The Porsche Esports Challenge 2023 was crowned at the Rennsport Reunion

Monterey, California, Oct. 01, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Some of the nail-biting racing at Rennsport Reunion 7 didn’t just take place on the track at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. They also happened at the Bose Esports stadium filled with hundreds of fans.

Saturday, September 30^th, Randall Hayward, 22 of Forrest Park, Illinois, was crowned champion in the 2023 Porsche Esports Challenge USA. This is the second consecutive time Hayward won the top award. It was only in the final minutes of the second race that Hayward moved into the top spot.

“It feels unreal,” said Hayward shortly after the win. “It’s still sinking in. It was so close and I knew it was going to be tough.”

“We are extremely proud to crown Randall Hayward the 2023 Porsche Esports Challenge USA champion for the second year in a row,” said Ayesha Coker, Vice President of Sales at Porsche Cars North America. “This tournament not only showcases the incredible talent within the Esports community but also reinforces the growing relationship between real and world racing.”

Hayward won after scoring the most points at two tracks, Circuit of Spa-Francorchamps and Daytona International Speedway Road Course competing in Porsche 911 RSR and Porsche 917 respectively.

Second place went to Robert Heck, 23, of California City, California. 22-year-old Donavan Parker of Fruit Cove, Florida rounded out the top three. Kazunori Yamauchi, the creator of Gran Turismo, was there to congratulate the winners.

Throughout June and July, more than 36,000 people across the United States competed in qualifying rounds held in-game in Gran Turismo™ 7, and offline at Porsche Experience Center Los Angeles, Porsche Experience Center Atlanta, and Four US Porsche locations.

16 winners from across the United States were flown to Laguna Seca for a chance to compete for prize money and other prizes in front of a live audience. Hayward won the top prize of $15,000, while runner-up Robert Heck won $10,000 and third-place finisher Parker won $5,000. The top three winners also received a TAG Heuer Connected Caliber E4 Porsche Edition Watch.

About Gran Turismo™

Gran Turismo™ is a video game developed by Polyphony Digital Inc., a subsidiary of Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. After its launch in Japan in 1997, the award-winning game is considered the best and most realistic simulator out there. Lifelike graphics, realistic physics technology and meticulous attention to detail. Polyphony and its famous creator Kazunori Yamauchi have revolutionized the racing game genre.

About Porsche Cars North America, Inc. | One Porsche Drive, Atlanta, GA 30354 USA

Founded in 1984, Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (PCNA) is the exclusive US importer of the Porsche 911, 718 Boxster, 718 Cayman, Macan, Cayenne, Panamera and Taycan. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, since 1998, PCNA is home to the first Porsche Experience Center in North America, which features two 1.6-mile modular driver development tracks, a business center and Restaurant 356. The campus also it is home to the US capitol. of Porsche Classic. The company operates a second Porsche Experience Center near Los Angeles. The complex features a driver development track with eight educational modules totaling 4.1 miles, a business center, Restaurant 917 and the headquarters of Porsche Motorsport North America. PCNA supports 197 independently owned and operated centers, two Porsche studios and three satellite stores in the United States, including parts distribution, service, sales, and training. They, in turn, work to provide Porsche customers with a best-in-class experience that is consistent with the Porsche brand’s 75-year history of leadership in advancing vehicle performance, safety and efficiency. PCNA is an indirectly owned subsidiary of Porsche AG, headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany.

Underpinning this success is Porsche’s proud racing heritage which boasts more than 30,000 race wins to date.

Photos and videos are available to authorized journalists in the Porsche Press Database at http://press.porsche.com/.