- WORLD FINALS
- Lightning Strikes! European Ace Mikail Hizal (TRL_LIGHTNING) Secures Victory in Semi-Final Group B!
- FIA Gran Turismo Championships 2018 World Finals / Nations Cup
- 25/11/2018
The Group B Semi-final race took place at the DragonTrail - Seaside II circuit, with the drivers battling it out in Gr.3 cars.
Japan’s Shogo Yoshida (gilles_honda_v12), starting in pole position, opted for soft tyres, hoping it would give him the edge needed to make a clean getaway.
Winner of the Asia/Oceania group, Japan’s Ryota Kokubun (Akagi_1942mi), who had been feeling unwell since arriving in Monaco, overran turn twelve due to some lacklustre driving, giving Chilean driver Nicolás Rubilar (FT_NicoR) a chance to slip by.
On the sixth turn of the second lap, Germany’s Mikail Hizal (TRL_LIGHTNING) grabbed the inside line, causing Australian Cody Nikola Latkovski (Nik_Makozi) to overrun the curve. Unluckily for Latkovski (Nik_Makozi), tussling with two other drivers through the turn with very little room to manoeuvre led to him dropping down to ninth place.
On lap 4, having worn down his soft tyres considerably, Yoshida (gilles_honda_v12) made a pit stop. This caused him to yield the lead to fellow countryman Kokubun (Akagi_1942mi) and Rubilar (FT_NicoR), who had both started out with medium tyres, giving them some more longevity on the track.
Kokubun (Akagi_1942mi), having changed to soft tyres, watched helplessly as Yoshida (gilles_honda_v12) slipped by on his new medium tyres into the open space on the inside edge on the approach to turn six.
On lap seven, with a vigorous surge, Hizal (TRL_LIGHTNING) blasted though the first corner and into the lead.
Rubilar (FT_NicoR), however, fell victim to the infamous ‘Chicane of Death’.
Continuing his streak of bad luck, Rubilar (FT_NicoR) found himself veering off course on the final lap and plummeting to ninth place as Brazilian Adriano Carrazza (CRT-Didico15) left him with nowhere else to go, blocking Rubilar’s way on turn twelve.
Ultimately, Hizal (TRL_LIGHTNING) was the first to pass the finish line, his magnificent race strategy propelling him from his start in fifth place all the way to the top. Kokubun (Akagi_1942mi), overcoming his illness, finished in second place.
Rubilar (FT_NicoR) and Latkovski (Nik_Makozi) ended up going into the repechage after a turbulent ride through Group B.
