The Nations Cup championship came down to the final lap of the final race last year. After the dust had settled, it was Spaniard Coque López who took home his first Nations Cup title, after many years of competing in the Gran Turismo World Series. This week, he shared some thoughts on that championship season and offered a peek into the upcoming year.

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GT: How did the season go for you last year, leading up to the World Finals?

CL: It wasn’t easy. I didn’t qualify for the Manufacturers Cup because I didn’t have enough pace to beat my rival, and I was close to not qualifying for the Nations Cup. After a bad season, I got the win in the last online round that got me to the World Finals. Following that, I began training hard to get my pace back.

GT: When did you feel like you had a realistic opportunity to win the Nations Cup last year?

CL: To be honest, when I was training with Valerio Gallo - we usually train together, since we are very good friends - I realized my pace was quite good, so at that point I started to think that I could maybe fight for the podium. But I would say the first moment when I realized I had a chance was when I won the Regional Final.

GT: Who were the competitors that you felt were your greatest rivals last year?

CL: I have to say Takuma Miyazono of Japan and Angel Inostroza of Chile. We were fighting until the very last lap of the Grand Final, plus we were the winners of each Regional Final, so I think they both were the guys who made it more difficult for me, and who had the best performance during the World Finals.

GT: What do you think about the new format of the Nations Cup?

CL: In my opinion, this is the best format we could have for a competition called the “Nations Cup.” I've always thought that it should be the same format as the Manufacturers Cup, but with nations. The experience of racing together with countrymates will be nice, and the level of the competition with the new format will be very high. Also, I’m sure we will put on a good show for the spectators.

GT: What do you think you need to do for Spain to win the Nations Cup again?

CL: Thankfully, the Spanish team is very strong. I think my role will be to do as much as I can regarding strategy, so my countrymates can focus solely on racing.