The Global Series delivered drama in spades throughout Round 2 of the 2024 MotoGP™ eSport Championship with three different gamers winning the three races and a whole host of surprises thrown in.
All eyes were on Ducati Lenovo eSport Team’s danielealoè26, who dominated Round 1 by winning all three races. Yet three former champions – Jack Hammer4658 (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), Trast73 (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) and adriaan_26 (Repsol Honda) – stepped up to prove they have designs on this year’s MotoGP™ eSport crown.
The dramatic second round was 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!
The tracks for Round 2 guaranteed drama. Thailand’s Chang International Circuit hosts the Sprint before Malaysia’s Sepang International Circuit is the scene of Race 3 and Valencia’s technical Ricardo Tormo Circuit the scene of Race 4. To add further spice to the action, Race 3 was a flag-to-flag race, which meant gamers had to pit for a change of tyres in worsening conditions.
The opening encounter was a classic. Pole sitter Jack Hammer4658 led throughout the Tissot Sprint, but danielealoè26’s comeback from the back of the grid was inspiring. The final lap started with the lead pair just ahead of Trast73 and davideturrisi06 (Aprilia Racing eSport Team, with the Brit Jack Hammer4658 getting the nod in a finish which saw just 0.7s cover the top four.
Race 3 was similarly high on drama, as a first lap incident saw both Jack Hammer4658 and danielealoè26 stranded down the field in tenth and eleventh. All the while Trast73 led up front… until the rain arrived! GASGAS Factory Racing Tech 3’s kainsta28 took a gamble, staying out in horrible, wet conditions on slick tyres for two laps, meaning an unlikely victory seemed probably. But his decision to pit for wets with a lap to go opened the door for Trast73 to take a deserved victory while Jack Hammer4658 and danielealoè26 made remarkable comebacks to finish second and third.
The surprises didn’t ease up in Race 4 at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit as a technical issue meant Jack Hammer4658 crashed out at Turn 1 and couldn’t rejoin. From there, adriaan_26 scored a crucial victory just ahead of davideturrisi06 with danielealoè26 taking a crucial third.
As a result, danielealoè26 (103 points) retains his championship lead going into the final round, with Jack Hammer4658 (79 points) close behind. It’s not just between them, however; Trast73 (76 points) is still in the mix, as is adriaan_26 (75 points).
And there isn’t long to wait until the next bow! We’ll be back for the season finale on November 22nd!
