For the second consecutive year, BMW M Team Redline has won the Esports World Cup (EWC). The four-driver squad—Luke Bennett, Sebastian Job, Jeffrey Rietveld, and Kevin Siggy—secured the championship after four days of competition on the Rennsport platform in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Redline was officially crowned champions ahead of the final race after reaching the required point threshold under the event’s “Finalist Mode” format. Their consistent performance across six races allowed them to clinch the title early, earning a prize of $200,000 USD.
The EWC is one of the largest esports events globally, featuring 2,000 players from over 100 countries and a total prize pool of more than $70 million. The sim racing category alone awarded $500,000. BMW-supported teams MOUZ and BS+COMPETITION also participated in the event, finishing sixth and eighth, respectively.
Alpine Preparation Ahead of Riyadh
The victory follows a unique training initiative in June, when BMW brought all three of its partner teams to the Austrian Alps for a multi-day retreat. Drivers took part in high-altitude hikes, climbing exercises, and team-building sessions as part of a mental and physical preparation program held far from their usual sim racing setups. The retreat, which began in Munich and moved on foot to Kaisertal in Tyrol, focused on stress management, concentration, and group dynamics. Activities included guided hikes to Naunspitze Ridge, shelter-building workshops, and recovery sessions with professional trainers. The initiative was designed to strengthen cohesion ahead of the high-pressure EWC environment.
BMW’s Involvement in Sim Racing
BMW has supported professional sim racing since launching the BMW SIM Cups in 2020. In recent years, the company has worked closely with esports teams and hardware manufacturers like Fanatec, which produces steering wheels used in both sim rigs and real-world BMW race cars. The M4 GT3, used in the EWC’s Rennsport R1 Series, has been a popular platform in virtual competition. Fanatec’s M4 GT3 steering wheel is a dual-use component, functioning in both professional simulators and BMW’s actual GT3 race cars.
