TOKYO, Japan— The penultimate live event of the 2024 Gran Turismo World Series took place on Saturday, September 27, in the bustling heart of Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward—renowned for hosting the world’s busiest railway station. Elite drivers from 12 of the world’s top-ranked manufacturers, including official partners Toyota, Genesis, and Mazda, converged for Round 3 of the Manufacturers Cup at the sold-out Theater Milano-za, located in the vibrant Kabukicho district.

After two rounds, all eyes were on Porsche, looking to extend their dominance as they sat atop the leaderboard, ahead of heavy hitters like Lexus and Honda. But this season has been full of surprises—take for example, the last round in Prague, where Ferrari shocked everyone with an unexpected win that threw a wrench into the Series championship.

With each manufacturer fielding a trio of elite drivers, handpicked through the rigorous Online Qualifiers in their respective Regions, it was the Asia-Oceania Region’s turn to shine today. 10 of the 12 competitors hailed from Japan, racing with everything they had in front of an enthusiastic home crowd, eager to witness their countrymen claim victory on home soil.

Grand Final: Mount Panorama Motor Racing Circuit

In the Qualifying Session, it was Lexus’ Kanata Kawakami (SG_Kawakana) who stole the spotlight, securing pole position with a masterful performance in his Lexus RC F GT3 for the upcoming race. Fan favorite Takuma Miyazono (Kerokkuma_ej20), driving the Subaru BRZ GT300, was second fastest, earning himself a spot on the front row. Close behind them was Team Mazda’s RX-Vision GT Concept, piloted by Ryota Kokubun (Akagi_1942mi), followed by Soki Nabetani (OA4life_) in the Honda NSX.

The drivers were required to use all three tire compounds—hard, medium and soft—at least once in the 22-lap contest, so a minimum of two pitstops were required. As expected, Kawakami opted to start on the soft-compound tires, aiming to pull ahead early and establish a gap from the pack. Miyazono and Kokubun, however, took a different approach, starting on the hard-compound tires, setting the stage for a tactical showdown. Before the green flag even waved, it was clear this race wouldn’t just be about speed—it was also a battle of strategies.

The early stages of the race unfolded perfectly for Kawakami. His Lexus immediately pulled away from the field, building a commanding four-second lead on the first lap, while Team Subaru and Team Mazda slipped to P3 and P4, surrendering their positions to Team Honda’s Nabetani. As lap 2 began, Tomoaki Yamanaka (yamado_racing38) in the Toyota Supra made a bold move, overtaking Miyazono, who promptly ducked into the pits at the end of the lap to swap his sluggish hard-compound tires for the faster softs. Joining him in the pits was Team BMW’s Seiya Suzuki (EVO_CRV-86) and his M6 GT3, switching from hard- to medium-compound Michelins. A lap later, Kokubun also made his first pitstop.

The next several laps were filled with pitstop action, as teams began cycling through tire strategies. Race leader Kawakami finally pitted on lap 6 after extending his lead to a massive five seconds. He opted for medium tires for his middle stint and rejoined the race in 4th place. This pitstop shuffle handed the race lead to Team Honda’s Nabetani, followed closely by Yamanaka’s Toyota GR Supra Racing Concept and Shota Sato (anchovy_sand_) of Team Audi and his R8 LMS, all of whom had yet to make their stops. Meanwhile, Miyazono, was steadily making up ground, climbing to P5, about five seconds behind Kawakami, setting up an intriguing battle as the race progressed.

Miyazono’s Subaru BRZ made its final pit stop on lap 10, having wrung every last bit of performance out of the soft tires. He switched to the medium compounds for the remaining distance, leaving everyone wondering: would he have enough laps to catch Kawakami, who still had to run a stint on the slower hard-compound tires?

At the halfway point of the race, the order was Honda’s Nabetani in the lead, followed by Toyota’s Yamanaka, Lexus’ Kawakami, and Mazda’s Kokubun. However, both Nabetani and Yamanaka pitted at the end of lap 11, handing the lead back to Kawakami, who now commanded a staggering ten-second advantage.

Kawakami drove flawlessly, guiding his Lexus RC F with masterful precision and consistency, lap after lap. But as other teams began their second pit stops, Miyazono, on the mediums, was steadily clawing his way back up the leaderboard. On lap 16, Kawakami made his final pitstop, switching to the hard-compound tires as required. He rejoined the race with a five-second cushion over Miyazono, who was charging hard in pursuit. The question now was, could Kawakami withstand the pressure and fend off the former Nations Cup champion for the remaining laps?

Miyazono relentlessly closed the gap between his Subaru and Kawakami’s Lexus, but despite his best efforts, he couldn’t close the margin to less than two seconds. This allowed Kanata Kawakami to take the victory, securing a well-earned race win. Takuma Miyazono finished in 2nd place, earning the first points of the season for Team Subaru, and Team BMW’s Shota Suzuki delivered a gritty performance from his P7 starting position to claim the final podium spot in 3rd.

Meanwhile, it was a tough race for Porsche’s Arthur Mosso (VQS_ART55MN), who never found his rhythm. As a result, Team Porsche failed to score any points, dropping them to 2nd place in the series standings. With the win, Team Lexus now leads the championship, followed by Team Porsche in 2nd and Team BMW in 3rd. Now, the scene moves to Amsterdam, the Netherlands, for the World Finals in December, where these 12 teams will go at it again, but this time, everything will be on the line.

“I debated whether to start the race on medium-compound tires or soft-compound tires, but after discussing it with my teammates, we decided that we should minimize risk and pull away as fast as possible. Therefore, I went with the softs. And as a result, I was able to run in clean air for much of the race,” Kawakami said after the race.

Gran Turismo World Series 2024 Round 3 - Manufacturers Cup
Grand Final Results