Launched in 2026 as part of the FIA’s strategy to diversify its Esports offering, the competition attracted over 7,000 classified participants from 87 countries during the online qualifying phase. The eight fastest drivers progressed to the live final, organised by ACL Sport at the E-Motion sim-racing centre.

Hosted on RaceRoom, the event challenged finalists to master a virtual recreation of Germany’s 5.5km Glasbachrennen course, revealed only on Saturday morning. Its deceptively similar corners, tight chicane and five-second penalties for contact with the barriers left little room for error. Drivers also had to tame the formidable BMW 134, powered by a 3.4-litre Judd V8 and famously associated with hill climb legend Georg Plasa.

Sunday’s knockout stages delivered closely fought battles, including a semi-final between Sami Joe Abi Nakhle (Lebanon) and Alessandro Ottaviani (Italy), decided by just 0.3 seconds. Löhner defeated Turkka Häkkinen (Finland) 3-0 in the other semi-final before securing the title in the single-run final, where Abi Nakhle incurred two five-second penalties.

“It’s been a couple of years since I last won a competition, so it’s great to be back on the top step of the podium,” said Löhner. “I really loved the Hill Climb Esports. It’s a fantastic format […] actually competing against the clock.”

Ottaviani claimed third place, while Abi Nakhle set the course record during his semi-final.

The inaugural Cup reflects the FIA’s commitment to expanding its Esports portfolio across different motor sport disciplines, creating more accessible entry points into competition and connecting new audiences with the wider motor sport ecosystem. The event was organised with the support of the Luxembourg government’s Luxembourg – Let’s Make It Happen initiative, Next Level Racing, KW Automotive and UAOA. A Next Level Racing GT Elite Wheel Plate Edition cockpit was also awarded to online qualifier Jérôme Pinto.

2026 FIA Esports European Hill Climb Cup Final – Results

Quarter finals (each over 3 runs): Moritz Löhner (GER) vs Filip Floristeanu (ROU) 2-1; Turkka Häkkinen (FIN) vs Julian Klaffenböck (AUT) 2-1; Sami Joe Abi Nakhle (LBN) vs Mihai-Alexandru (ROU) 3-0;  Alessandro Ottaviani (ITA) vs Julian Kunze (GER) 2-1.

Semi finals (each over 3 runs): Moritz Löhner (DEU) vs Turkka Häkkinen (FIN) 3-0; Sami Joe Abi Nakhle (LBN) vs Alessandro Ottaviani (ITA) 2-1

Third-place play-off (one-off): Alessandro Ottaviani (ITA) vs Turkka Häkkinen (FIN) 1-0

Final (one-off): Moritz Löhner (DEU) vs Sami Joe Abi Nakhle (LBN) 1-0.