TOKYO, Japan— The penultimate live event of the 2024 Gran Turismo World Series roared into action on Saturday, September 28, in the heart of Tokyo’s exciting Shinjuku Ward—home to the world’s busiest rail station. Twelve of the world's top-ranked drivers gathered for Round 3 of the Nations Cup at the sold-out Theater Milano-za in the vibrant Kabukicho district.

After the first two rounds of the Series, two-time Nations Cup champion Coque López (coquelopez14) of Spain found himself atop the leaderboard, despite not having won a race—a true testament to his consistency and determination. However, the spotlight was on the three drivers hot on his heels: Kylian Drumont (R8G_Kylian19) of France, Italy’s Valerio Gallo (OP_BRacer), and hometown hero Takuma Miyazono (Kerokkuma_ej20) of Japan. These three were in peak form, delivering an spectacle of speed and precision that kept the amped-up crowd on the edge of their seats. First up was the Sprint Race, which decided the starting order for the Grand Final.

Sprint Race: Tokyo Expressway - East Clockwise

Staying true to this round’s host city, the first Nations Cup race of the day blasted through the streets of Tokyo on the popular Tokyo Expressway track in Gran Turismo 7. Adding even more drama to the mix were the race cars for this contest: insanely tuned supercars—a thrilling nod to Japan’s legendary aftermarket culture. It was evident that the attendees were holding their collective breaths, for where else could they witness 1,000-horsepower beasts tearing down their local highways at a mind-blowing 425 km/h (264 mph)?

To the sheer delight of the crowd, hometown hero Takuma Miyazono snagged pole position with a blistering qualifying lap in his finely tuned Lamborghini Gallardo LP 500-4. Lined up beside him in P2 was fellow Japanese driver Takuma Sasaki (SZ_TakuAn22), piloting a lime green Audi R8 V10. In the second row was Chile’s Angel Inostroza (Veloce_Loyrot) and his heavily modified Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series, alongside Spain’s Jose Serrano (TDG_JOSETE), who sat behind the wheel of a tuned Ferrari F40.

The moment the lights turned green, it was clear we were in for a wild race, as Sasaki wasted no time using the slipstream to slingshot past Miyazono and take the early lead. Through Turn 1, Inostroza made a bold move, squeezing his way into the mix and forcing Sasaki to go wide, putting him lightly into the guardrail, which allowed Miyazono to reclaim the lead in front of the roaring crowd.

From that point on, the action was relentless. Although most of the cars held their positions through the technical rear section of the track, they went all out on the long front straight, where they unleashed the full potential of their machines, drafting one another at an astonishing 425 km/h (264 mph)! It was a spectacle to behold, as these supercars flew past residential complexes and office towers under a moonless night, their roaring engines reverberating off the surrounding buildings.

The drivers threw caution to the wind as they battled through the treacherous first corner. Braking as late as possible from the blistering speeds, they left little room for error, which resulted in some inevitable collisions. Early on, it was the U.S.’s Robert Heck (SV_RobbyHeck) who paid the price when Australia’s Guy Barbara (OP_Twitchy), in his Nissan GT-R, misjudged his braking and sent Heck’s Toyota Supra RZ into a spin, dropping him to the bottom of the pack. The Aussie’s mistake earned him a 2.0-second penalty, but the damage had been done.

The drama didn’t end there. On the next lap, Coque López slammed his Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 into the back of countryman Serrano’s Ferrari F40, nearly taking both of them out of contention. Meanwhile, Italy’s Valerio Gallo masterfully maneuvered his Honda NSX Type R from P8 to P2 within the first five laps! As dawn broke, the vibrant city of Tokyo shimmered under the early morning light, providing a stunning backdrop to what had become a six-horse race. The lead pack consisted of Miyazono, Gallo, Sasaki, Inostroza, Serrano, and the Netherlands’ Kaj de Bruin (R8G_Kajracer), who was behind the wheel of a Nissan GT-R Nismo R33. For the next three laps, the action was nonstop as the drivers fiercely swapped positions.

On the penultimate lap, de Bruin made a bold attempt to pass Miyazono for the lead, but he clipped the barrier at a blistering 400 km/h (249 mph). At that speed, even the smallest mistake comes with massive consequences. His car shot across the track, slamming into the opposite wall and spinning out of control, abruptly ending the Flying Dutchman’s race and his hopes for victory.

