The 2020 MotoGP™ eSport Championship resumes on Friday 2nd October with eleven finalists pitting their wits against one another in the second round of the Global Series after a two-month pause.
So let’s refresh our memories with what happened back in August. If round one was anything to go by, this will be one to watch. On this evidence the old guard is facing inspired challenges from a host of new challengers. The likes of 2018 and ’19 Champion trastevere73 and reigning Champion AndrewZH have their hands full with Williams_Adrian and rookie Sanshoqueen causing surprises.
Round one was a masterclass from one of MotoGP™ eSport’s rising stars: Williams_Adrian. The Spaniard was a finalist in last year’s series, but has clearly made a huge step in performance this year. He dominated the opening round, claiming pole position in the two qualifying heats races before winning both races.
The eleven finalists took on Mugello and Jerez for the two races that made up round one. The manner in which the Red Bull KTM rider won was so impressive, taking the initiative at the first corner and leading every lap in both encounters.
As Williams_Adrian led from the start in race one at Mugello, there was a ferocious battle for second behind as Monster Energy Yamaha’s Trastevere73, Ducati Team’s AndrewZH, Ecstar Suzuki’s Williams_Cristian and Petronas SRT Yamaha’s Sanshoqueen all scrapped for position in a pulsating set of exchanges.
Gradually Trastevere73 and reigning MotoGP™ eSport Champion AndrewZH began to show their class, as they closed the gap to the leader. AndrewZH posted the fastest lap the penultimate time around, and Trastevere73 got to within 0.2s of the leader with just three corners remaining. But Williams_Adrian expertly held his nerve to claim his first Global Series triumph by 0.7s, with Trastevere73 second and AndrewZH third as just one second covered the podium places.
There was drama from the first moment in race two at Jerez, with championship favourite Williams_Cristian crashing at turn one after tangling with LCR Castrol Honda’s moe. By that point Williams_Adrian was building on an early lead. He never looked back, posting a succession of fastest laps that saw him build up a commanding lead. He took the chequered flag 2.1 seconds ahead of Trastevere73, who rode a near faultless race for a second runner-up place of the day.
It wasn’t all smooth running for trastevere73, however, as he was placed under increasing pressure by Sanshoqueen. In an astonishing performance in his first appearance in the Global Series, the Indonesian got within 0.3s of the two-time MotoGP™ eSport Champion on the final lap. Not to worry, as he claimed a brilliant first podium, signaling the start of what may be a surprising title challenge.
Due to the restrictions placed on the MotoGP™ paddock during the global pandemic, eSport races can no longer be held on site. Finalists will be competing from home on Friday 2nd October at 16:00 (GMT+2).
The eleven finalists will take on Austria’s Red Bull Ring and the Malaysia’s Sepang International Circuit in the two races. The first will be held over ten laps, and the second over eight.
Fans can watch on motogp.com and esport.motogp.com, on selected TV broadcasters, and across social media platforms including YouTube (via the MotoGP™ and MotoGP™ eSport channels), MotoGP™ eSport Twitter, Instagram, Facebook (via MotoGP™ and MotoGP™ eSport pages) and Twitch via MotoGP™and MotoGP™ eSport.
