The 2024 MotoGP™ eSport Championship is entering its critical phase with qualifying taking place for Round 2, and one gamer stepping up to defend his crown.
After the triple success of Italian danielealoè26 in Round 1, reigning champion Jack Hammer4658 has shown he will not relinquish his crown without a fight as he claimed pole position for all three races in what promises to be an action-packed Round 2.
The highly-anticipated second round will be the second of two virtual events this year, before the finale will be live and in person at Milan Games Week from November 22nd to 24th, where the the stunning Italian city will be the scene of the crowning of this year’s MotoGP™ eSport Champion!
While Jack Hammer4658and fellow former MotoGP™ eSport champions Adriaan_26 and Trast73 are among the favourites to add another crown to their tally, this year’s Global Series promises a changing of the guard, with danielealoè26 already well placed to take his maiden crown. Six nationalities are represented overall, with the finalists hailing from the UK, Indonesia, Italy, Spain, Germany and Portugal.
This round should offer up close racing and drama aplenty! Thailand’s Chang International Circuit hosts the Sprint before Malaysia’s Sepang International Circuit is the scene of Race 1 and Valencia’s technical Ricardo Tormo Circuit the scene of Race 2. To add further spice to the action, Race 1 will be a flag-to-flag race, which means gamers must pit for a change of tyres in changeable conditions.
Qualifying for the Sprint was topped by Jack Hammer4658 with davideturrisi06 less than a tenth behind in second. Intriguingly, danielealoè26 didn’t post a lap time, meaning he will start from the back of the grid. The Italian was back fighting toward the front in qualifying for Race 1, at a wet Sepang International Circuit. Yet Jack Hammer4658 took another pole by 0.2s with danielealoè26 second and PieroRicciuti55. And Englishman Jack Hammer4658 made it three from three in a ludicrously tight session at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit, when he edged pole by just a thousandth of a second from trast73!
It’s all set up for a stunning show this Thursday, when presenters Connor Doherty and Liam Hodgins will host the first hour-long show of the year in which will begin with highlights of qualifying before the 11 riders take on three race tracks that will pit the finalists’ skills to the test.
Fans can watch on motogp.com and esport.motogp.com, on selected TV broadcasters, and across social media platforms including YouTube (via MotoGP™ eSport), MotoGP™ eSport Twitter, Instagram, Facebook (via MotoGP™ and MotoGP™ eSport pages) and Twitch via MotoGP™ eSport.
Who will stake their early claim to be the 2024 MotoGP™ eSport Champion? Tune in on Thursday 7th November at 16.00 CET to find out!
QP THAILAND SPRINT:
1. Jack Hammer4658 | 1:25.265
2. davideturrisi06 | +0.097
3. trast73 | +0.367
4. PieroRicciuti55 | +0.631
5. Sbadalongo | +0.634
6. adriaan_26 | +0.702
7. kainsta28 | +0.732
8. DipAkbar12 | +0.734
9. Flavio Baldacci |+0.798
10. XzerRock | NC
11. danielealoè26 | NC
QP MALAYSIA:
1. Jack Hammer4658 | 2:00.962
2. danielealoè26 | +0.232
3. PieroRicciuti55 | +0.268
4. trast73 | +0.299
5. adriaan_26 | +0.301
6. davideturrisi06 | +0.435
7. Flavio Baldacci |+0.635
8. kainsta28 | +0.804
9. Sbadalongo | +0.866
10. XzerRock | +1.504
11. DipAkbar12 | +1.706
QP VALENCIA:
1. Jack Hammer4658 | 1:25.263
2. Trast73 | +0.001
3. danielealoè26 | +0.032
4. adriaan_26 | +0.199
5. davideturrisi06 | +0.233
6. Flavio Baldacci |+0.269
7. Sbadalongo | +0.566
8. kainsta28 | +0.567
9. PieroRicciuti55 | +0.569
10. XzerRock | +0.804
11. DipAkbar12 | +1.336