Now, it was down to two contenders: Miyazono and Gallo. The final lap came down to the wire, with Gallo leading into the last corner. But Miyazono’s Gallardo, equipped with all-wheel drive, found superior traction through the turn. This gave him the perfect setup to draft Gallo on the front straight, allowing him to power past the Honda and claim the race win in front of the ecstatic home crowd. Gallo settled for 2nd place, while Sasaki secured a hard-earned 3rd place to round out the podium.

Grand Final: Grand Valley - Highway 1

The stage was set for the main event: the Nations Cup Grand Final. The crowd buzzed with anticipation, as hometown hero Takuma Miyazono sat on pole position. For this contest, the racers were strapped into the formidable Red Bull X2019 Competition, a machine engineered by Red Bull Racing and Gran Turismo to be the pinnacle of speed, undeterred by restrictions. Unlike the previous race, drivers were required to use three tyre compounds—hard, medium, and soft—and would need to refuel, adding an extra layer of strategy with pit stops playing a critical role in the race outcome.

Traditionally, the top contenders would kick off the race on soft tyres, aiming to break away early and build an insurmountable lead. But this time, only Miyazono went with the softs, while the drivers from P2 to P7 had a different plan, choosing to start on mediums. Meanwhile, those in the last four positions opted for the hard-compound Michelins, setting the stage for a gripping tactical battle.

The cars surged ahead after the rolling start, each driver jostling for position heading into the first corner. The first bold move came from Calen Roach (CalenJRoach) of the U.S., who skillfully gained two spots, climbing from P6 to P4 through the opening turns. By the end of lap 1, those at the back of the grid—Guy Barbara, Kylian Drumont, Kaj de Bruin, and Coque López—dove into the pits, having completed their required stint on the hard-compound tyres, switching to mediums in a bid to climb the ranks in the laps to come.

As Miyazono steadily extended his lead to five seconds, a fierce battle for 2nd place unfolded behind him. Sasaki, Gallo, Roach, and Serrano were locked in a tightly contested duel, with barely a second separating their cars. At the end of lap 7, Miyazono made his first pit stop, relinquishing the race lead to Sasaki.

At the race’s halfway point, only half of the field had pitted, with Sasaki, closely followed by Gallo and Serrano, still running on their original tyres. Meanwhile, the group that had already completed their first pit stops was led by Miyazono, with Drumont and de Bruin trailing behind him.

On lap 16, the race leaders made their first pit stops, as Sasaki went to the hard-compound tyres, while Gallo and Roach opted for the softs, signaling that the race had reached a crucial juncture where tyre strategy would play a vital role in determining the outcome. Serrano chose to stay out for an additional lap, squeezing every last bit of life from his medium-compound tyres. When he finally pitted, he followed Sasaki’s strategy by switching to the hard-compound tyres, which allowed Miyazono to reclaim the race lead.

With 10 laps to go and after all drivers had completed their first pit stops, the race order settled with Miyazono in front, followed by Drumont who started the race in P10, Sasaki, de Bruin, and Serrano. Then, on lap 18, Drumont, de Bruin, and Serrano made their final pit stops, each switching to soft tyres, banking on them lasting until the chequered flag.

At the end of lap 19, Miyazono made his final pit stop, refueling and taking on his required stint on the hard-compound tyres. He rejoined the race in 4th place, with an eight-second gap ahead of Drumont, who was on the fastest soft tyres. The looming question was whether Miyazono could hold off Drumont’s charge as the laps ticked down.

The answer came on lap 24 when Drumont caught up to the Japanese driver and executed a clean overtake to seize the overall lead. Two laps later, Serrano, also on soft tyres, followed suit, passing Miyazono and securing 2nd place, leaving the early race favourite in 3rd place. And that’s how the race concluded—Drumont crossed the finish line to take the chequered flag, with Serrano close behind in 2nd, and Miyazono taking the last spot on the podium. Drumont’s impressive win from P10 on the starting grid placed him at the top of the championship leaderboard going into the World Finals in December.

After the race a very happy Kylian Drumont said, “I was in a bad position after the Sprint Race, but I felt good, and I just decided to give it my best. When you start in the back, it’s good strategy to start the race on the slowest tyres. So, I knew I would go only one lap on the hards, then go to the mediums and finish with the softs. That was my strategy, and I was surprised it worked so well.”

Gran Turismo World Series 2024 Round 3 - Nations Cup
Grand Final Results