Wednesday, 17 April saw the opening of the ‘Gran Turismo World Series' 2024 Online Qualifiers — Nations Cup.’

Round 1 was held at the 24 Heures du Mans Racing Circuit, where Takuma Miyazono (Kerokkuma_ej20) executed a perfect pole-to-win finish, netting himself 454 points in a promising start to the series.

In the second slot of the race, Takuma Sasaki (SZ_TakuAn22) came out on top in a bumper-to-bumper battle against fellow young driver Rikuto Kobayashi (TX3_tokari71), earning himself 436 points.

Fierce competition also played out in the third slot: after falling to 8th position in the qualifiers, Kobayashi pushed forward like a driver possessed. Climbing to 1st in the 9th lap, he rode to victory, earning himself 445 points, which placed him 2nd after Miyazono in the points ranking.

Kobayashi also competes in real racing events like the Super GT, the All-Japan Super Formula Lights, and the Super Taikyu Series. No doubt this virtual victory adds yet another feather to his already distinguished cap.

Round 2 at Watkins Glen’s Long Course saw Miyazono continue to dominate with another pole-to-win finish, worth 433 points.

The second slot of the race was won by Ryota Kokubun (Akagi_1942mi), who, like Miyazono before him, earned 433 points, kicking off a thrilling fight for the top spot in the points ranking.

Round 3 was a stellar road-car rodeo at the legendary Trial Mountain Circuit, where new and old faces pulled out all the stops. Starting in pole position, Miyazono battled his rivals through to the final lap before pulling off a third pole-to-win finish that firmly secured his place at the top of the points ranking.

In the second slot, Sasaki engaged in a fierce fight against his 'master' Kokubun that went all the way to the finish line. However, Sasaki came out on top by a hair's breadth of 0.03 seconds, raising him to 2nd position in the points ranking.

Round 4 was fought on the reverse layout of Lago Maggiore's full course. Because the leading drivers chose to sit this race out, neither Sasaki, who won the first and third slots, nor Kobayashi, who won the second slot, were able to add more points to their totals.

Round 5’s high-speed battle between Gr.1 cars took place on the Daytona Road Course. With his goal of representing the Asia region at the finals, Kobayashi hoped to bag a large share of points, but bit the dust of Malaysian driver Dhanesh Wigneswaran, coming up short with only 367 points.

With few of the leading drivers entering, the final round at Spa-Francorchamps saw Thailand's SRC_SVDR_TH claim victory in a win that will surely leave its mark on the Asia region.

After six rounds, it was Japan's Takuma Miyazono who won the series with his domination of the pole position and steady pacing. He previously represented the Nations Cup Asia region at the World Series finals in 2022.

Second place went to Takuma Sasaki, who confirmed his spot with his Round 3 win. He too competed in the World Series finals.

'Gran Turismo World Series' 2024 Online Qualifiers — Nations Cup
1st / Japan / Takuma Miyazono (Kerokkuma_ej20) / 1327 Points
2nd / Japan / Takuma Sasaki (SZ_TakuAn22) / 1305 Points
3rd / Japan / Ryota Kokubun (Akagi_1942mi) / 1296 Points