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The penultimate Top 24 Superstars event of the Final Season of the 2018 FIA Gran Turismo Championships did not disappoint. The Superstars duked it out for some of the last bonus points on offer before finalising the participants for the Nations Cup Regional Finals. With a maximum of three players able to represent each Nation, the British and Spanish drivers were particularly keen for a good result to edge out their compatriots.

At almost 5.9 miles (9.5 km long), the Circuit de Sainte – Croix A, created by the Gran Turismo team and inspired by the South of France, presented the Superstars with one of the longest circuits they have raced in the 2018 FIA Gran Turismo Championship. The scenic track offered a number of overtaking opportunities for those brave enough.

As is customary, the 15-minute qualifying session gave all the drivers a chance to get to grips with their Group 2 cars, the Lexus au TOM’s RC F proving very popular amongst competitors. It was the Lexus of points leader GTP_Aderrrm that stole pole position in the final seconds of the session, stunning the field with a 2:45.341. There was no fairy tale ending to qualifying for usual front-runner TRL_LIGHTNING, who failed to set a time and had to start down in 22nd.

Tyre and fuel management was running through the mind of every driver as the rolling start began the 10-lap race, GTP_Aderrrm getting away cleanly with fellow British driver GTA_Tidgney right behind. France’s Jomas_74 was immediately on the attack, sliding past GTA_Tidgney with ease as GTP_Aderrrm opened up a one second lead.

Further down the field, TRL_LIGHTNING began his recovery after a nightmare qualifying, pushing his way up to 14th as the second lap began. With no more than a second splitting the drivers from sixth to 14th, TRL_LIGHTNING had a real chance of recovering. Unfortunately, the outlook was not so optimistic for RC_Zoky88 as the Brit picked up a number of penalties early in the race.

derek737_DK_ loomed large in the rear-view mirror of GTA_Tidgney, the Czech driver flying in the Lexus au TOM’S RC F compared to GTA_Tidgney, who seemed to be focusing on fuel and tyre management. Derek737_DK_ soon relinquished third, diving into the pits on the fifth lap as he tried to make the most of a two-stop strategy with Jomas_74 and TRL_LIGHNING following suit.

Race leader GTP_Aderrrm was then presented with a ten-second lead, enough to pit on lap six and return to the race with a comfortable advantage. GTA_Tidgney left his first stop late as well, limping into the pits with just fumes powering his Lexus and re-joining in 13th after contesting the podium positions.

TRL_LIGHTNING’s charge continued, the German driver up to sixth as the race entered its final stages. Just ahead of him, GTP_Aderrrm expertly managed his three-second lead over Jomas_74 and derek737_DK_. Having exited after his first stop without enough fuel, GTP_Aderrrm enjoyed the luxury of a second stop on lap eight, emerging once again as the race leader and triggering further activity in the pit lane. The second stop proved a disaster for derek737_DK_ who tumbled out of the top ten, attempting to work his way past cars with less fuel and worn tyres.

VP_Bellof956 elected to skip a second stop and briefly moved up to second place as a result before the fresher tyres and higher fuel of Jomas_74 zipped past, fellow Frenchmen RC_Atho and RC_Snake91 following suit just a few corners later.

No other cars were in sight as GTP_Aderrrm began the final lap with a nine second lead, the Brit cruising to victory yet again. The win saw him walk away with 4,022 points, cementing a dominating lead in the Nations Cup and guaranteeing him the opportunity to represent the UK in the EMEA regional finals.

Jomas_74, who ran a similar two-stop strategy to GTP_Aderrrm, took second ahead of his fellow Frenchman RC_Atho who was the leading one-stop driver. RC_Snake91 and VP_Bellof956 completed the top five, doing well to hold off a horde of cars behind them in the final lap.

The midfield battle was as close as ever, fifth to 12th place battling right down to the final corner. RC_Zoky88 managed to hold his nerve for sixth with GTA_Tidgney, Williams_Coque14, TX3_Adam18 and Benito-Raul closing out the top ten.