TrackMania esports is returning soon with the start of the Grand League Fall 2021 season! Here’s everything you need to know about the competition.Photo credit: Ubisoft Nadeo
It’s that time of the year again when TrackMania’s main esports competition, the TrackMania Grand League, returns for a new season. After the TrackMania World Cup during the summer, there has been something of an off-season for the game, but starting on this Sunday, 17 October is the Grand League Fall 2021 Season. The new 2021-22 season comes with a fair few changes to the competition format, which we will break down for you now.
What’s New?
First and foremost, the confusing point loss system which each stage of the Grand League season ran with is now gone. This is good news for new viewers, as the previous system’s complexities could be a turn-off for new fans. Unfortunately, though, the new system is still somewhat confusing.
Essentially, the way it works is that for the first four rounds of every ‘step’, each race will be six laps long, and the winner will earn 25 points for their efforts. The points then scale all the way down to one single point for both the fifteenth and sixteenth placed drivers. There is a significant jump in points earned between eighth and ninth, so finishing in the top half of the sixteen driver field should always be the minimum goal. In each of these four rounds, the fastest lap holder is granted an extra two points.
Ladies & genlemen, start your engine!
— Trackmania (@Trackmania) October 14, 2021
TMGL Fall 2021 will start in 3 days with the 16 worlds’ best Trackmania players!https://t.co/3ByLig8Xnc
For the final map of each step, the format changes. The race is two laps long, but there are eight total rounds. The winners of the first to fourth races will all double their current points upon winning. The winner of the fifth and sixth races will multiply their point totals by three, while it is a four times multiplier for the seventh round and a whopping five times multiplier for the eighth and final round. This new and unique format runs the risk of making the earlier rounds worth less, but guarantees excitement until the very end.
In addition to the changes to the point scoring system, the season will now be eight weeks long, as opposed to the six-week-long seasons that have run in the past. There is also now a second division to the Grand League, known as the Challenger league. It functions in much the same way as the Grand League itself, and offers promotion to the Grand League or relegation to the Open League, which will run as usual but with its own revised ruleset.
Calendar and Prize Money
The Trackmania Grand League’s regular season will run every Sunday between 17 October and 5 December, with each event starting at 8PM CEST/CET. After that, the following sunday 12 December will feature a ‘final chance’ stage starting at 6PM CET, followed by the overall finals which will take place on 19 December starting at the same time.
In terms of prize money, there is cash on offer to each of the top eight finishers come the end of the regular season. First place will net a healthy €3,000, while eighth place will earn a more modest €500. Then there is more money to be won in the finals themselves. The overall winner of the Grand League Fall 2021 Season will earn €4,000, down to €500 for the fourth place finisher.
Whether it will be yet another victory for the Canadian ace Carl-Antoni ‘CarlJr.’ Cloutier will be discovered over the course of the next eight weeks. The likes of Gwendal ‘Gwen’ Duparc, Thomas ‘Pac’ Cole and Martin ‘Kappa’ Krompolc will all be hoping to dethrone the reigning champion. To find out if they can do it, head on over to the TrackMania twitch channel at 8PM CEST on Sunday, 17 October for the first round of the new season!
Who will you be rooting for in the TrackMania Grand League? Tell us on Twitter at @OverTake_gg or in the comments down below!
