As if bringing you some of the most competitive action in eSports racing via its highly popular Global Series isn’t enough, the MotoGP™ eSport Championship presents its talent promotion initiative, which is back for a fourth successive year: the Rising Stars Series.
Aimed at finding and fostering fresh eSport talent around the world, the Rising Stars Series mirrors Road to MotoGP™ initiatives out on track such as the Red Bull MotoGP™ Rookies Cup, the Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup and more, as it aims to promote young talent towards the very top of the MotoGP™ eSport Championship.
A glance at this year’s Global Series shows we are already reaping the rewards of the series previous three years. There Plat1forLyfe – the victor of last year’s Rising Stars Series when riding under the acronym of Bailey – has already notched up a podium finish in the first two rounds. And PieroRicciutti, the runner up in last year’s MotoGP™ eSport Championship, was another graduate of the Rising Stars Series.
The structure of the series is similar to 2022. The programme consists of three Online Regional Challenges, where results will be separated by three World Regions (the Americas, Europe and Africa, Asia and Oceania). The top three gamers per region (nine in total) after the third Online Challenge will then qualify for the final to determine the winner.
The big change for 2023 is all Online Challenges (and the final) will be disputed using MotoE™ machines. Less than a fortnight on from the dramatic finale of the 2023 MotoE™ World Championship, gamers must use Ducati’s visionary V21L electric machine to set the fastest time on a variety of tracks.
The series kicks off this week with the winner guaranteed a slot in the 2024 MotoGP™ eSport Pro Draft, the phase where the current MotoGP™ teams select the gamer to represent them in the Global Series. Obviously, 2023 MotoGP™ eSport Official Riders will not be able to compete in the Rising Stars Series.
The Rising Stars Series comprises two phases: the Online Regional Challenges and the Online Final. Gamers will be divided into three categories, depending on their location: Americas (North and South), Europe and Africa, and finally, Asia and Oceania.
The Online Regional Challenges (Qualifiers) are disputed in time attack mode and run from 20th September to 15th October, with the gamers who achieve the fastest lap times awarded points. Only the fastest laps count and each Challenge is played on three different tracks with three different machines and riders.
The three gamers from each region who have the most points from each region after the final Challenge will qualify for the final outright, set to be held on 3rd November. They are online only, disputed on the PC and each will be held on different virtual circuits.
Stay tuned across social media on motogp.com and esport.motogp.com, as well as across all the official MotoGP™ eSport social media platforms including YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Twitch, and Facebook.
Register here and start your journey to the top!