Jamaican Kyle Gregg was seventh at the Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Sprint Trophy Latin America
Peruvian Alonso Regalado was the fastest among the 14 drivers
Jamaican Kyle Gregg was seventh at the Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Sprint Trophy Latin America
Miami. He started as the favorite and did not disappoint: Alonso Regalado, from Peru, took first place in the Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Sprint Trophy Latin America, a competition held last Saturday night at Circuit de la Sarthe, which raised $9,000 for the the ‘’Empathy Pact’’,’, an initiative led by the non-profit organization TECHO that seeks to raise funds to help families affected by the coronavirus in Latin America and the Caribbean. On the podium, Regalado was accompanied by Guatemalan Juan Diego Hernández and Costa Rican Esteban Villalobos, who had started from pole position. Jamaican driver Kyle Gregg was seventh and Trinidadian Garvin Daniel was fifth.
“The opportunity to participate in a Porsche race was truly an honour, and even better that it was racing for charity”, said Gregg. “It wasn’t the best result for me, but the event was fun and entertaining. Thanks to everyone who contributed to the event and I hope we have more in the future.”
The competition played in the Gran Turismo® game on the Sony PlayStation 4® platform was very close from start to finish with Villalobos, Hernandez, Regalado and Dominican Pedro Zaiter changing the lead on several occasions. Regalado and Hernandez opted for a three-stop strategy, while the rest of the drivers opted for two pit stops.
Regalado, who started in third place, overtook Villalobos, who had fallen to second place, in the second lap, and went on to hunt down Hernández, who he also overtook in the same turn. In that order they went until the end of the third lap, when the Peruvian and the Guatemalan entered pits to change tires and put fuel.
“I knew that taking the pole was not the most important thing, because the 24 Hours of Le Mans circuit has very long straights and there are many places to overtake,” said Regalado, who has participated in international Gran Turismo tours in New York, Tokyo and Sydney and even took third place in the World Championship in Monaco. “My intention was to go out on one of the first three places, not make any mistakes and execute my three pit stop strategy well.”
This three-stop strategy proved to be ideal for the 12 laps that the 14 drivers completed over the 13 kilometers and 626 meters of the Le Mans circuit.
“It was a very entertaining race from start to finish,” said Hernandez, who has been competing not only virtually but also in go-karts and various higher car categories since he was six years old. “During the pole, Esteban (Villalobos) took advantage of the slipstream and overtook me, but in the race I did better with the three-stop strategy”.
Villalobos started the last lap in second place and did his best to keep Hernandez at bay. However, in the end he had to concede. “In the last lap I didn’t have any tires to defend myself, I had to let Juan Diego (Hernández) pass and take care of my third place,” said the Costa Rican who in 2019 was crowned national champion of the tournament organized by Gran Turismo Costa Rica and who also represented his country in the international tour in Las Vegas.
Regalado, Hernandez and Villalobos have faced each other in several international races, but they do not know each other in person. Thanks to their first three places in the Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Sprint Trophy Latin America they will be able to do so in Miami, since Porsche Latin America extended them an invitation due to their performance. “I’m happy to go to Miami and meet Juan Diego and Esteban in person,” said Regalado. “I’m also happy to have helped the cause of TECHO, because there are many people who are in need of help right now because of the coronavirus.
Regalado’s victory allows TECHO Peru to receive $5,000 to continue helping those affected by the coronavirus, while $3,000 will go to Guatemala and $1,000 to Costa Rica.
The three watches symbolize the three podium positions of the Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Sprint Trophy Latin America. The top prize is a TAG Heuer CARRERA chronograph, which is being auctioned on eBay (Item ID: 363032332265); the second place corresponds to a TAG Heuer FORMULA 1 chronograph, auctioned under Item ID: 363032318287; while the third is a FORMULA 1 quartz, which can be bid on under Item ID: 363032328781. All three watches are engraved with the TECHO logo, a non-profit organization that leads the ‘’Empathy Pact’’,, an initiative that seeks to raise funds to help families affected by the coronavirus in Latin America and the Caribbean.
You may find all the results and the recording of the Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Sprint Trophy Latin America at PorscheVirtualRacing.com.
