MotoGP has started virtual races, an approach imposed by a coronavirus condemning us to confinement. The pilots also finding themselves in the same situation gave control in a ten-a-side digital confrontation which surprised with its peak audience. Enough to justify a second part which will take place on April 12 at the Red Bull Ring. We don't yet know the entry list, but we are promised some new faces...
Le MotoGP recently organized and broadcast a world first: a virtual race. With notably Marc Márquez (Repsol Honda Team), Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) and Maverick Vinales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) lined up against each other, the event was contested on a Digital Mugello and broadcast on Sunday March 29.
The response from the MotoGP community, fans, partners and others has been unprecedented. 28 broadcast partners showed the event, with sports broadcasting giants beaming the race to audiences around the world. Across Europe, partners such as Sky Italy, Canal + in France, DAZN in Spain, BT Sport in the United Kingdom, Servus in Austria and Germany and many others broadcast the event, while the Americas were covered thanks to channels like NBC in the United States and ESPN in Latin America.
Fans further east were able to benefit from coverage from partners such as Motorsport TV Russia, Eurosport India and Fox Asia, while fans in the southern hemisphere were covered by Fox Australia and TEN. SuperSport also broadcast the event in South Africa, meaning the virtual MotoGP race reached every inhabited continent on the planet.
Reach was also demonstrated on social media and online. 400 pieces of digital content were created around the event – including the full broadcast – for a total of 60 million impressions and over 13 million video views, including 3 million views of the race itself . In addition, more than 2,5 million interactions were made with content related to virtual racing. In total, 7 million minutes of virtual race content were viewed, the equivalent of 13 years non-stop.
Fans won't have to wait that long to see more, however. On Sunday 12th April, Virtual Race 2 will be broadcast, once again live at 15 p.m. (GMT +2). Some contestants will be returning and some new faces are also planned to participate. This time, they will face the Red Bull Ring in Austria. Who will do better thanAlex Marquez, first winner of the specialty? Valentino Rossi will he take the plunge?
