The 2023 Global Series gets underway on 25th August and the line-up is confirmed for the MotoGP™ eSport Championship’s most critical phase!
Eleven gamers from six different countries will represent one of the current MotoGP™ teams in the four-round Global Series that determines with winner of the 2023 MotoGP™ eSport Championship.
Competitors from the UK, Indonesia, Italy, Spain, Germany and Malaysia all make up a strong Global Series entry list, with six new names sure to keep the established winners from previous years on their toes!
Here we run you through each team’s eSport Rider selection. More info at: https://esport.motogp.com/eriders
Mooney VR46 Racing Team: PLaT1ForLyfe
The British rider rose to prominence in last year’s Rising Stars Series, which he won thanks to a thrilling comeback in the final when racing at the Sepang International Circuit. At one stage, PLaT1ForLyfe found himself down in fifth but rose through the pack with great tenacity. He’s landed a seat in the prestigious Mooney VR46 Racing Team and could surprise with top six results.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing: Jack Hammer4658
Jack Hammer4658 (real name: Jack Hammersley) enters his third campaign in the Global Series and remains with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing for its 2023 challenge. Don’t let his youth fool you: despite being just 20 years old, Jack was a European finalist in the 2020 WINDTRE Rising Stars Series. He finished 11th in the 2021 MotoGP™ eSport Championship, and improved to 6th in 2022.
Repsol Honda Team: adriaan_26
Adrian Montenegro, now known as Adriaan_26, caused a stir in 2020 by dominating the Global Series, scoring five race wins on his way to the championship. The 25-year old switched from Red Bull KTM Factory Racing to the Repsol Honda Team for 2021, when he finished fourth overall. But a late surge in last year’s Global Series saw him reclaim his crown.
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP: trast73
Trast73 (real name: Lorenzo Daretti) is almost synonymous with the MotoGP™ eSport Championship. Having won the championship in 2017 and 2018, he joined Monster Energy Yamaha 2019 and added a third title to his roster last year by winning the 2021 Global Series by 15 points. Back with Monster Energy Yamaha, he’ll be keen to atone for his fifth place finish last year.
Pramac Racing: davideturrisi06
Another new name added to the Global Series roster. Italian Davide showcased his gaming mettle by challenging the established names in this year’s Pro Draft when competing as WRLD_Fire_Davide13106. Only MotoGP™ eSport royalty Jack Hammer4658, adriaan_26 and trast73 ranked higher in the European standings, which suggests he can be the surprise star of this year’s Global Series.
LCR Honda CASTROL eSports Team: Cristianmm17
A regular fixture in the MotoGP™ eSport Championships, Cristianmm17 has experience racing at the highest level after finishing as the runner up in the 2017 series and third in both 2019 and 2020. After representing Suzuki ECSTAR for three years, he switched to LCR Honda eSports Team for 2022, when he finished fourth. Can he go several places better this year?
Ducati Lenovo eSport Team: danielealoè26
Italian gaming fanatic danielealoè26 will make his Global Series debut after shooting to prominence in this year’s Pro Draft. There, he was among the four fastest European games using the Xbox in all three Challenges, and finished sixth overall in the European standings. Riding for the Ducati Lenovo eSport Team, he knows expectations are high. But Daniele knows he has the mettle to handle the pressure.
Aprilia Racing eSport Team: Sbadalongo
Italian Sbadalongo (real name: Michele Giacon) caught the eye with a series of impressive showings in the 2022 Pro Draft, as he scored 52 points from a possible 100. A first appearance in the Global Series followed, when he finished eighth. Switching from Mooney VR46 Racing Team Ducati, to Aprilia Racing for 2023, he could be a dark horse for podiums.
GASGAS Factory Racing Tech 3: kainsta28
kainsta28 will become the second German to compete in the Global Series for some time after he caught the attention of the GASGAS Factory Racing Tech 3 team with his Pro Draft performances. Ranking 14th in the European standings, he will be expected to score the occasional top eight in his first shot of the Global Series.
Gresini Racing MotoGP™: MikiRaiko
Inspired by the success of countryman and former MotoGP™ eSport competitor Moe, MikiRaiko makes it into the Global Series on the back of some thrilling performances in the Pro Draft. He scored 66 points from a possible 75, and aboard the highly competitive Gresini Ducati, is expected to produce the occasional surprise in his maiden Global Series appearance.
CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP™ Team: Eiky13
Fitting that the Global Series’ lone Malaysian entry should be riding for a Malaysian owned team! The gamer from South East Asia came to the attention of the world in last year’s Rising Stars Series final, when he finished a credible second place riding for RNF. He impressed in this year’s Pro Draft, finishing second in the Rest of World standings with 65 points. A podium dark horse.
Who will stake their early claim on the 2023 MotoGP™ eSport Championship? Tune in on Friday the 25th August at 16.00 (GMT +2) to find out!
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.
