The NGK SPARK PLUGS Esports Cup will return in early 2023, following its debut last season, and two rounds will be live on the Traxion.GG YouTube channel.
The sim racing competition will once again be open to anyone with RaceRoom Racing Experience, and this time, three GT3 cars can be used: Mercedes AMG GT3, Audi R8 or Porsche 911 GT3.
There will be five rounds. For the first four, the grid will be set by time trials within RaceRoom, the fifth and final grid is set based on results in the preliminary rounds.
All races will be live on the NGK SPARK PLUG and RaceRoom YouTube channels, but the opener will also be on Traxion.GG. Then, the final will include a live studio, driver interviews and will also be on Traxion.GG.
The top prize is two VIP tickets and accommodation to the ADAC TotalEnergies 24h Nürburgring, with Fanatec equipment and JBL headsets also up for grabs.
Last season, Attila Diner won the inaugural title, which then helped him on the path to becoming part of the Dörr Esports squad to compete in the DTM Esports championship.
The first four races will see the top 32 drivers from open-qualifying compete in a 10-minute qualifying session, followed by two 20-minute sprint races – the latter reversing the top 10 results of the former to set the grid.
The 32 drivers with the most points from the first four races will reach the grand final, which uses a 17-minute qualifying session and a 60-minute race format.
“Based on the tremendous success of our first ever Esports Cup at the beginning of 2022, it makes perfect sense to bring the competition back for another year,” said Frank Massia, Director Marketing Aftermarket EMEA, NGK SPARK PLUG EUROPE GmbH.
“Next year’s tournament will further strengthen the engagement with our fans and brand enthusiasts as well as offering us the opportunity to showcase our company to the younger generations of, for example, gamers and mechanics.”
The full calendar is below and the first leaderboard for qualifying is now open within the Competitions section of RaceRoom.
NGK SPARK PLUGS Esports Cup 2023 calendar
- Spa-Francorchamps – 17th January 2023 – Live on Traxion.GG
- Aragón – 31st January 2023
- Autodrome Dubai – 14th February 2023
- Hungaroring – 28th February 2023
- Nürburgring Nordschleife – 14th March 2023 – Live on Traxion.GG
