Trans Am Series Makes European Debut with Esports Championship - Speedway Digest

After 54 years of North American action, the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli will take its efforts abroad this weekend, making the virtual trip across the Atlantic to Barcelona, Spain.

On Saturday, May 16 at 3:00 p.m. Eastern the fire-breathing Trans Am machines will be tested on the demanding Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, the site of victory through the years for racers including Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso. For Round 4 of the Trans Am by Pirelli Esports Championship, the drivers will take to the fabled circuit’s MotoGP format for a double dose of competition.

“Trans Am is gaining momentum internationally, especially in Europe,” said Trans Am Racing Company President John Clagett. “Using our esports championship is the perfect opportunity for us to expand our exposure to the European market without the cost of travel and transport. The drivers voted to race at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya and I believe it’s the perfect venue to showcase Trans Am Racing.”

If adding a legendary open-wheel road course to the Trans Am Esports schedule wasn’t challenging enough for the drivers, they will also face off against a growing pool of talent that will also include Adrian Fernandez.

An 11-time winner in Indy cars, Fernandez’s virtual Trans Am debut marks his first ever laps on board a Trans Am machine of any sort as the Mexico City native joins the 31-car field.

“We are very excited to have Adrian Fernandez join us on Saturday,” Clagett continued. “Last week Tony Kanaan raced with us, and has now given Adrian (Fernandez) some tips to racing a virtual sportscar. Kanaan also lent some support for Adrian to invest in some new gear to be even more competitive. Adrian takes esports racing very seriously, practicing two hours a day on his rig to become more acclimated with new track layouts like Barcelona. It’s likely to be an exciting race from start to finish.”

Last week more than 150,000 viewers across various platforms watched as Race 1 was decided by just .039-seconds between winner Tyler Kicera and runner up Josh Hurley, the closest finish of the esports season. The second race saw Ernie Francis Jr. claim his maiden online Trans Am victory. Hurley leads the championship over Kicera by seven points entering Round 4. (Race Replay)

Drivers will continue to race identically prepared Corvette C7.r GTLM machines hosted on the ‘World’s Fastest Gamer – SIM edition’ JV with Torque Esports and Assetto Corsa for Round 4 of the virtual championship.

Coverage begins Saturday at 3:00 p.m. Eastern with live commentary from Jonathan Green and Ben Cissell, featuring a swift qualifying followed by two 20-minute main events. For added excitement, the second round will be an inverted field.

Fans can stream the action by downloading the free Trans Am by Pirelli Racing app (https://bit.ly/3dxc6Lg). The live stream will also be available on the series Facebook (www.facebook.com/gotransam) and YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/TheTransAmSeries), as well as UMG TV Esports Network on Mobile (IOS and Android), Apple TV, Fire TV and ROKU.

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Adam Sinclair

NHRA, IHRA, Motocross and other forms of motorsports Staff writer
About Me: Adam has been a race fan since the first time he went through the tunnel under the Daytona International Speedway almost 30 years ago. He has had the privilege of travelling to races all across the state of Florida (as well as one race in Ohio), watching nearly everything with a motor compete for fame and glory, as well as participating in various racing schools to get the feel of what racecar drivers go through every week. Adam has spent the last three years covering motorsports for Examiner.com., where he had the opportunity to see the racing world from behind the scenes as well as the grandstands. He invites everyone to follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus, and looks forward to sharing his enthusiasm for all things racing with the readers of SpeedwayDigest.com.Be sure to tune in for his weekly sports talk program, Thursday Night Thunder, where he discusses the latest in motorsports news with drivers, crew members, and fans. The show takes place every Thursday at 8:00 pm EST on the Speedway Digest Radio Network.