Coanda Esports’ Joshua Rogers makes stunning motorsport debut

• Joshua Rogers claims three podiums in debut race weekend
• Coanda Esports driver will race full Porsche Sprint Challenge GB championship in 2026

Coanda Esports driver Joshua Rogers spent a busy weekend away from sim racing. However, instead of taking a well-earned break from sweaty esports duties, the Australian instead made his car racing debut in the Porsche Sprint Challenge GB championship from Donington Park.

Joining the ever-growing legion of sim-to-real racers, which includes the likes of Max Verstappen protege Chris Lulham, sports car ace Tim Heinemann and NASCAR Sprint Cup frontrunner William Byron, Rogers piloted a Porsche Cayman (718) GT4 RS Clubsport in the BTCC-supporting series.

Competing in the main RS Pro category, Rogers was immediately on the pace during Donington Park’s opening practice sessions and topped the timesheets ahead of qualifying, where he placed himself on the front row, just over a tenth off pole position.

Race day

Driving for multiple single-make Porsche series champions Team Parker Racing, Rogers followed this up with third position in Race 1, before going one better in Race 2 by finishing second. He then topped off a successful weekend with another third in a red flag-interrupted Race 3, shadowing triple winner and teammate Joe Marshall throughout.

Porsche Sprint Challenge GB serves as a stepping stone to the Porsche Carrera Cup GB championship, which in turn offers a pathway to the Formula 1-supporting Porsche Supercup series. Considering his virtual Porsche Esports Supercup success in iRacing, this seems like an obvious goal for the manufacturer-backed driver.

Rogers has a glittering sim racing career, driving for Coanda across multiple disciplines and winning scores of titles across iRacing, Rennsport and rFactor 2, with the switch to car racing highlighting the increasingly blurred line between sim racing and motorsport.

“Honestly [it’s been] a fantastic weekend for me,” Rogers told ITV Sport after Race 3. 

“To be on the podium [in] all three races in my first weekend racing cars is something I can be very proud of. We’ve come a long way in such a short amount of time.

“It’s finally starting to sink in… what’s happening and what we’re doing here with Porsche,” concluded Rogers.

Considering his lack of real-world car racing experience, Rogers has already shown frontrunning pace and 

The BTCC and its support races are available to watch live on free-to-air UK TV channel ITV4, reaching a huge potential audience for his sim-to-real story. 

And considering his fleet-footed start to the season, the Australian driver will surely be aiming to pick up wins sooner rather than later, with a £10,000 championship-winning prize on the line.

Images courtesy of Porsche Motorsport