A new era of the MotoGP eSport Championship is already underway with the fourth and final Online Challenge of the WINDTRE Rising Stars Series providing another opportunity for young gamers to promote their reputation and qualify for the regional finals.
Silverstone, the home of the British Grand Prix, is the venue that must be conquered by any young hopeful, with Brad Binder’s ultra-fast and wild Red Bull KTM RC16 the machine of choice for this Challenge.
Like the venues in the first, second and third Online Challenges, Silverstone is another venue steeped in motorsport tradition, with a host of MotoGP’s greatest ever races coming at this high-speed circuit that demands complete dedication from any challengers.
Once a runway for the British airforce, Silverstone was converted into a race circuit in _ and took over from the TT on the Isle of Man to host its first British Grand Prix in 1977. A host of memorable events followed, with Kenny Roberts Senior and Barry Sheene’s infamous 1978 duel still talked of with fondness by the British public to this day.
The British Grand Prix moved to Donington Park in 1987 and stayed there until 2009. But from 2010 Silverstone has hosted Britain’s flagship motorsport event, with a host of famous duels – Jorge Lorenzo’s epic victory over Marc Marquez in 2013 and Alex Rins’ last gasp win against Marquez in 2019 included – the same gaining a place in grand prix folklore.
It’s a challenging layout like no other. Despite being nearly completely flat, Silverstone’s layout is ultra fast, with a host of fast bends taken in fourth and fifth gear punctuated by slow, sharp hairpins. High amounts of corner speed and good handling are a requisite to set a competitive lap time.
You better be alert from the start as you hurtle towards turn one. Shift back to fifth gear, turn in early, and get on the gas quickly before the high-speed run down to the Maggots-Becketts complex. Touch the brakes and downshift to fifth after turn two before shedding more speed for turn four, to be taken in fourth gear. Brake early and downshift to third gear ahead of turn five and hold a tight line, before accelerating up to sixth gear through turn six.
After the Hangar Straight, shift back to third for turn seven (Stowe), accelerating at the apex before the short blast to turn eight (Vale). This is a first gear left – make sure your braking marker is correct on the way in – to be treated with care. From there it’s all about gentle acceleration through turns nine and ten until you reach sixth gear on the approach to turn eleven (Abbey).
Attack turn eleven in fourth gear before feathering the throttle through turn twelve. Then it’s hard on the brakes and back to first gear for the tight, technical turn 13. Hold first until the exit of 14 as you accelerate aggressively through 15 and on toward the final complex.
Turn 16 (Brooklands) requires a late apex. Attack in third gear before downshifting to second for long turn 17 (Luffield). Then it’s all about throttle control as you gradually accelerate to sixth through turn 18 and across the finish line!
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