Aussie teen revving to take on world's best in sim racing championships

Xavier Cain may well be the only teenager looking forward to his alarm going off at 3 o'clock on a Monday morning.

The 16-year-old student from Mount Gambier, in south-eastern South Australia, will be jumping out of bed and into the driver's seat as he competes against some of the world's best simulator racers.

From the comfort of his home, Xavier will take on other sim racers in the 2026 Porsche eSports Super Cup World Championship, with competition getting underway at 4am on Monday.

"I'm not really aiming to finish a certain position, but I definitely just want to learn a lot for this year," Xavier said.

"I'm hoping I can be back for many years to come, so I'm not too worried about trying to finish well.

"I just really want to learn a lot so I can bring it into the future years to come."

The Porsche Cup prize is a hefty one: $US10,000 and the chance to compete for a real-world development driving spot with the German motorsport giant.

Simulation racing uses computers and a realistic pedal and steering-wheel system to create a lifelike driving experience.

Racers need to consider real-world variables like tyre wear, vehicle damage and fuel levels as they tear around virtual tracks.

Driving on the simulator program iRacing, Xavier quickly rose through the rankings and joined a professional team, Automoves Racing, just six months ago.

Co-owner Jordan McDonnell said Xavier's talent was clear and he was fast-tracked from the academy to the main team.

"Even though his ranking was a lot lower than what was needed to be in our main team, I spoke to the other owner and made an exception for him to be able to be pushed up," Mr McDonnell said.

Based in New Zealand, Mr McDonnell was a sprint car racer before founding his e-sport team with the help of a friend in Canada he met online through sim racing.

He said sim racing had helped grow motorsport and allowed more people access to what could be an expensive industry.