Racing Unleashed Esports: Maranon wins at Bahrain

Enrique Maranon has taken his first victory in the Racing Unleashed Racer League for 2025.

The Spanish driver made the most of a grid set by reversing the top nine in the championship standings. 

Starting second on the grid at a virtual Bahrain International Circuit, he actually dropped to third in the early running, as pole-sitter Sebastian Hirsch defended the inside line into Turn 1. This compromised his line through the second corner, allowing Angelo Michel to nip by in forceful fashion.

That loss of momentum saw the erstwhile slip down to fourth, with Maranon and Vojtech Polesny moving by into the top three.

Michel looks to have the race sewn up, but Maranon stuck to his trail all through the 21-lap race, which uses Assetto Corsa and Formula 1-style single-seater machines.

He attempted to take the lead in the braking zone for Turn 1 on Lap 17, but Michel would retake the position heading into Turn 4. The same move would be repeated one lap later, only this time Maranon held on and kept it until the chequered flag, celebrating excitedly.

“It was a really good race where I was managing push-to-pass, and it was an intense battle,” said Maranon.

Another position settled in the closing stages was for third, with Vojtech Polesny heading Siro Zambra until the latter, a Williams Esports member, eased by into the first corner, using his last available push-to-pass boost.

Elsewhere, the main championship protagonists had a muted race. 

Alejandro Sánchez remains second in the points standings after Bahrain, but suffered a tumultuous race for the second weekend in a row. First, getting caught up in the first lap melee, resulting in a spin, then fighting back into the top 10, but receiving a time penalty to eventually finish 12th.

Winner of the last two races back-to-back, Coque López was up to fifth from seventh on the grid early on, until a punt from Sinan Demirbas into the rear of Zambra knocked the Williams driver into the Spaniard at Turn 10.

This demoted López back to sixth. Later in the race, his charge back would come undone, following a collision with Hirsch while battling for fourth.

Worse for López, the contact allowed Michal Šmídl to move up a position, and he also received a five-second time penalty.

It all means that a quiet fifth place for Šmídl means he extends his championship advantage to a healthy 17 points over Sánchez, with López a further four points behind.

In the supporting Challenger League, in slower Formula 2-style vehicles, Guzman Miguelez won ahead of Nikolaj Rogivue and Tim Potzmader. Title-leader Salva Talens could only finish ninth, following a 10-second time penalty, but remains 31 points ahead.

Only two rounds for each series remain, the next live on 12th April 2025.

Racing Unleashed Esports Series 2024/25, Racer League, Race 6 results

1. Enrique Maranon
2. Angelo Michel
3. Siro Zambra
4. Vojtech Polesny
5. Michal Šmídl
6. Sebastian Hirsch
7. Coque López
8. Janik Pletscher
9. Marcos Valverde
10. Sinan Demerbas

Racing Unleashed Esports Series 2024/25, Challenger League, Race 6 results

1. Guzman Miguelez
2. Nikolaj Rogivue
3. Tim Potzmader
4. Unai Maroto
5. Adrian Gomez
6. Ivan Merino
7. Roberto Miguez
8. Mario Stanic
9. Salva Talens
10. Thomas Herzog

Racing Unleashed Esports Series 2024/25, Racer League, Championship standings after Race 6

1. Michal Šmídl – 91 pts
2. Alejandro Sánchez – 74 pts
3. Coque López – 70 pts
4. Siro Zambra – 65 pts
5. Angelo Michel – 58 pts
6. Enrique Maranon – 57 pts
7. Vojtech Polesny – 53 pts
8. Janik Pletscher – 50 pts
9. Sebastian Hirsch – 38 pts
10. Christoph Holstein – 30 pts

Racing Unleashed Esports Series 2024/25, Challenger League, Championship standings after Race 6

1. Salva Talens – 107 pts
2. Guzman Miguelez – 76 pts
3. Nikolaj Rogivue – 60 pts
4. Mario Stanic – 56 pts
5. Unai Maroto – 53 pts
6. Adrian Gomez – 52 pts
7. David Wüthrich – 43 pts
8. Tim Potzmader – 42 pts
9. Timothy Sperisen – 39 pts
10. Melvin Leuppi – 25 pts