The RU Esports Series Explained

The Racing Unleashed Esports Series removes traditional barriers to entry, making progression about how fast you are on track and the results you achieve. The promotion and demotion system rewards success - and only success.

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An Open Entry Point

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The RU Esports Series is unique because its entry point is open and free to enter. Across our Racing Unleashed lounge network in Zurich City, Zurich Airport, Madrid and Munich, any driver - or aspiring competitor - can begin their journey by taking part in the RU3 Qualifiers.

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A Qualifier is a designated 10-day window during which drivers can attempt to set their fastest lap time on a track selected by Racing Unleashed. At the end of the qualifying period, the five fastest drivers from each of our four lounges qualify for the upcoming round of the RU3 Championship.

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This process is repeated for all three rounds, meaning drivers must qualify for each event. Their results across the championship then determine who earns promotion to RU2 - the next step on the RU Esports Series ladder.

Three Championships

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The RU Esports Series is made up of three championships:

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RU1 – The pinnacle of our ecosystem, featuring some of the world’s leading sim racers.

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RU2 – Our development championship, featuring drivers who have demonstrated their ability and are ready to take the next step.

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RU3 – The open entry point for drivers and aspiring sim racers looking to kick-start their journey.

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Within 12 months, a successful driver can begin in RU3 and progress all the way to RU1.

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The RU Esports Series rewards results and puts the focus firmly on talent. Every driver competes using identical, high-performance motion simulators developed in Maranello, ensuring they have the same equipment and the same opportunity to succeed.

How Do Promotion and Demotion Work?

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The RU Esports Series uses two different ways of ranking its drivers: the Drivers’ Championship standings and the Driver Ranking.

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The Drivers’ Championship standings rank competitors across the entire championship. In RU1 and RU2, these standings determine the overall champion and the distribution of prize money.

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Promotion and demotion are instead decided through the Driver Ranking. This uses the same championship points but ranks drivers only against those based at the same lounge. For example, a Munich driver is compared with the other Munich drivers rather than every competitor across the championship.

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All promotion and demotion decisions are therefore made separately at each Racing Unleashed lounge.

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RU1

• Promotion: After Round 8, the top two RU2 drivers in the Driver Ranking at each lounge are promoted to RU1.
• Demotion: The two lowest-ranked RU1 drivers at each lounge move down to RU2, directly exchanging places with the two promoted RU2 drivers.
• Timing: There is no mid-season movement involving RU1. All changes take place after Round 8 and apply from the following season.

RU2

• Promotion: After Round 8, the top two RU2 drivers at each lounge move up to RU1, while the two lowest-ranked RU1 drivers move down to RU2.
• Demotion: After Rounds 4 and 8, the two lowest-ranked RU2 drivers at each lounge lose their places and are replaced by the top two RU3 drivers from the same lounge.
• Points: Championship points are not reset after Round 4. The Drivers’ Championship standings continue across all eight rounds.

RU3

• Championship: Two separate three-round RU3 Championships take place each year: Spring and Fall.
• Promotion: The top two RU3 drivers at each lounge are promoted to RU2. Spring promotions take effect from Round 5 for RU2, while Fall promotions apply from the following year.
• Demotion: There is no formal demotion from RU3 because it is the open-entry tier. Drivers who lose their RU2 places can attempt to return through the RU3 Qualifiers.

The Pathway in Action

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At the halfway point of the 2026 season, the promotion and demotion system came into effect following the conclusion of the three-round RU3 Spring Championship and Round 4 of RU2.

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In Zurich City, Julian Ammann topped the RU3 Driver Ranking with 166 points, while Navin Schwerzmann secured the second promotion place. They replaced Melvin Leuppi and Andrin Christoffel in RU2.

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At Zurich Airport, Gian Frischknecht and Aaron Schütz both finished on 82 points and earned promotion. Marc Gamez and Lorenz Stumpp consequently lost their RU2 places.

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In Munich, just four points separated Samuel Bartl and Lukas Egger as they secured the two promotion positions. They replaced Tyler Sieber and Maximilian Nairz in RU2.

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Finally, in Madrid, Unai Maroto and David Sobreiro both finished on 180 points to comfortably secure promotion. Ivan Merino and Roberto Miguez were the two drivers who lost their RU2 places.

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In total, eight drivers earned promotion and joined RU2 from Round 5. The RU2 Championship continued without a mid-season points reset.

Why Does the System Exist?

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The promotion and demotion system creates a clear, results-based pathway from RU3 to RU1.

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It rewards drivers who perform consistently, creates regular opportunities for new talent and ensures that every position matters throughout the season. It also means that the RU Esports Series is never a closed competition: places must be earned on track, but drivers who lose their place always have an opportunity to re-enter through the RU3 Qualifiers.