The sixth season of Porsche Esports Carrera Cup GB, the virtual championship for professional sim racers, is poised to begin on Wednesday 14 January. Kick-starting the 2026 motorsport season for Porsche Cars GB, the virtual championship will reflect its real-world counterpart, with a 16 race calendar, and visits to circuits familiar to Porsche Carrera Cup GB. The addition of a ‘wild card’ track, voted for by fans, adds further excitement.

The championship returns to the iRacing platform, the realistic online racing simulation software is used by more than 300,000 racers around the world. More than 75 hopefuls took part in open pre-qualification during December 2025, each setting their fastest times at a digital Donington Park. The grid for 2026 will be formed by the fastest 28 drivers, with the addition of two former Porsche Esports champions.

The Porsche Esports Carrera Cup GB calendar closely replicates that of Porsche Carrera Cup GB, which races exclusively as part of the TOCA package in support of the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC). The opening races of the new Esports season take place at Donington Park, with subsequent venues including a simulated Snetterton, Oulton Park, and Thruxton. Following a poll held via the @PorscheRaces_GB Instagram account, two 'wild card’ races will take place on 11 March at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya – the Spanish track was voted ahead of Road America, Sebring and Motegi.

The successful format established in previous seasons continues for 2026. Drivers will battle for honours at the wheel of identical recreations of the 911 GT3 Cup (992.1), with fixed setups promoting a level playing field. The split category system – Pro and Am – continues to provide those with less sim racing experience an opportunity to win their own distinct prizes. New for this season, Esports Carrera Cup GB races will be held mid-week, with Wednesday evenings replacing the traditional Sunday afternoon slot. Once again, drivers will take part in a practice session, followed by a 10-minute qualifying session to set the grid for the first of the day's two 25-minute races. The grid for the second race of each event will see the top eight finishers from Race One starting in reverse order.

2026 Porsche Esports Carrera Cup GB Calendar:
14 January - Donington Park (National) – Rounds 1&2
28 January - Snetterton (300) - Rounds 3&4
11 February - Oulton Park (Island) - Rounds 5&6
25 February - Silverstone (International) - Rounds 7&8
11 March - Barcelona-Catalunya - Rounds 9&10
25 March - Thruxton - Rounds 11&12
8 April - Donington Park (GP) - Rounds 13&14
22 April - Brands Hatch (GP) - Rounds 15&16

Pro and Am categories return
A total of 17 drivers will fight for overall honours in the Pro category, with 13 racing for glory in the Am category. Four-time Porsche Esports Carrera Cup GB champion (2021, 2023, 2024 and 2025) Sebastian Job from East Grinstead in Surrey, and Porsche Esports Sprint Challenge GB champion 2025 Will Eatwell from Stroud in Gloucestershire, receive automatic entries as reigning champions. Job is handed the chance to defend his crown, the Oracle Red Bull Sim Racing driver is seeking a record fifth title. Meanwhile, Eatwell steps up the Porsche Virtual Motorsport Pyramid having taken overall Esports Sprint Challenge GB championship glory in 2025. Eatwell’s journey highlights the path between the entry-level community-based sim racing championship, created in partnership with Motorsport UK, and Porsche Esports Carrera Cup GB.

A raft of other talented returnees and exciting newcomers join the grid this year. Familiar names entering the Pro category include former race winner Peter Berryman from Newtownabbey in Belfast, and Jacob Tofts from Hatfield Heath in Essex. Tofts underlines the link between sim racing and the real world, he finished third overall last season in the Porsche Sprint Challenge GB championship at the wheel of the 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport. Meanwhile, debutant James Dennison from Camberley in Surrey has also tasted success in both the virtual and real worlds. The automotive journalist for CAR Magazine was crowned 2025 BRSCC Winter Esports Series champion.

The Amateur category welcomes an equally intriguing mix of racers including Ryan Micallef from West Kingsdown in Kent, Conan Wearn from Norwich in Norfolk, and Guy R Edwards from Staines-upon-Thames in Surrey. Alongside Will Eatwell, Micallef graduates from Esports Sprint Challenge GB, where he finished the 2025 season in second place overall, going on to enjoy his prize of a thrilling driving experience at the Porsche Experience Centre Silverstone.

The 18 Pro category entrants are:
Sebastian Job
Will Eatwell
Peter Berryman
Charlie Collins
William Chadwick
Aidan Walsingham
Gareth Higgins
Remy Gilbert
Isaac Price
Jacob Tofts
Leo Brown
Luke Pennington
Matt J Caruana
Crofton Woodhatch
Jamie Fluke
James Dennison
Leo Gariboli
Scott Brazier

The 12 Am category entrants are:
Conan Wearn
Guy R Edwards
Ryan Micallef
Tom Stevens
Christian Szaruta
Gordan Marshall
James Parker
Scott Moakes
Kieran Harding
Dylan Freckelton
Fraser Hart
Sebastian Hawkins

Exceptional championship prizes
To support the accessibility of sim racing and to encourage new racing talent, Porsche Esports Carrera Cup GB offers an extremely generous prize fund totalling more than £30,000. After each event the top three overall finishers in their category (Pro and Am) in each race will receive prize money – £150 for first, £100 for second and £50 for third. At the end of the season there are further cash rewards for the top three overall Pro category championship finishers. The winning driver will take £7500, with £5000 for second and £2500 for third place. The top three Am category drivers receive £3250 for first, £2500 for second and £1250 for third.

In addition, champions in both categories are invited to join drivers from Porsche Carrera Cup GB and Porsche Sprint Challenge GB at the annual Porsche Night of Motorsport awards, there they will receive physical trophies as part of a special end of season prize-giving ceremony.

The new Porsche Esports Carrera Cup GB season starts on Wednesday 14 January 2026 at 20:00 GMT, with live coverage and professional commentary featuring David Addison – part of the dedicated ITV commentary team on BTCC weekends, drawing a further link between the digital and real worlds. All eight events will be simultaneously broadcast live on the Porsche Twitch (twitch.tv/porsche) and the Racespot TV YouTube channel (youtube.com/RacespotTV).

Follow the latest Porsche Esports Carrera Cup GB news directly from Porsche Motorsport via Instagram and X at @PorscheRaces_GB – users can share experiences via the hashtag #EsportsCarreraCupGB.