//////// E-Sports

As a modern and forward-thinking team, MERTEL Motorsport runs its own sim racer team in e-sports series. A novelty: MERTEL Italo Cars is the only Ferrari dealer in Germany to participate in the official Ferrari E-Sports Series. The drivers pilot the current Ferrari 488 Challenge EVO, Ferrari 488 GT3 and the new Ferrari 296 GT3, winning model of the 24h Nürburgring 2023. E-sport is indeed real racing and driving ability, skills as well as technology and strategy are just as crucial as in real racing. But the overlaps are also important. Or rather, the overlap between virtual and real racing. Increasingly, successful SIM racers are entering real life racing as outstanding competitive new talents. The MERTEL Motorsport Academy - from SIM racing into the real cockpit - wants to achieve exactly that and thus train and promote successful young Ferrari drivers for real racing.

//////// Sponsoring

Are you also interested in e-sports as a representation platform for your company? We offer you various options or concepts. Of course, the branding of the cars, the logo insert in the livery - as in real life racing - is a very attentive feature. But the MERTEL Motorsport E-sports Team can also be part of your company's own events. You want to offer your customers an exciting experience with a lot of fun at a presentation or event - by giving them the opportunity to try out SIM racing themselves? Contact us and we will take care of the guests on site at the simulator, show what is possible with it and "coach" your guests to have the best experience.Interested?Get in touch with us: info@mertelmotorsport.com

//////// Definition

What actually is e-sports? In a nutshell: Virtual environment - realistic real competition. E-sports racing - also known as SIM racing - is virtual racing simulation, but using realistic physics and virtual tracks. Controlling their virtual car with steering wheel and pedals, drivers/players compete against each other in online races. Racing simulations have become increasingly realistic over the years as technological advances have allowed for more accurate physics, tyre models and track models. Today, e-sports is a distinct and very popular form of motorsport. The races are streamed live and attract many fans. You can watch an e-sports race of one of our drivers here:

Timi Lehtonen / Ferrari 296 GT3 in Suzuka / The Simzone

//////// E-Sports Racing Calendar

See here the dates of the MERTEL E-sports team

MERTEL E-Sports Calendar

E-sports TEAM

Tim Köster

SIMRACING Teammanager

Nation: Deutschland
Date of birth: 07.11.1988
Simulation: ACC

I started simracing in 2020 when Corona started. I had watched a few streams on Twitch. Then I only drove the PS4 sporadically here and there. I really started in December 2022. My goal is to sit in a racing car “once”. My simracing goal is to make it into the big series (SRO etc.).

Timi Lehtonen

Mertel Motorsport Academy Driver

Nation: Finnland
Date of birth: 04.07.2002
Simulation: ACC

My name is Timi Lehtonen and I’m a 20-year-old sim racer from Turku, Finland. I started sim racing about 8 years ago. My dream has always been to be a real racing driver but it’s hard to get into, so I thought sim racing would be a place to start at least. My goals for sim racing are to get into real motorsport, or to the top of sim racing. I take sim racing very seriously and treat it as a real career. I always want to race and be the best at it, and I will work hard to achieve that, no matter if it’s sim racing or real motorsport.

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Leon Hoppe

Nation:
Date of birth:
Simulation: ACC

Marvin Butzin

Nation:
Date of birth:
Simulation: ACC

Julian Sauer

Nation:
Date of birth:
Simulation: ACC

Kevin Fehrenbach

Nation: Deutschland
Date of birth: 11.09.1998
Simulation: ACC

My name is Kevin Fehrenbach and I was born on 11 September 1998 in Villingen. I currently live in Villingen-Schwenningen with my family. I have been simracing professionally for 2 years. I started on the Playstation with Gran Turismo and a steering wheel but I wanted more seriousness and so I moved to the computer and finally to the community and the simulation through which I joined the team. My goal is to make this hobby a steady livelihood.

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Robert Tänzer

Nation: Deutschland
Date of birth: 06.05.1984
Simulation: ACC

I’ve been a motorsport enthusiast for as long as I can remember. I was infected by my family at an early age. Nevertheless, I came to simracing very late. I was more of a consolero and drove with a pad. Last year, with the start of the lockdown, I tried out a steering wheel for the first time. I liked it so much that I built a rig myself in the middle of 2020. Since then I have used almost every free minute to train. I want to constantly improve and develop and am very ambitious.

Jakob Czyborra

Nation:
Date of birth:
Simulation: ACC

Oli Gleißner

Nation:
Date of birth:
Simulation: ACC

Björn Betz

Nation:
Date of birth:
Simulation: ACC

Max Krauss

Nation:
Date of birth:
Simulation: ACC

Markus Janes

Trainer

Nation:
Date of birth:
Simulation: ACC

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Erik Carstensen

Nation: Deutschland
Date of birth: 03.02.2000
Simulation: iRacing

I’m Erik Carstensen, 23 years old from the far north of Germany and since March 2023 I’ve been reinforcing the MERTEL Motorsport team in the simracing area. I had my first experience with a racing game at the age of 6 in the game F1 Challenge 99-02. I have also been following motorsport since my childhood and my first memory of it is from the Formula 1 GP of San Marino 2006. After that I kept at it – until today. I then got into “real” simracing when I bought my first steering wheel in 2018. First in F1 2017/18 and Assetto Corsa, the following year I already went into my heart sim iRacing, competing with content creator Dave Gaming in the special events for the 12h Bathurst in February & 12h Sebring in March 2020. After a year in Assetto Corsa Competizione 2022, I returned to iRacing at the turn of 2023. My goals are to constantly improve my driving to get the maximum potential out of the car and myself and possibly one day be in the top split of a special event.

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Pascal Bobert

Nation:
Date of birth:
Simulation: iRacing

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