Motorsport UK has announced the 2026 Motorsport UK Cross Car Esports Cup, a new championship that offers sim racers a direct route to real-world motorsports, as the winner gets the chance to race in the Motorsport UK Cross Car Championship.
The 2026 Motorsport UK Cross Car Esports Cup will take place on iRacing, and competitors will have to use the official FIA Cross Car. The goal of the new championship is to help virtual talent transition to real-world racing, and it’s built to give sim racers a new avenue to break into real-world racing.
The overall winner will get a real-world test day and a race entry into the Motorsport UK Cross Car Championship, which will take place at one of the British Rallycross venues. This is provided by LifeLive, and Waltham Services Group is providing the tires. The winner will receive everything they need to compete, including equipment, insurance, and a license.
Competitors have to be 16 years old or older, and they must have a UK passport. They also can’t have competed in Cross Car, Rallycross, or Autocross in the past.
The 2026 Motorsport UK Cross Car Esports Cup pre-qualifiers will start on January 31 at 9 am GMT and last until February 2 at 9 am GMT. Racers can access this by navigating to the Time Attack section of iRacing. Racers will either need to be an iRacing member or a Motorsport UK Esports community member to get access to the championship.
The top 27 drivers with the fastest times will be invited to the main championship, which includes three eight-lap Heats with nine drivers. The top four drivers from each Heat will go to the final, while the others will go to a 10-lap Last Chance Qualifier, where three will move on to the final.
The Main Final will take the 15 remaining drivers through 15 laps. The Main Championship and final race will all be streamed live by RaceSpot TV.
For more racing esports news, check out eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Finale’s return to the NASCAR Hall of Fame and last year’s Ferrari HP Esports Series that took place across Assetto Corsa and iRacing.