Moritz Löhner leads the eSports Championship at the halfway point

• Löhner and Siggy win at the virtual Nürburgring
• Jack Keithley on the podium in both races
• Four in a row: Cihan remains unbeaten in the ADAC GT4 eSports Championship

Munich. Moritz Löhner (Dörr Esports) is still sitting pretty at the top of the standings after eight of 16 races in the ADAC GT Masters eSport Championship powered by EnBW mobility+. The defending champion took victory in the sprint race at the virtual Nürburgring. He then finished fifth in the main race, having recovered from a spin at the start. Victory in the main race went to Kevin Siggy, (Team Redline) – his first of the season. However, the biggest winner at the Nürburgring was Jack Keithley (Williams Esports). The Brit came home second and third to score more points than Löhner and climb into second place in the table at the halfway point of the season.

The 20-minute sprint race went to plan for Löhner: starting from pole position, he retained his lead at the start. As his Dörr Esports team-mate Florian Hasse and Keithley were embroiled in a tense battle for second place behind him, Löhner was able to pull clear and complete a commanding lights-to-flag victory. In contrast, Keithley spent several laps striving to overtake Hasse ahead of him. Hasse did manage to fend off the British driver’s attempts, but was handed a slowdown penalty shortly before the finish. This resulted in him dropping to fifth place. Keithley consequently crossed the finish line in second place, while Marko Pejic (Mahle Racing Team) inherited the third place on the podium.

Pit stop strategy decides top ten
Löhner and Keithley may have shared a row on the starting grid for the main race, but their positions after the opening lap could hardly have been more contrasting. Löhner had dropped back to 16th following a spin, while the Brit had found a gap and climbed into fourth place. “I am not entirely sure how I managed that,” Keithley admitted. “I saw a gap and prayed that it came off. I was really surprised to emerge in fourth place.” The opportunity to make progress arose from the turmoil in the leading group at the start, when three Bentleys attempted to get through the first corner three abreast. Jakub Brzeziński (Williams Esports) dropped back, Benci Bánki (Dörr Esports) was just about able to keep his Bentley on the track in third place behind the third Bentley of Alexander Dornieden (MRS Esports). Pole-sitter Kevin Siggy (Team Redline) was blissfully unaware of the chaos behind him and took the lead unchallenged.

The leading group and Löhner opted to come in early for their mandatory pit stop – and were right to do so. Siggy maintained his lead ahead of Dornieden, while Keithley emerged from the pit stop period in third place. However, it was Löhner who made the biggest progress, climbing into seventh place. Siggy went on to secure his first win of the season, ahead of Dornieden and Keithley. “Kevin was very fast today,” said Dornieden. “I tried an undercut, but came out just behind him still. I was very lucky in turn one. I was on the outside, and was suddenly hit in the side by another car. However, I came through without losing too much momentum.” Löhner overtook another two cars to finish fifth. He also won the Faber Exposize Fastest Lap Award and picked up points for the second time in the Pirelli Pole Position Award.

Löhner now leads the overall standings in the ADAC GT Masters eSport Championship with 250 points. Keithley (197 points) climbed into second place behind the Dörr Esports driver. However, he is under plenty of pressure from behind: Jakub Brzeziński is lurking just two points back in third, followed by Siggy with 191 points.

ADAC GT4 eSports Championship: Cihan remains unbeaten
Emre Cihan (Team Fordzilla) remains the dominant force in the ADAC GT4 eSports Championship. Starting from pole position, the Turkish sim racer led from start to finish to claim his fourth win of the season and qualify for the race at the Lausitzring. He will be joined there by Alessandro Ottaviani (Virtualdrivers By TX3) and Julian Kunze (EURONICS Gaming), who completed the podium at the Nürburgring. “That was a great race,” said a delighted Kunze. “I never thought I would finish third.” Adam Pinczes (Arnage Competition) and Jonas Wanner (T3 eSports) also secured their tickets for the Lausitzring race.

The sim racers return to action on 31st August 2021 when the Lausitzring hosts round five of the ADAC GT Masters eSport Championship powered by EnBW mobility+.