Current Press releases
The Porsche Esports Challenge China roars back to life with a fresh new sea-son Porsche Esports Challenge China Season 2023
• The Porsche Esports Challenge China is returning for its fourth season
• A comprehensive upgrade to the competition system
• Porsche partners with PlayStation to launch a new driver category targeting a younger user group
Shanghai. On 23 May, Porsche announced an all-new season of the Porsche Esports Challenge China, featuring a brand-new format and the launch of a new GT group in collaboration with PlayStation. The first races in this new driver category will be held at the Sony Expo from 24-28 May.
Fully upgraded rules for a more professional virtual racing platform
As the world's first one-make, sim-racing competition, the Porsche Esports Challenge China has been held annually since 2020, gaining widespread recognition and active participation. This year, Porsche has upgraded the event by introducing two new racing-sim platforms, allowing each category to compete on a different gaming engine, enabling a more diverse, segmented and professional competition model. Through a partnership with PlayStation, the new GT group will race using Gran Turismo 7 on the PS5 platform. The upgraded Porsche Esports Challenge China will target a wider audience and is designed to be more inviting to gaming enthusiasts, and to help them experience the surging passion of esports and feel the appeal of Porsche motorsport culture.
This year, the series will head into its fourth season with the support of race partners ALIENWARE, Mobil 1TM, Michelin and BOSE. The 2023 season will officially kick off in May and after months of intense competition, the top 20 drivers from each category will advance to the offline finals in October to fight for the championship. The series features three distinct categories: Pro, Pro-AM and GT Group. The Pro category will use the iRacing platform and Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (992) as race cars, in line with the Porsche Esports Supercup, to create the highest-level esports racing. Participating drivers will be determined through invitational and qualifier rounds, competing through seven rounds of online and offline races to win the annual championship and runner-up via points scoring.
Compared to previous years, this year's Pro-AM category has a more innovative and diverse format, bringing enthusiasts a wide range of options to participate. The Pro-AM group is open to the public for registration, providing a high-level competitive platform for drivers who want to feel the charm of Porsche in the field of virtual racing and challenge for the top honours. In addition to the online rounds, the Pro-AM group will organise offline qualification in combination with brand and event activities. Participants will have the opportunity to compete at the Porsche Sports Cup China, Fascination Porsche, Porsche dealerships and the Porsche Experience Centre Shanghai. Besides, series partner ALIENWARE will also host driver qualification events at its offline experience stores. The Pro-AM group will continue to use Assetto Corsa as the platform for the race, with the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (991.2).
Porsche partners with PlayStation to launch a new GT driver category
The Porsche Esports Challenge China and PlayStation are working closely together for the new season to create an all-new GT group, with qualification open to the public. In addition to using Gran Turismo 7 on the PS5 platform for the first time, the GT group also features a wide range of race cars. Participants can drive a Porsche 917 Living Legend, Taycan Turbo S or Vision Gran Turismo in the simulator and compete for the 20 finale spots through offline lap challenges. At the same time, to attract more young people, the GT racing class has opened up brand new participation channels on campuses. Moreover, players can also participate in competitions held at major gaming and entertainment exhibitions in China, GT Group city tour and other related activities. From 24 to 28 May, Porsche will join PlayStation in welcoming the first challengers to the Red Bull Ring Austria at the upcoming Sony Expo 2023 in Shanghai.
“As an extension of the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid, the Porsche Esports Challenge China aims to provide an opportunity for the younger generation of gaming enthusiasts, e-sports players and sports car fans to fulfil their dreams of virtual racing and even real sportscar racing.” said Sky Qiao, Vice President Marketing of Porsche China, “This partnership with PlayStation will inject new vitality and momentum into our event. At the same time, the lower entry threshold will also provide more enthusiasts with the opportunity to get closer to esports, thus promoting the spread and cultivation of motorsport culture in China. We look forward to the continued development and growth of this field and believe that in future competitions, there will be more and more young people joining the Porsche China esports community, inspiring us to create a more professional and mature virtual racing environment.”
5/23/2023
Further information and pictures for journalists and media representatives can be found on the Porsche press database at http://presse.porsche.de/.
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