Bentley Enters Sim Racing Championship for First Time
Bentley Motorsport to take on SRO E-Sport GT Series with its real-world drivers entering ‘Pro’ class events.
Bentley Motorsport has stepped firmly into the world of esports by announcing entry into its debut sim racing championship: the SRO E-Sport GT Series, a six-round series held by the organizers of many of the manufacturer’s real-world GT3 races.
The entry will see Bentley field squads in the “Pro” class race for real-world racers and the “Silver” class race for elite sim racers, and show support for all Continental GT3 drivers, including Bentley colleagues and fans around the world, in the “Am” class events.
To celebrate the announcement, the 2020 works team livery, worn by the Bathurst 12 Hours race-winning Continental GT3, has been made available for all Assetto Corsa Competizione users to download.
“Whether a real-world racer, a pro sim racer, or a gamer who races for fun, if you choose to race in the Continental GT3, you are part of our esports family,” says Bentley’s Director of Motorsport, Paul Williams. “To support this growing family, we have entered as a manufacturer for the SRO E-Sport GT Series and engaged our real-world race team to assist drivers with set-up and social media promotionâ€
“We have chosen to step into the huge sim racing arena with our trusted partners at SRO and take a very focused and targeted approach,” adds Williams. “This is definitely the right place for us to be competing — it caters for our incredibly loyal fans who have raced the Continental GT3 in the Assetto Corsa Competizione game for the last few years, while also enabling our real-world racing fans to join us as we step into the world of esports.â€
‘Whether a real-world racer, a pro sim racer, or a gamer who races for fun, if you choose to race in the Continental GT3, you are part of our esports family.’
The six-round series mirrors events in the GT World Challenge Europe, the real world series in which Bentley Motorsport has competed since 2014, taking championship and race wins along the way.
‘Pro’ and ‘Silver’ Races
Round 1 – Silverstone – April 26
Round 2 – Total 24 Hours of Spa – May 10
Round 3 – Nürburgring – May 17
Round 4 – Barcelona – May 31
Round 5 – Track to be decided by public vote – June 14
Round 6 – Grand Final – TBD
While the Pro and Silver classes have restricted entry for professionals, all Assetto Corsa Competizione gamers are invited to enter the ‘Am’ class series. The final competitors will be decided by an open hot-lap qualifying that runs from April 26 to May 10, with the fastest 40 earning their spot on the grid. Pre-registration is now open, with further details and race formats for the inaugural SRO E-Sport Championship set to be revealed next week.
‘Am’ Races
Round 1 – Silverstone – May 16
Round 2 – Total 24 Hours of Spa – May 23
Round 3 – Nürburgring – May 30
Round 4 – Barcelona – June 6
Round 5 – Track to be decided by public vote – June 13
Round 6 – Grand Final – TBD
Fans can follow the action from all Bentley’s esports action on social media, including on Twitter and Instagram.
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