Now the European and Rest of the World Selections have been completed, stakes for the 2019 MotoGP™ eSport Championship couldn’t be higher as the Final Draft offers the twelve selected gamers the chance to choose their MotoGP™ team of preference for the Global Series.
36 players from the Rest of the World were pitted against one another to advance into Final Draft. The same number from Europe did the same, meaning just twelve (3 from the Rest of the World, 9 from Europe) will compete in the Global Series, a six-race championship that will be held at three different locations visited by the MotoGP™ World Championship.
But first comes the Final Draft. Italy, Spain, Belgium, Indonesia, Brazil and Australia are all represented, where the twelve riders will fight for the fastest time using the PC. The quickest rider here will then have first pick of the MotoGP team he wishes to represent in the Global Series. The second fastest has the second pick, and so on. The exception to the rule is the reigning MotoGP eSport World Champion, Trastevere73. As he is the current Champion, he will choose first.
Of the 12 players competing in Final Draft, a two-time MotoGP™ eSport World Champion is present, as well as six other finalists from last year’s. Add in a handful of new names and the level of competition is high, as well as unpredictable.
All eyes will be on Trastevere73, the Roman who won the 2017 and 2018 series. The Italian’s ability is without question and his concentration skills impressed full-time MotoGP™ rider Maverick Viñales at last year’s Grand Prix of Valencia.
Serious competition will come in the form of EleGhosT555 from Jerez in Spain, who pushed Trastevere73 hardest in last year’s competition. EleGhost555 was the 2018 runner-up and the Spaniard is keen to go one better in 2019.
AndrewZH, an Italian from Bologna and the third fastest rider in the 2018 series, also made the Final Draft cut thanks to the third fastest time on the PC in the European Selection.
One rider seeking redemption is AdrianDP26, the Spaniard that made last year’s final. Despite being one of the quickest gamers in last year’s series, he crashed out on lap one of the 2018 showpiece event. His times in the European Selection suggest he will be a leading contender this time around as he set the fastest time across all platforms.
XxBoMbeR_45xX, Rllorca, Cristianmm17 and Juan_nh16 will also represent Spain in the Final Draft, while the Indonesian moe, a 2017 semi-finalist, will also be present. New names come in the form of Brazil’s Mereja, Australia’s MrTftw and Belgium’s Wimp, all players that could well challenge for this year’s title.
Of the six nationalities represented, Spain boasts of the highest number of participants. 6 Spaniards have made it through to the Final Draft with 2 hailing from Italy. Indonesia, Australia, Brazil and Belgium all have 1 participant apiece.
The Final Selection takes place from 15th-18th August. Gamers will have to contest Qatar using Fabio Quartararo’s Petronas Yamaha SRT M1.
