The season finale is upon us! 22 points cover four of the fastest gamers on the planet as the 2023 MotoGP™ eSport Global Series heads to an epic final round with a difference!
The fourth Global Series round of 2023 comes from Ubeat Live Barcelona this Friday 11th November at 15:30 (GMT +1) Live, with former champions Trast73 (1st) and adriaan_26 (2nd) and hopefuls Jack Hammer4658 (3rd) and Cristianmm_17 (4th) all going head-to-head for the crown!
Like previous years, a total of 23 gamers (15 from Europe, 7 from the Rest of the World and the 2022 Rising Stars Series Champion) were entered into the Draft Selection phase. That number was then whittled down to 11 riders, who have each been chosen by the MotoGP™ teams to compete in their colours for the 2023 Global Series.
And the Global Series was streamlined for 2023. The 11 finalists have contested three rounds, which have packed 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.
So, before the season finale takes place this weekend, here is a quick refresher on what has happened so far in the 2023 Global Series.
Round 1: Trast73 steals an early march
In the opening encounter of the year at Mugello, Trast73 led the 3-lap Tissot Sprint from the exit of the first corner with adriaan_26. At one point, the Yamaha man threatened to break clear, but adriaan_26 gave his all on the final lap, but just lost out by 0.067s at the flag! There was a mesmerising Global Series debut for Mooney VR46 Racing Team’s PLaT1ForLyfe, who claimed a heroic third, 0.601s back.
Trast73 got a similar great getaway in Race 1, held at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, but he was soon reeled in by Jack Hammer4658 (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), adriaan_26 and LCR Honda CASTROL eSports Team’s Cristianmm17. Ultimately, Jack Hammer4658 made it look easy, cruising home to win by 2.070s.
Race 2 at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli was another barnstormer, as Trast73 hit the front early on, while rookie PLaT1ForLyfe showed his earlier podium was no fluke, as he scrapped with experienced hands adriaan_26, Cristianmm17 and Jack Hammer4658 for second place in an all-action battle. Despite the close attentions from behind, Trast73 held on to win by 0.602s ahead of PLaT1ForLyfe, who showed himself to be an early surprise contender. adriaan_26 was third.
Championship Standings after Round 1:
1st Trast73, 50 points
2nd adriaan_26, 45 points
3rd Jack Hammer4658, 34 points
4th Cristianmm17, 33 points
5th PLaT1ForLyfe, 33 points
Round 2: Two men out front, but a new name comes to the fore
The second Sprint of the year at the Sachsenring was an epic, as the two Montenegro brothers - LCR Honda CASTROL eSports Team’s Cristianmm17 and adriaan_26 – battled it out for victory, with the former edging it by just 0.2s! They weren’t alone, however, as danielealoè26 (Ducati Lenovo eSport Team), trast73 and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jack Hammer4658 all finished just behind after three laps, with 0.768s covering the quintet at the flag.
Race 1 from the Mobility Resort Motegi was held in wet conditions and was a real battle of the titans. Trast73 enjoyed a clean opening and built up an early advantage. But soon 26_adriaan was hunting him down and the pair started the last lap together. Three-time champ Trast73 used every bit of experience to hold his adversary at bay to win by 1.4s, with Jack Hammer4658 in third.
Race 2 at the Mandalika International Street Circuit then turned the formbook on its head. davideturrisi06 grabbed the early advantage and led confidently to claim a maiden win in the Global Series. Jack Hammer4658 took a second podium of the day, with 26_adriaan just holding off Cristianmm17 and danielealoè26 for third at the flag.
Championship Standings after Round 2:
1. trast73 | 91 points
2. 26_adriaan | 90 points
3. Jack Hammer4658 | 75 points
4. Cristianmm_17 | 65 points
5. davideturrisi06 | 64 points
Round 3: Jack Hammer4658 and Cristianmm17 come back into it!
The third Sprint of the year at the Algarve International Circuit was as clear cut as it got in any of the three races, as Jack Hammer4658 eased clear of Cristianmm17 to win by 0.9s, while trast73 picked up important points for third.
Race 1 at Phillip Island will go down in MotoGP™ eSport folklore as one of the best in Global Series history. After a tricky opening to the encounter, Jack Hammer4658 made sensational progress to climb up the order, and join the already epic fight for victory between trast73 and 26_adriaan with just over a lap to go. After passing the Repsol Honda man with the minimum of fuss, he then drafted alongside trast73 on the run to the chequered flag – drawing level with nothing separating the riders at the finish. With their race times tied right to the thousandth of a second, Jack Hammer4658 scored victory due to his setting the fastest lap.
Race 2 was another thriller. In the first flag-to-flag race in MotoGP™ eSport history at Thailand’s Chang International Circuit, rain started to fall on the sixth lap of eight, necessitating a trip to the pits. davideturrisi06 (Pramac Racing) gambled and stayed out an extra lap on slick tyres but was then swallowed up on the final lap. And Jack Hammer4658’s last lap crash gave Cristianmm17 the win, ahead of adriaan_26 and trast73.
Championship Standings after Round 3:
1. trast73 | 134 points
2. 26_adriaan | 128 points
3. Jack Hammer4658 | 123 points
4. Cristianmm_17 | 112 points
5. davideturrisi06 | 94 points
Who will become the 2023 MotoGP™ eSport Champion? Tune in on November 11th at 15:30 (GMT +1) to watch the final live!
You can attend the Ubeat Live Festival and see the event up close. Tickets are still available HERE and fans of MotoGP™ can use the code LIVEMOTOGP to get a special discount.
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.
