The Porsche Esports Supercup has attracted over 4,900 sim racers so far as they take part in the qualifying rounds of the official eSports series of the German manufacturer for 2020.

Formula 1 race winner Max Verstappen is amongst the participants as they aim to qualify for the 2020 series, with entries closing on 2 March. As of 10 February Verstappen was ranked twentieth in the series.

The top 20 qualifiers will be joined by 20 top sim racers from last season in the series which is based on the iRacing platform using their iRating system. Racers can increase their rating, and their position in the qualifying by flawless driving and strong results. Points gained at the end of the qualifying rounds will help determine the performance level for the starting grid.

Credit: Porsche

The impressive number of entrants shows the growth in eSports and sim racing as last year a total of 2,372 drivers took part in the qualifying races.

2019 champion Joshua Rogers is back to defend his title along with his fiercest of rivals, Max Benecke, Sebastian Job and former rallycross driver and X Games medal winner Mitchell deJong.

As the qualifying phase draws to a close, attention will then switch to the first official sessions of the year with three days of testing on the virtual Barcelona circuit before the opening round on the Circuit Park Zandvoort circuit.

While the season takes place in virtual locations throughout the year, the season will come to an end in September alongside the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup race weekend that supports the Italian Grand Prix.