Porsche Esports Supercup: Regional qualifiers reach halfway point
The Porsche Esports Supercup World Championship Series will commence on 19 September at Spa-Francorchamps, but first, 32 drivers must secure their places through the inaugural Regional Championships. A total of 106 drivers across four regions are competing for those spots, with each region sending its top eight finishers to the world championship. Notably, defending world champion Cooper Webster has not yet locked in a grid position.
Each region's drivers have five races to accumulate points, with three races completed so far. The competition format runs for 10 weeks, alternating between region pairs. On race days, drivers compete in practice, a one-lap qualifying session (which awards points to the top five), and a 30-minute race with points distributed through 25th place. A maximum of 60 points is available per race, meaning a perfect season would yield 300 points.
Americas Region
Xander Reed leads the Americas standings with 173 points after three races, having secured two wins and two pole positions without finishing worse than second. His Coanda teammate Mitchell deJong sits second with 141 points following a victory at Mexico City. Elvis Rankin (also Coanda), Gustavo Ariel (Verstappen Sim Racing), and Sean Campbell (Grid-and-Go Esports) round out the top five and are expected to lock in top-eight spots.
The battle for the final qualifying positions remains tight. Miguel Costa holds sixth place with a 13-point buffer above the cutoff, while Agustin Torlaschi and Dino Filippa sit just inside the line with single-digit margins. Gabriel Moretto leads those outside the cutoff by five points. Race Control penalties have influenced standings significantly; Moretto lost 20 penalty points at Mexico City, while Hady-Noah Mimassi and Dalton Zavadil also suffered point deductions for contact incidents. With two races remaining, the gap between earning points and scoring nothing is at least 22 points.
Middle East & Africa Region
This region features the smallest driver count at 10 competitors but maintains an intense battle for qualification. Patrick Kessel (Ronin Simsport, Cape Town) dominates with 178 points and three wins, though Avesta Ghobadi (Veloce Academy) claimed the season's first pole at Fuji. The top six—Kessel, Ghobadi, Dylan Allen, Werner Schoeman, Ruslan Khamidullin, and Jack Johns—are expected to secure all available spots.
Shivesh Bissoon, Oliver Heasley, and Mehdi El Fathy remain within 12 points of each other for the final two qualifying positions. A notable rivalry has developed between Schoeman and Johns, with their first confrontation occurring on the final lap at Suzuka, followed by aggressive midfield racing at Adelaide. The pair will meet again at Okayama in the next round.
Europe Region
Europe showcases concentrated talent, with many competitors holding iRatings exceeding 10,000. Two former Porsche Esports Supercup World Champions—Sebastian Job (two-time champion) and Diogo Pinto (2022 champion)—are attempting to return to the top level but have not yet reached victory lane.
Charlie Collins (Coanda) began the season perfectly with two pole positions and wins but suffered a setback at Barcelona, finishing fifth before being collected in opening-lap chaos and recovering to 15th. This allowed Florian Lebigre (Verstappen Sim Racing, former PESC winner) to claim his first win of the season. Collins and Lebigre are now tied at the top with 60 points above the cutoff line heading into the Hockenheimring.
Job and Pinto sit tied for fourth, one point behind Luke McKeown (Oracle Red Bull Sim Racing, former PESC winner), who has maintained a six-point finish or better despite only one top-five result. McKeown received a five-point penalty for contact at Barcelona but retains a 40-point buffer above the cutoff. Three Coanda drivers—Tristan Iglesias, Alejandro Sánchez, and Luis Beilicke—occupy the final top-eight positions. Sánchez holds multiple PESC wins and IMSA Esports series victories, while Beilicke seeks his PESC debut but faces a five-point penalty from Magny-Cours.
Asia-Pacific Region
The Asia-Pacific region features 32 drivers competing across three completed races. Daichi Yoshida leads with 155 points and two wins, while Yohann Harth (Coanda) sits second with 142 points. The top eight positions remain competitive, with several drivers within striking distance of the cutoff line as the region approaches its final two races.