Esports Championship heads to Monza for Italian Showdown

Esports Championship heads to Monza for Italian Showdown
  • 50 Esports racers ready for Monza classic on Assetto Corsa Competizione 
  • Kundakcioglu, Barman enter weekend tied for Championship lead
  • Cavillon leads GT4 championship for Porsche 

The FCP Euro GT World Challenge America Esports Championship heats up as 50 sim racers gear up for Round 3 at Autodromo Nazionale di Monza in Assetto Corsa Competizione, the official game of GT World Challenge powered by AWS. 

Built in 1922, the classic Italian circuit was the world’s third purpose built motor racing track after Brooklands and Indianapolis. Home to GT World Challenge Europe competition, the 3.6-mile, 11-turn circuit features long straights, fast corners, and tight chicanes that will challenge competitors over the 60-minute sprint race. 

Round 3 will air this Sunday, December 6th at 3pm ET across SRO’s GT World YouTube channel, SRO Motorsports Twitch Channel, and GT World Challenge America powered by AWS Facebook page. 

GT3 Championship Tied at Season Midpoint 

As we reach the midpoint of Season 2, Michael Kundakcioglu and Troy Barman enter the weekend tied for the championship lead. Each earned a victory and second place finish in the first two races driving Mercedes-AMG GT3 machines. Valuable points are at stake that could determine the championship. 

Haupt Racing Team’s Lukas Müller enters the weekend in third, 10 points behind the leaders. He and his teammate Lucas Müller will look to maximize their points at Monza driving Mercedes-AMG GT3s. 

Champion Motorsports’s Hamza Gulzar and Matthew Santiago sit fourth and fifth respectively. Santiago, driving the only non-Mercedes in the Top 5, will pilot his Bentley Continental GT3. They’ll be joined by Pro teammates Chris Bruno (Lamborghini), Drake Burgoon (Bentley), Collin Johnson (Bentley), and Matthew Marlow (Lamborghini). Plus Champion Motorsports drivers Branden Ouellet (Lamborghini), Josh Staffin (Lexus), Jonathan Lee (Porsche), and Dirk Groeneveld (BMW). 

Cody Blanton looks to bounce back from a disappointing Bathurst outing in the Avid Chronic Racing Mercedes-AMG. With two-time polesitter Philippe Simard seeking a stronger finish after contact regulated his performance in the Ferrari 488 GT3. 

SideMax Motorworks Bentley driver Sam Cairns earned a solid finish at Bathurst and looks to carry that momentum into Monza. Nick McMillan also had a strong season debut on the mountain in the Mercedes-AMG GT3. 

Acura will feature a four-driver line-up of real world racers in the NSX GT3 Evo. Tom O’Gorman impressed on his season debut to lead at Bathurst, only to run out of fuel one lap early and cross the line in fifth. HPD GT3 Academy driver Karl Wittmer is back in action looking to utilize his real world NSX GT3 Evo experience to finish strong. With Gridlife and sim racer DJ Alessandrini and TC America driver Sally McNulty completing the Acura line-up. 

Forsberg Racing is back with GT Rivals standout Bryan Heitkotter, always a threat. He’ll be joined by team principal Chris Forsberg after missing the last round competing in the season finale of Formula Drift. The two Forsberg Racing drivers will compete in matching Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 racecars. 

Classic BMW Four Corners Brewing Company will feature four BMW M6 GT3 entries. Ben Green is back with Kurt Wittmer, Jacob Rudd, and team manager Toby Grahovec in matching entries. 

FCP Euro’s Michael Hurcyzn and Nate Vincent are ready in their Liqui Moly and Corteco supported Mercedes-AMG GT3s. Michael posted his best finish at Bathurst and both are getting more comfortable in ACC as they enter their third sim race ever. 

Audi will be represented by TC America’s Vinnie Lima and formula car standout Nelson Mason once again. Both driving the Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo. 

Dylan Archer will make his debut for Archer Brothers Esports driving a McLaren 720S GT3. The Trans-Am driver is looking to jump into Pirelli GT4 America next season.  

Pirelli GT4 America driver Jon Miller returns with the ST Racing BMW M6 GT3. Along with Jason Alexandridis in the Rebounderz / Fastlife.TV Porsche 911 GT3 R. 

Cavillon Perfect Two-for-Two  

After Bathurst, Aenore Cavillon has been stellar with two GT4 wins in two tries. Calen John Lavender endured to finish second at Bathurst and elevate himself to second in the championship, fifteen points behind Cavillon. 

Champion Motorsport’s Simon Fisher sits third in the standings, driving a Porsche 718 Cayman GT4. With Cameron Sansano coming off a solid third place finish at Bathurst in the Mercedes-AMG GT4 looking to build on that performance. 

Maserati masters Juan Reinoso and JT Tami look to push the MC GT4 racecars to the front at Monza. Nine4Nine Racing’s Joseph Kostovich enters the Aston Martin Vantage GT4 once again.

BMW will be represented by five drivers in the M4 GT4. Girtas Aklas and Letas Autosport drivers Tadas Liutkus, Takis Weekes, and Ketih Briscoe will look for the strength of the BMW platform to perform well at Monza. With Brian Szabelski and Bruno Nazarro Muhones also joining in the M4 GT4. 

Star Girl Racing’s Verena Mai is back in her Porsche 718 Cayman GT4. Joined by MFR Team Edison’s Maryn Edwards in the Porsche. With AndietheLayYT completing the grid in the Strix Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT4. 

How To Watch Live 

The FCP Euro GT World Challenge America Esports Championship will be live on SRO’s network including YouTube (GT World), Twitch (SRO Motorsports), and Facebook. Tune in at 3pm ET for the start of qualifying, followed directly with the 60-minute feature race.

youtube.com/gtworld
twitch.tv/sromotorsports
facebook.com/gtworldchallengeamerica
twitter.com/gtworldcham

Follow Live Timing & Scoring 

Just added! Follow all the 6h action from PitWall featuring live timing & scoring, stint overviews, trackmap with car positioning, and more. Create an account and search for the GT World Challenge America Esports page.  

Series Partners: FCP Euro, Liqui Moly, Corteco, ASUS Republic of Gamers, ASUS TUF Gaming, Fanatec, Champion Motorsports, AWS, CrowdStrike Racing, Pirelli, Rebellion Timepieces, and Total