This time out in the ESL Project CARS Go4 Cups, we were back in the UK again at Silverstone, the home of British motorsport. After a hotly contested day of racing at Brands Hatch last week, we were hoping for more of the same great action, and the drivers duly delivered. With plenty of new drivers and new teams coming to the fore in Cup 17, the January ESL Cups have proven once again that Project CARS is home to some of the world’s best sim-racing.
Once again, the drivers were behind the wheel of the Formula Gulf 1000, and although we haven’t travelled far from our previous venue of Brands Hatch, Silverstone throws up some entirely different challenges. Where Brands is known for its undulating terrain and blind corners, Silverstone offers a massive, wide and mostly flat circuit, where maintaining momentum from corner to corner is the key for putting together a fast lap. The Formula Gulf cars also have a relatively low top speed compared to other open-wheel machines, so momentum is doubly important in these cars. It was crucial for the drivers to maximise their time spent at full throttle.
As always, the drivers were competing for a €150 prize fund - €50 on each platform - and the chance to collect some all important championship points. At the end of the month, the top 8 drivers with the most points on each platform; PC, PS4 & XB1, will be invited to compete in the January ESL Finals for an additional €450 of prizes!
 It was an awesome battle on PS4 this week, with three of the all-time fastest ESL Project CARS drivers fighting at the front. DrDrDD came out on top to make it two wins in a row and cement his position at the top of the January standings. DriverR1 was disappointed to follow him home in second for the second week in succession, however the Frenchman had rediscovered some consistency, which could prove to be crucial come the monthly Finals. ockerocker also returned to the podium in third. It was a tough week though for some of the big-names from the Driver Network Championship. We’re now in the SMS-R off-season as these drivers prepare for season 2 starting in April, so they are flocking to the ESL races to keep their skills fresh. However, none of the SDL Motorsport, Team Shark Racing or STD-RS drivers competing on PS4 this week made it past the quarter-finals stage - showing just how high the competition level is in the ESL Cups. January PS4 rankings after Go4 Cup 17: 1. DrDrDD (305) 2. DriverR1 (210) 3. ralphy0502 (190) 4. STD-RS_SmOky_FRA (165) 5. TSRacing_Atho (160) |  This week on Xbox One we saw total domination by French drivers who filled the entire podium! There was another victory for Starlux driver, M power. His teammate PSY2PAC also had another great race, finishing in third. They were split by newcomer, RZ Arness who took an almost unbelievable debut podium and could be one to watch in the future. The RZ team actually fielded several cars this week, so this could be the start of a brand new team coming to the fore in Project CARS eSports. Watch this space! January Xbox One rankings after Go4 Cup 17: 1. Slux M power (320) 2. Slux PSY2PAC (205) 3. GMSPromo (170) 4. RZ Arness (155) 5. Slux J0K (140) |  SDL Motorsport is starting to look increasingly dominant on PC after yet another win for Tuscan. However, Tuscan wasn’t backed up as strongly by his SDL teammates this week, which created opportunities for some new names to reach the podium. Finland’s ragulih made it all the way to second place, becoming the second driver in Cup 17 to score an incredible debut podium! Meanwhile, Th3Pr0ph3cy won the third place play-off to take the final step on the rostrum. There was a big shock this week too, as khaki lost out in the quarter-finals to ragulih, allowing Tuscan to pull out a huge lead in the overall January rankings. January PC rankings after Go4 Cup 17: 1. SDL Tuscan (400) 2. khaki (180) 3. SDL Mangator (135) 4. Th3Pr0ph3cy (130) 5. Diego7Adi (110) |
The next ESL Project CARS open tournament is the Go4 Cup #18 on Sunday January 31 with a €150 prize fund! It’s the last chance for the drivers to claim their place in the top 8 for January and earn a slot on the grid for the Monthly Finals.
Go4 events consist of 4 or 5 weekly cups and a monthly final each month. The Cup Series is free and open to everyone and has €50 waiting for the best player on each platform. The weekly cups take place every Sunday and start at 19:00 CEST. All players earn ranking points to qualify for the Monthly Final where the winners on each platform will receive a $150 bonus.
Don’t forget, you can now vote for the circuit you want to race at in the next event. Please visit the ESL Project CARS forums to make your choice!
For more information about the ESL Project CARS Go4 Cups and to register to race, please visit the ESL website for the platform you play on.
PlayStation 4
Xbox One
PC
Go4 events consist of 4 or 5 weekly cups and a monthly final each month. The Cup Series is free and open to everyone and has €50 waiting for the best player on each platform. The weekly cups take place every Sunday and start at 19:00 CEST. All players earn ranking points to qualify for the Monthly Final where the winners on each platform will receive a $150 bonus.
Don’t forget, you can now vote for the circuit you want to race at in the next event. Please visit the ESL Project CARS forums to make your choice!
For more information about the ESL Project CARS Go4 Cups and to register to race, please visit the ESL website for the platform you play on.
PlayStation 4
Xbox One
PC
