Unique in sim racing: In the DTM Esports Championship powered by MediaMarkt, a real-world cockpit in the DTM Trophy, the talent pool on the DTM platform, is at stake.
The five best-placed entrants to the first-class championship will take part in a licensing course at Lausitzring and the best of this track will receive a free cockpit in the 2023 DTM Trophy.
Can Ferrari Driver Kevin Siggy Win DTM Esports Championship Title?
“Participating in a real championship is something every sim racer dreams of,” said Gianmarco Fiduci, one of the five candidates ahead of the final. The full focus will be on Portimão: the virtual Formula 1 circuit will host the DTM Esports final on Thursday, from 19:05 CEST live on YouTube and DTM Grid (grid.dtm.com), and on the real track in the Algarve , DTM starts its new season this weekend. And every esports pro has their own hero in DTM.
Kevin Siggy (Team Redline), the clear favorite going into the final, looks at DTM champion Maximilian Götz. “He’s a cool guy. I had him as my instructor in the AMG Academy, which was a cool experience,” says the 23-year-old Slovenian. Moritz Löhner, still the reigning DTM Esports champion and currently second in the standings, backs Sheldon van der Linde as he and the South African were already successful in DTM Esports in 2020. Löhner’s teammate at Dörr Esports Florian Hasse, third in the standings, supports Kelvin van der Linde. While Alessandro Ottaviani (R8G Esports), fifth in the DTM Esports standings, supports three-time DTM Champion René Rast (“He is a great driver and a DTM legend!”), Gianmarco Fiduci (Team Fordzilla) names Nick Cassidy as his Favorite: “I really love that he is very close to his fans thanks to his own YouTube channel.”
Full focus, however, is on the final of the DTM Esports Championship, the value of which has risen sharply in the 2022 season. “I think the DTM Esports season is one step ahead compared to other series,” says five-time season winner Kevin Siggy. “The 60-minute races in particular, which offer more variety in strategy, are the best feature of the series.” Defending champion Löhner especially appreciates the opportunity to determine his own set-up in this year’s championship. “In most series this is not the case, but we now have to invest a lot of time and effort to find the perfect setup for the next race,” said Löhner. “That’s why I consider this year’s championship to be one of the hardest we’ve ever had at RaceRoom.” Fiduci added: “From the viewer’s perspective, I really love the broadcasting and the graphics in the stream.”
Kevin Siggy, who always seems to have found a slightly better set-up for his Ferrari 488 than the opponent, has a commanding lead after five out of six events in the DTM Esports Championship powered by MediaMarkt with 380 points, clear for BMW driver Moritz Lohner (326). Florian Hasse (BMW/234) and Italian Ferrari duo Gianmarco Fiduci (222) and Alessandro Ottaviani (202) round out the top five. But also sixth placed Leonard Krippner (BMW/Dörr Esports) is still within reach with 197 points.
Moritz Löhner has already achieved what his rivals still want to achieve. As a reward for winning the DTM Esports title, the 23-year-old from Munich was given a test drive with a production-based GT sports car. Löhner took the opportunity and eventually took part in the entire 2021 DTM Trophy season, even finishing on the podium twice. “For a sim racer without a background in motorsport, that’s simply amazing!” says Löhner. “I am sure that anyone who does well in esports can also convert their skills into real motorsport and compete against the best.” In 2022 Moritz Löhner will race again in the DTM Trophy, but as he has not yet secured a ride for 2023, he will not let his rivals just take the top prize. And it cannot be completely ruled out that Moritz Löhner will successfully defend his DTM Esports Championship powered by MediaMarkt title on Thursday evening. The chances are slim, but he wants to take advantage of it. In any case, Löhner considers the exciting duel with Siggy as the highlight of the season.