontrunner Maximilian Benecke. Virtual Racing School’s Josh Rogers will look to reclaim the crown after winning the inaugural series title in 2019, while MSi eSports’ Alejandro Sanchez looks to recapture his breakout 2020 form and other series veterans like Mitchell deJong, Kevin Ellis Jr., Jamie Fluke, and Mack Bakkum look to interject themselves into championship contention.
The rookie group features talented newcomers like Ayhancan Guven, Charlie Collins, Salva Talens, Moreno Sirica, and Mikkel Gade, all veterans of various iRacing sports car series and many of whom ran last year’s Porsche Esports Sprint Challenge. They had to fight their way through five rounds of qualifying races, which wrapped up at Interlagos on November 21 with Talens taking the victory.
This year’s Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup season builds on two years of strong foundations with the largest media presence yet. The official series hashtag is #NeverNotRacing, a reflection of both the extensive commitment drivers put in to running for the $200,000 purse, and the series’ new earlier start time during the real-world offseason. A slate of A-list teams and sponsors will make their debut on the grid in 2021, while some of iRacing’s biggest streamers will set the table with an All-Star series that also competes on each race day. That series will rotate between the same Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car used in the Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup, the Porsche 911 RSR, and Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport, three of iRacing’s most popular road racing vehicles.
Saturday’s Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup race from Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace can be seen on Porsche and iRacing social media channels. For more information on iRacing and for special offers, visit www.iracing.com.