Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Virtual Edition, 2nd race day, Silverstone/Great Britain
Thirty-three drivers aim for top results in the virtual Porsche Supercup
“In the absence of real motor racing under the current situation, we wanted to offer our teams a virtual, competitive, top-class alternative. The idea has already proved successful at the first event a fortnight ago. We witnessed some thrilling duels, just like in the real Supercup. The Silverstone Circuit has hosted the Supercup as support to Formula 1 every year since 1994. For this reason, we’re delighted to celebrate our virtual debut at Silverstone this year,” says the Project Manager of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, Oliver Schwab.
The storied racetrack in the British Midlands opened in 1947. Three years later, Silverstone was the venue for the first Formula 1 race in modern Grand Prix history. The former military airbase is famous for its legendary corners such as Maggots, Becketts and Chapel. The circuit located between London and Birmingham features 18 corners over 5.891 kilometres.
For the drivers, the name of the game is to earn points towards the championship from the digital double-header event on Saturday. “Before contesting my first Supercup season last year, I gained experience at Silverstone contesting the GP3 series and the FIA Formula 3 Championship. However, the handling of a single-seater racer with its high downforce is completely different to that of a Cup car, especially on this circuit with its sweeping corners. Getting the virtual Porsche 911 GT3 Cup through corners like Maggotts and Becketts at maximum speed is a real challenge,” says Joey Mawson (Fach Auto Tech). The 24-year-old Australian currently ranks fifth overall in the championship.
Porsche Junior Jaxon Evans (Momo Megatron Lechner Racing) can hardly wait for the two 25-minute races: “I’ve been turning Silverstone laps on the simulator every day for the last two weeks. The illustrious history of this circuit alone makes it very special, and the combination of the tight and flowing corners is great fun. Last year, I finished fifth in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup race at Silverstone. Perhaps this experience will help me on the screen, although, sim racing is a little different, of course, due to the absence of physical stress.” In the championship rankings, the New Zealander sits seventh after the opening event on the Spanish Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Lining up alongside the regular drivers from the actual Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup are Porsche works drivers and invited professional racers. They will drive the nine vehicles entered by partners and sponsors. “I scored my first win in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup at my home race at Silverstone in 2010. I’m pretty familiar with the track as a sim racer and as a real racing driver. I’ve spent the last weeks preparing intensively on the simulator. With other pilots, I represent the Porsche works drivers. I’m aiming for the podium,” says Nick Tandy (ExxonMobil Oil Corporation) from Great Britain.
The Supercup races at Silverstone will be streamed live on https://porsche.com/virtualPMSCSilverstone and the official Porsche YouTube channel (https://youtu.be/ODNiYclFALI) with the former Supercup driver Jan Seyffarth providing the commentary. TV channel Sport1 televises both races live on www.sport1.de. The German television channel will also broadcast highlights on Sunday. Eurosport streams on www.eurosport.com as well as on selected national websites, for instance in Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain. The Dutch TV station Ziggo Sport also shows both races. Fans can find up-to-date information about the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Virtual Edition on the Porsche Motorsport Hub, the Porsche Newsroom and the Twitter account @PorscheRaces.
The schedule (18 April):
4.00 - 4.15pm: Qualifying
4.20 - 4.45pm: Race 1
4.50 - 5.10pm: Warm-up
5.12 - 5.37pm: Race 2
(All times CEST)
Bernard Van Bellingen
PR Manager, Porsche Import
