ADAC GT Masters eSports Championship Silverstone spectacle: Christopher Högfeldt hits back 13.04.2022: • Emre Cihan and Christopher Högfeldt win in Silverstone • Högfeldt back on top of the table • Title to be decided between Högfeldt and Bence Bánki

•    Emre Cihan and Christopher Högfeldt win in Silverstone

•    Högfeldt back on top of the table

•    Title to be decided between Högfeldt and Bence Bánki



The title race in the ADAC GT Masters eSports Championship powered by EnBW mobility+ took another turn at the penultimate event in virtual Silverstone. With only the finale in Monza to come, it is now Christopher Högfeldt (Virtualdrivers by TX3) who tops the table again in the prestigious championship, which boasts a prize purse of € 70,000.



He finished runner-up in the sprint, before winning the main race to leapfrog ahead of Bence Bánki (Dörr Esports) in the overall standings. One of the surprise results of the event came courtesy of Emre Cihan (Team Fordzilla): The Turkish sim racer claimed his maiden victory in the ADAC GT Masters eSports Championship in the sprint race.



Cihan was ideally positioned going into the sprint race, having secured pole position in qualifying. He held onto the lead in his Mercedes AMG GT3 EVO at the start, and then benefitted from the battle raging behind him between Högfeldt and third-placed Kevin Siggy (Team Redline).




As the race progressed, Cihan confidently pulled clear and went on to win with a lead of 1.241 seconds. In contrast, second place was fiercely contested: Högfeldt was able to fend off multiple attacks from Siggy and crossed the finish line in second place. Bánki had to settle for fourth.



Högfeldt secured pole position in the second qualifying session, while Bánki lined up next to him, waiting for a chance to attack. Högfeldt stayed out in front during the first few laps, while all the drama unfolded behind him: Williams eSports driver Keithley spun and not only blocked many of his rivals, but also dropped almost to the very back of the field.



Meanwhile, Bánki remained hot on the heels of Högfeldt and pulled into the pits to attempt an undercut. However, he made a mistake that was to have severe consequences: The Dörr eSports driver mistook the lines denoting the pit lane entry and activated his speed limiter too early. His team-mate Hasse was following close behind him and, despite trying to take evasive action at the last moment, hit the rear of Bánki’s Bentley Continental GT3. After contact with the pit wall, Bánki returned to the track with a damaged car.



In the meantime, Högfeldt pulled clear at the front and crossed the finish line 4.511 seconds ahead of Siggy. Moritz Löhner (Dörr Esports) came home behind them in third place, while Bánki eventually took sixth place after his crash in the pit lane.



After his success in Zandvoort, it proved to be a tough evening of racing in Silverstone for Bánki. “I made a mistake upon entering the pit lane and activated the speed limiter too soon. The big difference in speed meant that Florian did not have enough time to brake and ended up hitting me. I had hoped that my team-mates would help me during the remainder of the race, but I was out there on my own.”



“In the first race, I spent the whole time defending against the car behind, which meant I had no opportunity to attack Cihan,” said Högfeldt. “In the main race, I was able to stay clear of all the chaos and drive a clean race. I am a little concerned about Monza, as the BMW was not so fast there in the tests.”



Högfeldt tops the table with 301 points going into the season finale of the ADAC GT Masters eSports Championship. Second-placed Bánki trails by 23 points and must go on the offensive at the final event of the season. Keithley did manage to win the motorsport.com Fastest Lap Award with a fastest lap of 1:58.644 minutes, but he now lies too far adrift in third place with 227 points.



The finale of the 2022 ADAC GT Masters eSports Championship powered by EnBW mobility+ takes place in just one week’s time. The 32 sim racers will contest the final two races of the season in virtual Monza on 19th April 2022. One thing is already certain: After three titles in a row, Löhner will be replaced as champion of the ADAC GT Masters eSports Championship.





15.02.2022    Brands Hatch GP
01.03.2022    Watkins Glen
15.03.2022    Nürburgring Sprint
29.03.2022    Zandvoort
12.04.2022    Silverstone
19.04.2022    Monza



Oliver Runschke  photos ADAC