Titled "Land of Heroes" in 2023, Gamers8 kicked off on 6th July and will come to a close on 31st August. This year the festival features brand new challenges and experiences and fans can watch the world’s top esports teams compete for the highest prize pools. This year, sim/virtual racing game RENNSPORT is a part of Gamers8 and has created a buzz among racing and esports fans.
RENNSPORT is a new virtual racing platform that makes ultra-realistic racing accessible to anyone. ESL and RENNSPORT have teamed up to present ESL R1 - Racing Released. "ESL R1 is the home for heroes. We are racers at heart and gamers in mind. Passionate. Competitive. And proud of our virtual racing heritage," said ESL.
The ESL R1 2023 Mid-Season Event took place at Gamers8 between 27th and 30th July and featured 48 of the world’s best virtual racing drivers from across 12 different teams. They competed to take home the lion's share of the staggering $1,000,000 USD prize pool.
Here are the winners of the Drivers and the Team Championships of ESL R1 2023 Mid-Season Event.
ESL R1 2023 Mid-Season Event: Driver Championship Winner
All 48 drivers participated in a head-to-head battle consisting of a series of RENNSPORT races to win bragging rights and take home a major share of the prize pool.
There were two Championships at play during the ESL R1 2023 Mid-Season Event: the Driver Championship and the Team Championship. Across the two championships, the drivers and teams were narrowed down on the first day, resulting in the highest ranking competing against one another.
This is how the Driver Championship format looked like:
Driver Championship:
Day 1 (Group Stage)
Group Stage (Format)
48 Drivers
8 Races
Day 2 (Finalist mode)
Top 12 Drivers from the Group Stage
Open-ended races
80 points needed to reach Finalist Mode, plus a first place victory to win
Unlimited amount of races until one or more drivers reaches 80 points and gain "Finalist Mode"
Once one or more drivers gain "Finalist Mode", they need to win a race to be crowned champion
After two days of intense racing, Maximilian Benecke of MOUZ Esports was crowned the Champion with 105 points. Notably, at the conclusion of Day, he was placed 8th on the standings and pulled up with an incredible performance on the Finalist mode stage to take home $100,000 USD.
Porsche Coanda Emerges Victorious
After two days of racing in the ESL R1 2023 Mid-Season Event at Gamers8, Porsche Coanda took home the prestigious trophy and the title of Team Champions along with $250,000 USD prize money.
Gamers8 said, "It wasn’t the strongest start for Porsche Coanda, but consistency is definitely key They kept racking in those points through solid racing and teamwork, and the second they reached finalist mode, Joshua Rogers pounced to get that ultimate P1."
Apart from the two Championships, the following merit awards were distributed at ESL R1 2023 Mid-Season Event:
Most Creative Fans 1st Place: Williams Esports
Best Team Content 1st Place: Porsche Coanda Esports Racing Team