For the second time in a row, BMW M Team Redline won the ESPORTS World Cup (EWC). The four driver squad Bennett, Sebastian Job, Jeffrey Rietveld and Kevin Siggy had the championship after four competitions on the racing sports platform in Riad, Saudi Arabia. Redline was officially crowned before the last race after reaching the necessary puncture threshold in the “Finalist Mode” format of the event. Their consistent performance in six races enabled them to win the title early and achieve a price of USD 200,000.
The EWC is one of the largest eSports events worldwide with 2,000 players from over 100 countries and a total price pool of more than $ 70 million. The SIM racing category alone received 500,000 US dollars. The teams Mouz and BS+Competition supported by the BMW also took part in the event and took sixth and eighth place.
Alpine preparation in front of Riad
The victory follows a unique training initiative in June when BMW brought all three partner teams to the Austrian Alps for a multi -day retreat. The drivers took part in high levels, climbing exercises and team building sessions as part of a mental and physical preparation program that was held far from their usual SIM racing setups. The retreat, which started in Munich and moved to Kaisertal in Tyrol, focused on stress management, concentration and group dynamics. The activities included guided hikes to Naunspitz Ridge, Shelter-Building workshops and recovery sessions with professional trainers. The initiative was developed to strengthen the cohesion before the high-pressure EWC environment.
The participation of BMW in the SIM race
BMW has supported professional SIM racing since the start of the BMW SIM Cups in 2020. In recent years, the company has worked closely with eSports teams and hardware manufacturers such as Fanatec, producing steering wheels that are used in both SIM rigs and in real BMW racing cars. The M4 GT3, which is used in the racing R1 series by EWC, was a popular platform in virtual competition. The M4 GT3 steering wheel from Fanatec is a double component that works both in professional simulators and in the actual GT3 racing cars from BMW.
