The battle to become the MotoGP™ eSport Champion intensified during the second round of the 2022 Global Series with two races delivering stunning action as a number of the fastest gamers around fought for victory.
For the sixth year in succession, the Global Series pits the fastest gamers from around the world against one another over five rounds and ten races. Each finalist has been chosen to represent one of the twelve current MotoGP™ teams as they fight it out to become the 2022 MotoGP™ eSport Champion.
And following on from an all-action opening round, held during the ItalianGP, the second round delivered on all accounts as the fastest gamers in the world faced off in two intense fights. Former champions trast73 and adriaan_26 fought it out in a battle of wits in the afternoon’s first encounter, before adriaan_26 exacted his revenge on the Italian in the second.
The second round was one of three Virtual events that will take place this year. In another change for 2022, there is a revised points-scoring system for these Virtual Rounds. The winner of a race will score 12.5 points, the runner up 10, with third place scoring 8 and so on. MotoGP™´s Jack Appleyard and Jack Gorst combined presenting and commentary duties throughout the hour-long show.
The two tracks disputed in Round 2 couldn’t be more different: Race 1 saw the finalists tackle the stop-start Le Mans in France while Race 2 was be held at the historic TT Circuit Assen in the Netherlands, the scene of last week’s eventful Dutch TT.
Qualifying for the race at Le Mans couldn’t have been tighter, with just 0.134s covering the top five names on the grid! But soon trast73, who had qualified third, and adriaan_26 grabbed the early initiative and got down to a blinding pace. It was then a cat and mouse battle as the pair exchanged fastest times. But trast73 held his nerve to win by 0.968s in a crucial victory.
Behind Jack Hammer4658 stormed to a brilliant third place to enhance his prospects in the championship after coming home less than a second ahead of pole sitter AndreaSaveri11. PieroRicciuti55 was just clear of Vindex813 in fifth.
The fourth race of the 2022 Global Series was a similar affair to the third. adriaan_26 and trast73 started first and second on the grid. And the victory fight once again came down to that pair. After missing out in the earlier contest, Adriaan_26 was in no mood for second place, and he eventually edged clear to come home 1.3s clear of Trast73 for a crucial win.
It was a close-run thing for second place, with up to four names contesting the final two podium spots. AndreaSaveri11 pushed his compatriot all the way. Eventually the Ectsar Suzuki man came home third, just a handful of tenths clear of LCR Honda’s Cristianmm17.
As a result of this absorbing action, standings couldn’t be closer after round two. Just 21.5 points cover the first five riders with Trast73 leading the way on 60.5 points. Adriaan_26 has moved into second place on 54.5 points, ahead of AndreaSaveri11 on 50.5. Jack Hammer4658 (40 points) and PieroRicciuti55 (39 points) are all right in the mix.
Race 3 Result:
1st trast73, 14’45.500
2nd adriaan_26, +0.968
3rd Jack Hammer4658, +3.239
4th AndreaSaveri11, +4.141
5th PieroRicciuti55, +5.910
6th Vindex813, +6.144
7th Cristianmm17, +10.352
8th Sbadalongo, +16.897
9th DarkBright, +17.465
10th Davidegallina23, +20.092
11th MrTftw, +27.412
12th TateeGo, DNF
Race 4 Results:
1st adriaan_26, 14’53.852
2nd trast73, +1.336
3rd AndreaSaveri11, +1.670
4th Cristianmm17, 1.937
5th PieroRicciuti55, +1.347
6th Jack Hammer4658, +3.874
7th Davidegallina23, +10.085
8th TateeGo, +10.285
9th Vindex813, +10.586
10th DarkBright, +18.333
11th Sbadalongo, +19.902
12th MrTftw, DNF
Championship Standings:
1st Trast73, 60.5 points
2nd adriaan_26, 54.5 points
3rd AndreaSaveri11, 50.5 points
4th Jack Hammer4658, 40 points
5th PieroRicciuti55, 39 points
6th Cristianmm17, 35 points
7th Vindex813, 28.5 points
8th Sbadalongo, 23.5 points
9th MrTftw, 19.5 points
10th DarkBright, 19.5 points
11th Davidegallina23, 17.5 points
12th TateeGo, 14 points
