OverTake presents our Hero of the Month for May: Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup champion Jordan Caruso.
One of the highlights of the sim racing esports year is the Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup, the top level iRacing World Championship. It was a season that saw immense racing right from the first lap, with 30 of the top drivers from around the world doing battle. But only one could take that coveted championship.
Entering the final round, many strong drivers like Alejandro Sánchez, Zac Campbell and 2020 series champion Sebastian Job were in mathematical contention. But none of them had more than a long shot at the title, as one driver stood head and shoulders above them all: Jordan Caruso.
The Altus Esports racer drove a near impeccable season, scoring remarkably consistent finishes and sealing the title with a race to spare. Considering he was driving at ungodly hours in Australia, that makes this achievement even more remarkable. For winning PESC, we are making Jordan Caruso our Hero of the Month for May!
Late Sim Racing Start
Caruso began his racing journey aged 7 in karting. It all started when he went to watch his cousin competing at a local kart club, so his dad bought young Jordan a kart to compete himself. He began slowly climbing through the ranks in club, state and national karting in Australia.
After a gap between racing, he transferred to racing cars in 2017. As well as competing in high level sim racing, he also races in the Australian National Sports Sedans series. In fact, Caruso was the 2022 series champion and the week after winning the PESC title, won Race 3 of the season’s opening round at Winton after starting 18th and getting into the lead in just three laps!
By his own admission, sim racing wasn’t a big part of Caruso’s life, only playing it on and off during the later karting years. But like a lot of other drivers, he took it seriously in 2020 when COVID hit. He began in Australian Supercar leagues on iRacing, transitioning into international competition soon afterwards.
When the opportunity opened to qualify for PESC, he earned a spot in the Contender Series. He just came up short of getting into the top 15 which would have granted him eligibility to compete in PESC. But a few drivers who finished ahead elected to not take up their places in the series. Therefore Caruso was in.
An Agonising Wait
Caruso had a bit of a torrid rookie season. With a best finish of fifth, and a year mostly marred by very lowly finishes, he ended the season 18th. This meant he’d have to go through Contenders once again. There he went under the radar and never troubled the ones fighting for the championship. However, with 7th he sealed his requalification for PESC.
Jordan achieved all of this in spite of doing it in the early hours of the morning. Like previous series champion Josh Rogers before him, Caruso was making it work in the top competitive iRacing series.
Caruso puts his achievement of winning PESC above any of the accolades he has won in real world racing. It’s understandable, as he had the most difficult time getting there. When first attempting to qualify for the series, little went right for him. It was only by sheer fortune that a spot opened up.
Even in his championship winning season, he found it difficult to comprehend that he was leading. At one time during the season, Caruso had enough of a lead to sit out one round, have his next closest competitor score maximum points and he would have still held the lead by a single point.
He ended up cutting it closer than he perhaps would have liked, though. A nightmare Round 9 Main Race, in which he scored no points, saw his competitors scythe into his advantage by over half. But, in spite of a few incidents in the finale, Caruso held on and got the result he needed to wrap up the title.
What does the Future Hold?
After winning the top iRacing championship, Caruso has set his sights on expanding his sim racing horizons. He refers to his fellow Aussie and PESC champion Josh Rogers as his biggest inspiration within sim racing, as he admires how Rogers is able to be successful no matter wherever he competes.
Caruso would like to do the same. Not only continuing to go up against some of the best in sim racing, but also continuing his success in the real world. However, he now considers sim racing his main focus.
Once again, the Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup delivers a worthy champion and Hero of the Month. Caruso has truly earned his stripes at the top level of sim racing and will certainly be successful no matter where he races. Whether in the real or virtual worlds, Jordan Caruso is a remarkable driver and an incredible ambassador for our niche.
Follow Jordan on social media:
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Are there any personalities in esports racing you would like to nominate for the next edition of Hero of the Month? Tell us on Twitter at @OverTake_gg or in the comments down below!
