Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Ready for 2020 MotoGP eSport Championship with Lorenzo Daretti

2020-03-04 09:04
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP are pleased to announce the continuation of their partnership with double MotoGP eSport World Champion Lorenzo Daretti. He will again be the official Yamaha Factory e-Rider in 2020.



The 2020 MotoGP eSport Championship is set to kick off on 5 March with the first round of the Pro Draft Challenge. The Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team take this opportunity to announce the renewal of their contract with double MotoGP eSport World Champion Lorenzo Daretti, also known by his gamer tag Trastevere73 or Trast73.

Daretti‘s showed his professionalism in 2019, competing as Yamaha‘s factory e-rider. The 2017 and 2018 MotoGP eSport Champion was the man to beat, so the pressure was on. Hungry rivals were aiming for his crown, and the number-73 rider was consistently one of the front-runners throughout the season. It came down to the wire: Race 2 in Valencia, the last race of the final round. Though he came just two points short of defending his title, Trast73 could hold his head up high as the 2019 Vice-Champion.

Whilst the highlights of Daretti‘s career are securing the 2017 and 2018 MotoGP eSport Championship crowns, he also highly values the experience he gained in 2019 as a Yamaha Factory e-Rider. The 20-year-old is keen to up his level for 2020 as he‘s more than eager to reclaim the MotoGP eSport crown.

This year, the Italian youngster and his avatar will again have matching customised rider gear (leathers, boots, gloves and helmet), to finish off the complete Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP rider look.

Besides cheering him on in the MotoGP eSport Championship, fans can also look forward to seeing Daretti in action at various promotional activities. Moreover, being a biker himself, he will also participate in various Yamaha events on track and on road.



Pictures for editorial use only. Copyright © 2020 Yamaha Motor Racing Srl


LIN JARVIS
LIN JARVIS
MANAGING DIRECTOR, YAMAHA MOTOR RACING


We are very happy to continue our partnership with Lorenzo. Last year, he became the first official eSport rider signed by a MotoGP team and showed great professionalism. His talent is exceptional, and it comes paired with a bright personality that fits our team. He also shows genuine passion for both eSports and bikes in general. This really appeals to Yamaha and, we hope, also to MotoGP eSport and MotoGP fans alike who have these interests in common with him.

"Lorenzo very narrowly missed out on defending his Championship Title last year by just two points after the second race of the final round. Still, as a team we really enjoyed watching him in action, and we have a great amount of belief in him. We‘ve seen that eSports is a rapidly growing sector, which means the level of competition gets elevated every year, but we have confidence in Lorenzo‘s skills. We will be supporting him to our best ability during the 2020 MotoGP eSport season and will be cheering him on every step of the way.



LORENZO DARETTI
LORENZO DARETTI
MONSTER ENERGY YAMAHA MOTOGP ERIDER


I'm very happy to know that, in 2020, I will again compete with Yamaha. The team is like a family to me, and last year they all welcomed me warmly. When I was a child, my dream was to become a rider, and now being able to remain a part of this team as an eSport Rider is amazing for me. I'll do my absolute best to bring them and myself to the top.

"Last season was very important for me. I learned a lot from the Yamaha team. They made me grow as a rider and also as a professional. It's different racing alone or having a team that supports you. And it‘s not just that, I also had a lot of fun at the events that Yamaha organised: riding on race circuits with the Yamaha motorbike, the Dolomiti Ride, travelling to Brazil for the Salão Duas Rodas event, and more. The most beautiful experience was to ride at the Yamaha VR46 Master Camp. I would like to do it a thousand times over.

"In 2019 the season was composed of six Global Series races. In 2020 the World Championship will be more or less the same but with two more races and it will last six months, meaning that we have to work a lot to remain at the top.

"I expect it will be a very tight championship but hopefully a little bit less so than last year when the three riders at the top finished within five points. For sure, I expect there will be some new competitive riders, but I‘m focused. My goal is to not think about it too much and secure as many podiums and victories as possible in order to win this World Championship.







NOTES



ABOUT LORENZO DARETTI:

Name: Lorenzo Daretti
Born: 25 May 1999
Nationality: Italian
Nickname: Trastevere73
Lives in: Rome
Career highlights: 2017 & 2018 MotoGP eSport World Champion, 2019 MotoGP eSport Vice-Champion

In the game he now runs with only one number: 73 (like his nickname Trastevere73), which is the birthyear of his father. He was still a minor when he started playing, so his father created an account for him using his credentials. Who knew it would be the first step towards a professional eSports career?

Fortune favours the brave. When the opportunity to enter the MotoGP eSport Championship arrived in 2017, Daretti leaped at it and soon became a fan-favourite. His incredible skills and ability to control his nerves, especially during the tense finales on stage in Valencia, earned him the World Title in both 2017 and 2018, making him the man to beat. In 2019 he narrowly missed out on prolonging his title by only a two-point deficit after the final race.

Despite being only 20 years old, the Roman is undeniably mature, which is the key to his success. He‘s not just an eSports enthusiast, he‘s a professional, but remains modest. He trains a lot, three hours a day, but doesn‘t believe in just locking himself up in a room. He is active and likes to make sure he remains open to the opportunities that a new sector such as eSports can bring him.

Daretti puts this belief into practice and has proven to be a man of many talents. Besides eSports he likes kickboxing (he was an Italian Junior Vice-Champion) and he loves motorbikes. This genuine passion for (motor)sports makes him a perfect fit for Yamaha, as he shares the same competitive mentality.

Being added to Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP‘s line-up in 2019 was a dream come true for him, as he had always stated he hoped that he could turn his MotoGP eSport Championship experience into a career.

Daretti showed his professionalism in 2019, competing as a Yamaha factory rider. Hungry rivals were aiming for his crown, but Trast73 was consistently one of the front-runners throughout the season. He came to Valencia, the final MotoGP eSport Global Series round, with a four-point deficit, but he managed to change it into a six-point lead after Race 1 (Phillip Island) thanks to a brilliant win and the double point system for the last round. However, heartbreak ensued in Race 2. Though Daretti put in a very respectable third place at the final race (Jerez), he came just two points short of defending his title, but he could hold his head up high as the 2019 Vice-Champion.

For 2020 he is now even more motivated to bring the MotoGP eSport Title to Yamaha.


Lorenzo Daretti‘s SNS channels:

YT: https://www.youtube.com/user/trastevere73
IG: https://www.instagram.com/73trast
FB: https://www.facebook.com/73trast
T: https://twitter.com/73trast


eSports & MotoGP eSport Championship Stats:

- eSports is a form of competition using video games
- Three successful MotoGP eSport Championship editions have already been completed: in 2017, 2018, and 2019
- Lorenzo Daretti won the first two editions of the MotoGP eSport Championship
- eSports market is expected to hit a volume of $1.6 billion in 2021
- Yamaha is one of the most active manufacturers in promoting and supporting the MotoGP eSport championship


Aggregate data from MotoGP eSport 2017-2019 editions:

- 15 TV broadcasters covered 200 countries in all 5 continents
- 64M video views, 247M impressions, 8M engagements


MotoGP eSport Official Channels:

YT: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcZmjboz9ZLc4-4QIV1VjjA
IG: https://www.instagram.com/motogpesport/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/MotoGPeSport/
T: https://twitter.com/MotoGPeSport

Source: Yamaha Motor Racing

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