The SRO has unveiled the entry list for the opening round of the new SIM Pro Series – which will hold its races inside the Fanatec Arena at the racetrack alongside five GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup rounds.
Competing at the same venue over the same weekend as the real-world series, the competition has a total prize pool of €75,000 for elite-level sim racing drivers and teams, and utilises the official game of the real-world championship: Assetto Corsa Competizione.
24 competitors will take part in each race, with 23 reserved for professional full-time racing esports outfits and one for the quickest public qualifier at each in-person race event.
The whole SIM Pro Series follows a one-off SRO Esports Racing Night at the 24 Hours of Spa last season, which the then Ferrari Esports driver Kamil Pawlowski was leading until an untimely disconnect.
He returns for the full LAN-utilising season with his new squad, ITB Sainteloc Racing.
Ferrari does return with a new-look squad. Racing driver and former Lamborghini: The Real Race EMEA winner Jordan Sherratt joins Chris Harteveld.
Speaking of Lamborghini, it too has a manufacturer-backed team, and it has entered Luca Losio alongside the winner of the aforementioned Racing Night event, David Tonizza.
Mercedes-AMG will be presented by no less than three separate teams, the first of which being Williams which has entered Dennis Schöniger and double ESL R1 race-winner Dáire McCormack.
Mercedes-AMG Esports Team HRT by UOL is represented by Tobias Pfeffer, meanwhile the main Mercedes-AMG Esports Team Unicorns of Love outfit fields Tobias Gronewald and Bastian Richter.
BMW M Team BS+COMPETITION has entered Arthur Kammerer and Gregor Schill. Recent eRace of Champions finalist Michael Romanidis has joined the VRS Coanda Esports team.
The first race, rather obviously, will be at the Mozna track and will be broadcast live on the GTWorld YouTube channel from 12 pm BST / 1 pm CEST, Sunday 23rd April 2023.
2023 SRO SIM Pro Series entry list
- 4 – Mercedes-AMG Esports Team HRT by UOL – Tobias Pfeffer
- 5 – Williams Esports – Dominik Blajer
- 8 – Jean Alesi Esports Team – Daniel Savini
- 12 – Flash Axle Sports – Ar Muhammad Aleef
- 14 – Mercedes-AMG Esports Team Unicorns of Love – Tobias Gronewald
- 15 – Mercedes-AMG Esports Team Unicorns of Love – Bastian Richter
- 18 – VRS Coanda Esports Ricardo – Castro Ledo
- 19 – Automobili Lamborghini Esports Team – Luca Losio
- 25 – ITB Sainteloc Racing – Kamil Pawlowski
- 37 – Scuderia Ferrari Esports Team – Jordan Sherratt
- 53 – Mercedes-AMG Team Williams Esports – Dennis Schöniger
- 55 – McLaren Veloce – Luke Whitehead
- 57 – Scuderia Ferrari Esports Team – Chris Harteveld
- 60 – VS Racing by Ballas eSport – Dario Iemmulo
- 62 – Brabham Esports Powered by O-Rouge – Kieran Prendergast
- 63 – Automobili Lamborghini Esports Team – David Tonizza
- 88 – VRS Coanda Esports – Michael Romanidis
- 89 – BMW M Team BS+COMPETITION – Arthur Kammerer
- 90 – BMW M Team BS+COMPETITION – Gregor Schill
- 201 – SPQRacing Team – Matteo Cinotti
- 313 – Automobili Lamborghini Esports Team – Danilo Santoro
- 555 – Mercedes-AMG Team Williams Esports – Dáire McCormack
- 812 – Grid Finder Racing – Tristan Bollwinkel
2023 SRO Esports SIM Pro Series calendar
- 22nd April – Monza
- 3rd June – Circuit Paul Ricard
- 30th June – Spa-Francorchamps
- 29th July – Nurburgring
- 30th September – Barcelona