The first event of the Porsche Esports Carrera Cup Deutschland took place at Spa in iRacing. Team Redline and Max Benecke got off to a great start.
Photo credit: Porsche
The Porsche Esports Carrera Cup Deutschland 2021 edition of the series got underway with some unusual results. After a week of open qualifications, the 32 fastest competitors made it to the two races on Sunday, 6 June, which were held at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in iRacing. Here is how the first event went down.
A taste of things to come
Before the first race could get underway, the 32 drivers took part in a ten minute qualifying session to determine the grid order. From this point, the writing was already on the wall, as Team Redline drivers took five of the top six slots on the grid. Maximilian Benecke led from pole in his Porsche24 Driven by Redline car, maintaining the lead through the whole 30-minute race. Joining him on the podium was his teammate Gianni Vecchio who held second despite a charge from Diogo C. Pinto, who was participating as a privateer.
Perfect start into the @PorscheRaces #Esports #CarreraCupDE with winning both races at Spa. 🇧🇪 A big team result overall, finishing P1-P6 in the second race. On to Imola in 3 weeks time! pic.twitter.com/F5ez3sD7l6
— Maximilian Benecke (@maxbenecke11) June 6, 2021
For the second race, the grid was decided by the finishing order in the first. This meant that Redline now had 6 drivers in the top seven positions, with only Pinto not representing the team. After only a few laps, Pinto spun out while running third, falling well down the order. This meant that, at the chequered flag, Team Redline shut out the top six places in a truly dominant display. Once again, it was Benecke who took the win, from Vecchio and Alexander Thiebe in second and third respectively.
A long way to go
Overall, the first event of the year was a success for the series. The multicoloured field of Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars looked fantastic against the backdrop of Spa within iRacing, and the quality of the field was high. Connery Maddick and Paul Smith in the commentary box delivered to their usual high standards, and the overall show was clean and polished.
The dominance of the Redline drivers and especially Max Benecke will be cause for concern, but there are seven more rounds left in the season, each one at a different circuit. The following rounds will reveal whether these first races in Spa were a fluke, or whether the age of the Redlines is here to stay.
If you want to catch the action, you can do so by tuning in to the RaceSpotTV YouTube channel, the Porsche Esports Carrera Cup Deutschland YouTube channel, or Porsche’s Twitch channel. The next round will take place at the legendary Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola on Sunday, 27 June.
Do you think Max Benecke can maintain his momentum? Tell us on Twitter at @OverTake_gg or in the comments down below!
