STUTTGART, Germany – Porsche and iRacing have joined forces with TAG Heuer, with the timekeeping brand serving as the title sponsor of the Porsche TAG Heuer eSports Super Cup this season.
The single-make esports racing championship was initiated by the sports car manufacturer and iRacing, the leading provider of realistic online racing simulations, in 2019.
As part of the new sponsorship, the championship is now renamed and the series prize pool will increase to $200,000 for the upcoming season.
“Porsche stands for exceptional experiences. Esports racing offers such an emotional Porsche experience to many fans of our brand and the ‘Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup’ is our most important virtual racing series,” said Kjell Gruner, Vice President Marketing at Porsche AG. “After a very successful debut in 2019, we are now about to start in the second season with a strong partner at our side. Porsche and TAG Heuer are already cooperating in Formula E. Now TAG Heuer, as a brand with heritage, is helping to further establish the most aspirational competition in esports racing.”
“After joining forces in the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team this season we are excited to now extend our successful collaboration further into the esports world. Both our brands are masters of challenges, innovation and precision,” added Stéphane Bianchi, CEO of the LVMH Watchmaking Division and CEO of TAG Heuer. “As an avant-garde watchmaker with historic ties to the track, esports is a fantastic new platform for us to showcase our values and support another dynamic and passionate community in the world of motor racing, where competitiveness comes alive in the digital age. We are looking forward to providing an unmatched esports experience together with Porsche and iRacing and seeing the world’s elite road simracers push their limits.”
“The real-world racing histories of both Porsche and TAG Heuer are unparalleled, and we’re delighted to have their support for the premier single-make esports racing championship in the world,” noted iRacing.com Motorsport Simulations executive producer Steve Myers.
Last year’s field featured the highly professional drivers, with Australia’s Josh Rogers eventually claiming the championship in a heated battle with Germany’s Maximilian Benecke. The United Kingdom’s Sebastian Job, and the United States’ Mitchell deJong reached third and fourth place.
The four top-drivers will return to the series this year, alongside 36 other new and returning drivers.
The Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup schedule will feature the introduction of multiple tracks to the championship, kicking off with a March 28 pre-season test at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, which made its iRacing debut in the fall of last year.
2020 Porsche TAG Heuer eSports Super Cup Schedule
March 28 – Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya – Barcelona, Spain *
May 2 – Circuit Park Zandvoort – Zandvoort, Netherlands
May 9 – Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya – Barcelona, Spain
May 23 – Donington Park Circuit – Derby, U.K.
June 13 – Circuit de la Sarthe – Le Mans, France
July 4 – Nurburgring Nordschleife – Nurburg, Germany
July 18 – Silverstone Circuit – Towcester, U.K.
Aug. 1 – Road Atlanta – Braselton, Ga.
Aug. 15 – Brands Hatch Circuit – Longfield, U.K.
Aug. 29 – Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps – Stavelot, Belgium
Sept. 19 – Autodromo Nazionale Monza – Monza, Italy
* – preseason test day