Bentley Motorsport is debuting in Esports as it commits real-world race drivers and elite sim racers to the 2020 SRO E-Sport GT Series sim racing championship. The virtual race series, held by organizers of real-world GT3 races, is comprised of six rounds scheduled at legendary venues like Silverstone, Spa-Francorchamps and Nurburgring, among other racetracks.
The race series mirrors events in the GT World Challenge Europe, the real-world series in which Bentley Motorsport has competed—taking championship and race wins along the way—since 2014.
Bentley’s real-world race drivers will compete in the SRO E-Sport GT Series’ Pro class while its elite sim racers will vie for honors in the Silver class. The squad supports all Continental GT3 drivers, including Bentley colleagues and fans around the world, in the Am class events.
“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. 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 promotion,” said Bentley’s Director of Motorsport, Paul Williams.
The executive added Bentley Motorsport is “working closely” with its partner Kunos, developer of Assetto Corsa Competizione, the new official Blancpain GT Series videogame. This, Williams noted, ensures the team is prepared for the season ahead as it communicates with professional sim racers who represent Bentley on the track and also assist the real-world race drivers in their game setup and racing style.
In marking Bentley Motorsport’s entry into the SRO E-Sport GT Series, the 2020 works team livery, as worn by the Bathurst 12 Hours race-winning Continental GT3, has been made available for all Assetto Corsa Competizione users to download.
The race calendar for the Pro and Silver classes is as follows:
Round 1 – Silverstone, April 26
Round 2 – Total 24 Hours of Spa, May 10
Round 3 – Nurburgring, 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, Bentley invites all Assetto Corsa Competizione gamers to enter the Am class series. The fastest 40 competitors to emerge from open hot-lap qualifying sessions in this class, scheduled starting from April 26 until May 10, will earn their spot on the starting grid. Pre-registration for the Am class is now open at www.sro-esport.com.
The race calendar for the Am class is as follows:
Round 1 – Silverstone, May 16
Round 2 – Total 24 Hours of Spa, May 23
Round 3 – Nurburgring, May 30
Round 4 – Barcelona, June 6
Round 5 – Track to be decided by public vote, June 13
Round 6 – Grand Final, TBD
More details and race formats for the inaugural SRO E-Sport GT Series are set to be revealed soon. Race fans can follow the action of all Bentley’s Esports action on @BentleyRacing (Twitter) and @BentleyRacingOfficial (Instagram).
