Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup Race Preview: Long Beach

The Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup season crosses the Atlantic Ocean for the first time this year on Saturday, with the streets of Long Beach having been chosen by fan vote to host the third round of the 2023 campaign. Live streaming of the iRacing series for top esports pros will kick off on Saturday at 19:00 GMT (2PM ET) via Porsche’s channels on YouTube and Twitch, while the All-Star series will directly precede it at 18:00 GMT (1PM ET).

Last Race: PESC’s title favorites showed why they’re championship material throughout the action two weeks ago at Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, making the most of the first-ever visit to the French circuit for the series. Hockenheim feature winner Zac Campbell kicked things off by qualifying on the pole and winning the sprint race ahead of Cooper Webster and defending series champion Diogo Pinto.

Campbell’s luck would run out in the feature as he suffered early contact; instead, his Coanda Esports teammate Charlie Collins, eighth place finisher in the sprint and beneficiary of the eight-car grid invert for the feature, would run away with the main event by leading every lap. Pinto and Jordan Caruso would secure the final two podium spots after battling 2020 champion Sebastian Job on the final lap, and Pinto would earn a two-point championship advantage on Collins in the process.

Last Season: Long Beach hasn’t been a part of the main PESC season yet, but the track did occupy the fifth of six spots in last fall’s Contender Series that qualified drivers for the 2023 season. Hockenheim podium finisher Alessandro Bico won the sprint race and posted the fastest laps in both events, while eventual Contender Series champion David Williams won the feature.

Track Facts: Long Beach, California hosts the longest-running active street race in America, having played host to the first Long Beach Grand Prix in 1975. It took became the United States Grand Prix West in 1976 and held that until 1983, switching to its current US-based series alignment the next year. The layout saw a handful of changes in its first few years, but has held the same since 2000, marked by a roundabout around a fountain and a challenging hairpin before the final straightaway. The full lap measures 1.968 miles, with a total of 11 turns.

Next Up: Following Long Beach, the Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup stays in the United States with a trip to Circuit of the Americas, home of the United States Grand Prix. Coverage will kick off on Saturday, March 18 at 18:00 GMT (2PM ET) with the All-Star action, before the pros do battle at 19:00 GMT (3PM ET).

For more information on the 2023 Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup season, visit www.iracing.com/pesc. For more information on iRacing and for special offers, visit www.iracing.com.

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