Anticipation for Round 2 of the 2023 MotoGP™ eSport Global Series couldn’t be higher after one name in particular dominated affairs and suggested he will be hard to beat when racing kicks off on Friday 15th September at 16:00 (GMT+2).
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jack Hammer4658 claimed pole position for all three races to be held this Friday. Yet several names, including Repsol Honda Team’s 26_adriaan and Pramac Racing’s davideturrisi06, showed he won’t have it all his own way this Friday.
The highly-anticipated season opener will be the second of three virtual events this year, before the fourth and final round of the Global Series will be held live at Ubeat Live Barcelona, a gaming conference with world renown, on 11th November.
And each round will pack a greater punch than before. To mirror the changes to MotoGP™ in 2023, gamers will compete in a Sprint race during each round, as well as two longer-length races.
While former champions 26_adriaan and trast73 are among the favourites to add another crown to their tally, this year’s Global Series line up boasts six new faces that are keen to shake up the existing order. Six nationalities are represented, with the finalists hailing from the UK, Indonesia, Italy, Spain, Germany and Malaysia.
The Sachsenring is the venue for the second Sprint of the year. The Mobility Resort Motegi in Japan will host race one, and the Mandalika International Street Circuit in Indonesia race two.
Qualifying for the Sprint was topped by Jack Hammer4658 with Cristianmm17 (LCR Honda CASTROL eSports Team) and impressive rookie danielealoè26 (Ducati Lenovo eSport Team) second and third. Jack Hammer4658 took pole by a full four tenths of a second for race one with 26_adriaan second and current Global Series leader trast73 (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) third. Jack Hammer4658 made it three pole positions from three in qualifying for race two, with davideturrisi06 second and danielealoè26 third.
It’s all set up for a stunning show this Friday, when presenters Kiko Giles and Jack Gorst will host the first hour-long show of the year.
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.
Who will gain the upper hand in the fight to be the 2023 MotoGP™ eSport Champion? Tune in on Friday the 15th September at 16.00 (GMT+2) to find out!
Qualifying Sprint Sachsenring:
1. Jack Hammer4658 | 01:16.007
2. Cristianmm17 | +0.167
3. danielealoè26 | +0.021
4. 26_adriaan | +0.234
5. trast73 | +0.367
6. Eiky13 |+0.401
7. kainsta28 | +0.602
8. Sbadalongo | +0.802
9. MikiRaiko | +0.902
10. PLaT1ForLyfe | NC
11. davideturrisi06 | NC
Qualifying Motegi:
1. Jack Hammer4658 | 01:48.034
2. 26_adriaan | +0.469
3. trast73 | +0.636
4. danielealoè26 | +0.736
5. Cristianmm17 | +0.836
6. MikiRaiko | +1.003
7. PLaT1ForLyfe | +1.070
8. davideturrisi06 | +1.103
9. kainsta28 | +1.134
10. Eiky13 |+1.236
11. Sbadalongo | +1.604
Qualifying Mandalika:
1. Jack Hammer4658 | 01:25.393
2. davideturrisi06 | +0.132
3. danielealoè26 | +0.267
4. trast73 | +0.301
5. 26_adriaan | +0.467
6. Cristianmm17 | +0.534
7. PLaT1ForLyfe | +0.801
8. kainsta28 | +0.835
9. Sbadalongo | +0.906
10. Eiky13|+1.001
11. MikiRaiko | +1.738
