- GT WORLD TOUR
- 'Gran Turismo World Tour 2018 - Nürburgring' Race Report (2/4)
A miraculous race only made possible by master artists - Manufacturer Series Final
- 18.06.2018
Manufacturer Series Final
At 3:00PM on 11 May, as the 2nd qualifying session for the real 24-Hour race was happening on the track, the Final for the Manufacturer Series took place at the Ring Boulevard, Nürburgring's the event space. The competing manufacturers included Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, Porsche, McLaren, Ferrari, Renault Sport, Toyota, Nissan and Subaru, for a total of 10 teams. There were 2 races to the finals, starting with a 30 minute race at Monza, followed by a 60 minute mini-endurance race on the Nürburgring 24-Hour layout. The cars were all Gr.3 machines, and as there were 3 drivers, a minimum of 2 pit stops were required.
In Race 1 at Monza during the 10 minute qualifying session, Mercedes-Benz (AMG GT3) beat the top time set by Toyota (GR Supra Racing Concept) in the last 25 seconds of the session, but Toyota made a final attack lap to turn the tables just before the end. The crowd watching at the venue was already filled with excitement.
In the Final race, Mercedes took off to a great start, but aside from the Audi which dropped back, the 9 cars were incredibly close throughout the race with almost no time difference. The battle for 2nd place was especially close, showcasing the participants' level of skill.
The tide in the race begins to turn as the top group starts to pit in lap 6. The up-to-that-point leading Mercedes dropped to 5th, with Subaru (WRX Gr.3), Porsche (911 RSR) and Ferrari (458 Italia GT3) forming a top 3 group after skipping the pit stop on the same lap. However, they too entered the pits in the following lap, placing Nissan (GT-R Nismo GT3 N24 Schulze Mortorsport) in the lead, chased by Mercedes and Renault Sport (R.S.01 GT3).
From this moment on, it looked as though Nissan could keep the lead, but Mercedes made a strong comeback, taking the lead once again at one point. However, on the 14th lap, the Mercedes ran off course on the first chicane and dropped to 4th place. The remaining Renault Sport also tried to catch the lead, but time ran out, and the Race 1 victory went to the Nissan team (Kimmo Kaisla / Tom McPherson / Markus Kononen).
