- AMERICAS FINAL
- Ten Drivers from the Americas Final Advance to the World Final!
- Nations Cup: Americas Final
- 2018/11/05
■Block A Final
Brazil's Fraga (IOF_RACING17) and Chile's Rubilar (FT_NicoR) Advance to the World Final!
Brazil's Igor Fraga (IOF_RACING17), piloting an FT1 Gr.3, took full advantage of his pole position by leading the pack into the first corner. He held off the 911 RSR of Chile's Nicolás Rubliar (FT_NicoR), who had dominated the online series. Rubilar's compatriot, Fabián Portilla (FT_Mcqueen91), slid into 3rd position.
Fraga (IOF_RACING17) maintained his lead easily, partly because he chose soft-compound tires to begin the race.
Rubilar (FT_NicoR), who ran in 2nd place, got caught in traffic after returning to the track taking his first pit stop, widening Fraga's lead.
Despite saving his soft-compound tires for the end of the race, Rubilar (FT_NicoR) couldn't catch the Brazilian, and the race ended with Fraga (IOF_RACING17) taking the win for a pole-to-checkered-flag victory.
■Block B Final
The Canadians Dominate with Gallan (FT_LLOYDZELITE) and Brooks (Deafsun96) Going 1-2!
The front row for the Block B race was taken by two Canadian drivers, Jeffrey Gallan (FT_LLOYDZELITE), in a 911 RSR, and Andrew Brooks (Deafsun96), in a 911 RSR.
Brooks (Deafsun96) had made a name for himself in the online series as an excellent pit-stop strategist, but he got caught in traffic early and dropped to 6th. Starting the race on the medium-compound tires, he switched to the soft tires for the end, where he made a late charge to work his way up the pack to finish in 2nd place.
While there was great racing in the middle of the pack, the lead was never in doubt, as Gallan (FT_LLOYDZELITE) proved the fastest in a pole-to-checkered-flag victory.
■Block C Final
Americans McCabe (TRL_doodle) and McMillen (GumballCGT) Advance to the World Final with Different Driving Styles!
In the American block, all eyes were on perennial online series title contender Andrew McCabe (TRL_doodle), in his FT1 GR.3, and GT Academy winner Nick McMillen (GumballCGT), driving a Beetle Gr.3.
Then, Eddie Gomez (Wardez), in an RC F GT3, came out of nowhere to take the lead, surprising almost everyone.
However, Gomez (Wardez) would relinquish his lead after switching to soft-compound tires for the final two laps of the race. As soon as he came out of the pits, he overran the chicane and quickly dropped to 8th place. That left McCabe (TRL_doodle) and McMillen (GumballCGT) to take over the lead, as they ended up taking 1st and 2nd place, respectively.
■Repechage
A Showdown of American V-8s! F-150s Go Head-to-Head!
The first repechage race would prove to be full of drama.
Canada's Jamal Khan (RacingKing89674), succumbed to the pressure of the race on the first corner of the final lap, when he pushed Costa Rica's Bernal Valverde (FT_BernalV), off the track.
Although this enabled Khan (RacingKing89674) to run in 2nd place, he would be assessed a time penalty at the finish line. It was enough to move him down and bring the USA's Jay Szkoruda (Z28), to 2nd place, giving him a ticket to the World Final, along with the winner of the race, Canada's Jacob Goertz (JGOERTZ5).
In the second repechage, Chile's Fabián Portilla (FT_Mcqueen91) quickly established a significant lead over the pack, and cruised to the checkered flag. The battle for 2nd place was won by Brazil's Adriano Carrazza (CRT-Didico15), who joined Portilla (FT_Mcqueen91) in advancing to the World Final.