Six online Challenges to find 16 finalists. From Spain to England, Austria to Australia, the would-be Champions of MotoGP™17 have taken to the track to see who will top the timesheets. The first three Challenges of the 2017 MotoGP™ eSports Championship took competitors through Europe – with Jerez, Austria and the United Kingdom playing virtual host to the ‘Time Attack’ online sessions that would qualify seven players through to the Grand Final event in Valencia.
Challenge #1 saw the power of Marc Marquez and the Repsol HRC Honda on home turf bring in the first two finalists, quickly followed by racing with Pol Espargaró and KTM at the Red Bull Ring. Spanish qualifiers ‘MOTERO_1’, ‘ADRIAAN_26’ and ‘MMANDZUKIC17’ had already outdone themselves by taking three of the four spots available through these first two challenges. The interloper was Englishman ‘PISTOL73’ coming runner-up in Challenge #1.
During the first Challenge, the world’s fastest time often switched between Championship hopefuls. In the critical final hour, the winner was decided, when ‘MOTERO_1’ took over on a lap just 0:00.034 seconds quicker than ‘PISTOL_73’. And no wonder there was tension – with the prize of a BMW M240i up for grabs, and the glory of the first ever MotoGP eSports crown, those competing were anything but halfhearted. Disappoint in losing the top time didn’t last long though, as, during the Octo British Grand Prix, the veteran British gamer experienced the real MotoGP™ and met the man himself, Marc Marquez.
Completing the first half of the inaugural season, Sam Lowes and Aprilia had been selected as the team of choice for Challenge #3, as players competed for another ten days of online ‘Time Attacks’. Those that took to the task even had to deal with the typical climate of the English circuit – rain. It was a mixed bag in the severe conditions, but the finalists welcomed another Spaniard ‘JORGEGASEC’, the first Italian ‘VINDEX813’, plus the one and only Dutch competitor ‘NJIRK5211’, to the growing list of those that could potentially pick up the crown.
The talented qualifiers now prepare for the Live event at the Gran Premio Motul de la Comunitat Valenciana and streamed around the globe – as the world’s best meet to race side-by-side. No longer in the comfort of their homes, they must prepare to face each other in a real-time playoff that will showcase the gaming talents of these ultra-MotoGP™-fans.
