After its summer break, the MotoGP™ eSport Championship sprung back into life on the 12th September, as the final four challenges to decide the 12 players who would make it into Semi Final 2 got underway. Challenge #5 kicked off proceedings in style, with players from across the globe having to duke it out for the fastest lap time on-board Jack Miller’s Alma Pramac Ducati GP17 around the Australian’s home circuit: Phillip Island.
Unlike 2017, players automatically jumped onto premier class machinery this year in order to give them the maximum amount of time possible on a MotoGP™ bike. Another added twist for 2018 is that competitors had the opportunity to modify the setup of the motorcycle, which would surely be crucial in gaining those crucial thousandths-of-a-second when it mattered.
The fifth challenge saw last year’s Champion TRASTEVERE7358 fastest on the PC, along with RICK_MOTOGP_35 on the Sony PlayStation 4 – and XXBOMBER_45XX on the Xbox One platform. Trastevere7358 competed in Semi-Final this year but missed the cut for the Grand Final, so this is his final opportunity to progress into the Grand Final.
The quickest times from Challenge #6 saw Italian IVAN_AVELLA making the cut on the PC with a 1:39.189, closely followed by RLLORCA26 on the Xbox One with a 1:39.755 and DAVIDEGALLINA23 on the Sony PlayStation 4. The trio had the task of wrestling Valentino Rossi’s Movistar Yamaha YZR-M1 around the Autodromo del Mugello.
The penultimate challenge on the 2018 calendar saw a shakeup in proceedings, as it became our first ever event held in wet conditions. The venue? Sepang. The motorcycle? Johann Zarco’s Monster Yamaha Tech 3 YZR-M1. Frenchman QPNOVAQP set the pace on his Xbox One with a 1:58.525, but close on his coattails were 2017 Finalists MOTERO_1 and VINDEX813 on the PC and Sony PlayStation 4 respectively.
Thailand and the Buriram International Circuit were the last stop on our 2018 tour, with players having to compete on Andrea Dovizioso’s Ducati GP18 around the 4.5km circuit for the final three spots in Semi Final 2. Making the grade was PAUL_IG on the Sony PlayStation 4, JUAN_NH16 on the Xbox One and MOE on the PC. The trio were all incredibly close in terms of lap times and along with the mixture of familiar and new names making the grade this time, Semi Final 2 is set to be tantalising.
Speaking of just that, it takes place live and on-location at the Movistar eSport Center in Madrid on October 30th. Don’t miss it, as we wait to see who the final six competitors will be that make it through to the Grand Final in November. Follow the MotoGP™ eSport website for all the latest news and information in the meantime!