Erhan Jajovski wins both races in virtual Zandvoort. Bánki replaces Högfeldt at top of table. The title race is heating up nicely.
Bence Bánki (Dörr Esports) is the new leader in the ADAC GT Masters eSports Championship powered by EnBW Mobility+ after races seven and eight in Zandvoort. However, it was Macedonian Erhan Jajovski who really caught the eye: the sim racer from the R8G Esports team, which was founded by former Formula 1 driver Romain Grosjean, produced a dominant display to win both races from pole position. It was not to be such a happy event for Christopher Högfeldt (Virtualdrivers by TX3), who had led the championship up to this point. The Swede was struggling with a cold and was unable to back up his previous results on this particular evening of racing.
Jajovski kicked off his perfect evening with pole position for the sprint race. Starting behind him were Dörr drivers Bence Bánki and Moritz Löhner. While Jajovski was able to hold onto the lead at the start, Löhner wasted no time in attacking his team-mate Bánki and moved into second place. Over the next 15 minutes of racing, Jajovski was able to pull clear of the chasing pack and went on to take a comfortable victory with a lead of 2.4 seconds over Löhner and Bánki. Högfeldt came home fifth.
Jajovski also came out on top in the BMW M6 GT3 at the end of the qualifying session for the 30-minute main race. The sim racer from Macedonia was again a cut above his rivals and completed a comfortable lights-to-flag victory. Behind him, a fierce three-way battle was unfolding in the closing stages of the race, involving second-placed Jack Keithley, Bánki in third, and Keithley’s Williams Esports team-mate Nikodem Wisniewski. Bánki managed to keep Wisniewski behind him, whilst at the same time putting Keithley under pressure. The attack came on the penultimate lap: Bánki overtook Keithley and not only took second place in the race, but also moved to the top of the championship. Keithley had to settle for third place.
“I had a good feeling ahead of the event,” said Jajovski after the race evening. “In race one, the others were right behind me. However, in the main race I benefitted from the battles on the track and was able to pull clear.”
“A great evening,” said the new championship leader, Bánki. “Both qualifying sessions went better than expected. The second race was extremely tiring, as I had to deal with two Williams drivers.”
Bánki currently leads the 2022 ADAC GT Masters Esports Championship with 229 points. Just four points back, Högfeldt is waiting for his opportunity to counter. With 202 points, Keithley can still win the title in the prestigious series, which boasts a prize purse of € 70,000. Jajovski has climbed into fourth place (191 points) on the back of his two victories. The fastest race lap in Zandvoort also earned him an additional € 250 and the Motorsport.com Fastest Lap Award.
The ADAC GT Masters eSports Championship powered by EnBW mobility+ enters the finishing straight in two weeks’ time. The virtual Silverstone circuit will host the penultimate event of the 2022 season, from 19:15 on 12th April 2022.