Eleven of the world’s fastest gamers are gearing up for the second round of the 2023 MotoGP™ eSport’s Global Series, which starts this week on Friday 15th September at 16.00 CET.
Eleven gamers representing one of MotoGP™’s current teams will go head-to-head over four rounds to determine the winner of this year’s series.
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 (generally held over half race distance), as well as two longer-length races.
The Sachsenring is the venue for the second Sprint of the year, before the Circuit de Mobility Resort Motegi and the Mandalika International Street Circuit host race one and two respectively.
To build up the excitement to the first Global Series round of 2023, here are guides for all three circuits in Round 2.
The Sachsenring
Situated 20 kilometres from the city of Chemnitz in the east of Germany, the Saxony venue was originally an ultra-fast street circuit that was an incredible 28 kilometres long.
It hosted its first world championship grand prix in 1958 and quickly became a favourite of Italian legend Giacomo Agostini, who amassed a stunning eleven victories in the 500cc and 350cc classes there between 1965 and 1972.
A new purpose-built circuit was built among the roads of the old famous venue in 1998 and since then it has become a regular fixture on the MotoGP calendar. Recently it has become a famous hunting ground of Marc Marquez, who went unbeaten on German soil since his 125cc victory in 2010 – a run that has seen him accumulate an incredible ten wins.
Known for its tight, undulating layout, sell-out crowds and enthusiastic pasty-like atmosphere, the Sachsenring is a standout on the calendar that usually signals the end of the season’s first half.
At 3.6 kilometres in length, it’s one of the year’s slower layouts. Throttle control is put to the test as gamers have to steer a fearsome 260bhp MotoGP machine through a series of tight, narrow bends. But once the correct racing line has been found, this can be one of the most fun tracks around.
Mobility Resort Motegi
The second race of the fourth round of the 2022 MotoGP™ Global Series will see challengers from around the world compete at Japan’s Mobility Resort Motegi, a venue with a spectacular setting!
Japan is the home to MotoGP™ powerhouses Honda, Yamaha and Suzuki - this makes it one of the biggest manufacturers of motorcycles in the world. The country has a rich motorcycle racing heritage and Motegi Twin Ring Circuit has been a permanent fixture on the MotoGP™ calendar since it first hosted a race in 1999.
The very first Japanese Grand Prix was held back in 1963 at the Suzuka circuit, with 40 Grand Prix taking place in the Land of the Rising Sun by 2017.
Located amongst the vast natural beauty of the northern Kanto district, the Mobility Resort Motegi in Japan consists of a 1.5 mile oval and a 2.9 mile road course constructed to international standards. Built by Honda as the ultimate test facility in August 1997, the road circuit became home to MotoGP in 1999 whilst the oval is designed to introduce American motorsports culture to the country.
It’s a track that tests braking ability like no other – stopping your bike from high speed is key to a fast lap time here, with heavy braking zones seen at turns one, three, five, ten and eleven. Ensuring the bike accelerates in punchy fashion is also of the upmost importance around this layout.
Mandalika International Street Circuit
The second race of the final round of the 2022 MotoGP™ Global Series will see challengers from around the world compete on Indonesia’s Mandalika International Street Circuit, one of the most spectacular, scenic tracks in the world!
A circuit surrounded by spectacular tropical view. Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit can be found on the southern edge of Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara. Situated along the mesmerising coastline of Mandalika, the Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit offers wonderful tropical scenery and unforgettable experiences.
This layout is a really mixed bad: heavy braking zones (Turns 1 and 10), fast sweeps (Turns 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9), and technical corners (Turns 15 and 16), which will require a mixture of braking stability and agility from bike set-up.
Track surface is grippy and temperatures are hot, so tyre degradation is a factor here. That means gamers must be careful when applying the throttle through fast turns with full lean angle (Turns 6, 7, 12 and 13). All in all, there is enough here to determine the gamer with the best skillset and most finely tuned bike setting!
Fans can watch on selected TV broadcasters, as well as on motogp.com and esport.motogp.com 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 take another step towards becoming the 2023 MotoGP™ eSport Champion? Tune in on Friday the 15th September at 16.00 (GMT +2) to find out!
