Esports Endurance Cup Kicks off Saturday with Bathurst 12 Hour Classic

Esports Endurance Cup Kicks off Saturday with Bathurst 12 Hour Classic
  • Three round endurance series kicks off this Saturday at 12:30pm EDT on SRO's GT World YouTube Channel 
  • Entry List 
  • Timetable 

20 teams have taken up the challenge of 12 grueling hours around the Mount Panorama Circuit in virtual Bathurst, Australia for the first leg of the GT World Challenge Esports America Championship's endurance season.

It marks the first long distance race of the season after a strong start to the Sprint portion of the schedule in SRO America's official esports championship utilizing Assetto Corsa Competizione.

FFS Racing highlights the entry list with a star-studded lineup in its No. 123 Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo. Sprint points leader and reigning series champion Michael Kundakcioglu headlines the trio of drivers that also includes Philippe Simard and Killian Ryan-Meenan.

Simard currently trails Kundakcioglu in the Sprint standings by just two points heading into the series' final race on the strength of a win and a runner-up result in the past two events. Ryan-Meenan, meanwhile, is fifth in Sprint points with a best finish of second at Spa.

SideMax x Black Hawk Racing boasts a potent lineup that includes Chris Severt who is currently third in Sprint points along with Tinko van der Velde and Sam Cairns in a McLaren 720S GT3.

The No. 3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo out of the PPR Esports stable also bears watching as it is slated to have the most recent winner in Sprint competition, Jordan Grant-Smith, as part of the three-driver lineup.

Joining Grant-Smith will be Taha Malih, twice a points scorer in Sprint competition this season, and newcomer Harry Spiers.

The sister No. 2 Mercedes-AMG features veterans Luke Whitehead and Cody Blanton alongside Niels van de Koekelt, while PPR Esports has also entered a Bentley for Cody Pryde, Renato Dornelles, and Marco Macri.

Sim racing powerhouse Williams Esports will contest the Endurance Championship with a McLaren for Igor de Oliveira Rodrigues, Phelipe Roberto, and Renan Negrini, while Kings of Asphalt – Maxon Oil has an Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 in the field with drivers Fidel, Daniel de Oliveira, and Vinny Oliveira.

TSE Racing will be the busiest team in the field with no less than five three-driver entries, each representing a different GT3 manufacturer.

TSE Racing – Blitz has entered a BMW M6 GT3 for Zach Kunin, Cody Smith, and Vadim Molla, while Branden Oullet, Doug Bourne, and Hamza Gulzar are listed as the drivers for the TSE Racing - Crazy Canucks Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo.

Newcomers Chris Barnes, Matteo Scaptura, and Carlos De La Torre are set to drive the TSE Racing - Rogue Motorsports Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo, while Anthony Ayala, Paul Seymour, and Matt Largi will go for glory in the TSE Racing – Pure Ambition Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo.

SRO America Esports veterans Tadas Liutkus and Takis Weekes are set to be joined by Mark Dizon in the TSE Racing – Equus Bentley Continental GT3.

HPD Jas Pro America has two stout lineups set to take to the mountain in a pair of Acura NSX GT3 Evo machines. The No. 93 features real-world driver Nick Wittmer alongside Josh Staffin and Nicolas Hillebrand, while the sister No. 94 car's lineup includes Sprint competitors Cardin Lu and Zach Patterson alongside Ben Creanor.

AWS Esports and CrowdStrike Racing have each entered crews that have extensive experience in CrowdStrike Cup competition this year.

The AWS-backed Ferrari will be driven by Bill Clark, Roman Alekseenkov, and Brad Smoak, while CrowdStrike Racing's Mercedes-AMG will be piloted by Sam and Scott Michaels along with reigning TC America powered by the Skip Barber Racing School TCA champion Kevin Boehm.

Elsewhere in the field, RacingSimTools eSports has Jonathan Lee, Darren King, and Simon Fisher entered in a Porsche 911 GT3 R while Kyalami runner-up Nicolas Alvarado, Marc-Antoine Landry, and Zach Etier are listed alongside the team's No. 89 Acura.

SOP Esports Racing – America's lineup features three Sprint series regulars Ryley Murdock, Adrien Bourdon, and Alberto Alvarez in its Ferrari, while Bryan Kannappan, Thiago Chiquetto, and Allan Hellman make up the BMW lineup for the Unsponsored Talent team.

Find out which team will conquer The Mountain to claim victory in the opening round of the Endurance season at 12:30PM ET on Saturday with live coverage available at SRO's GT World YouTube Channel and SRO Motorsports Twitch Channel.