This weekend, the Gran Turismo World Finals are set to conclude with three top-level esport championships to be decided over three days. Some of the best GT Sport drivers will be competing in at least one of the championship events with some vying for all three.
The Toyota GAZOO Racing GT Cup 2021 kicks things off on Friday 3rd December. On Saturday 4th December, the Manufacturers Series FIA Gran Turismo Championship World Finals will conclude. Finally, on Sunday 5th December, the Nations Series FIA Gran Turismo Championship World Finals will crown a driver and their country as World Champions.
FRIDAY, 3RD DECEMBER – TOYOTA GAZOO RACING GT CUP
The Toyota GAZOO Racing GT Cup 2021 will see the likes of drivers such as Olympic Virtual Series motorsport event winner from Italy, Valerio Gallo, as well as a former Manufacturer Series and Nations Cup winner, the Brazilian Igor Fraga, and 2020 FIA GTC World Champion Takuma Miyazono from Japan. The full list of drivers was announced back in October.
These 24 competitors for the Toyota GAZOO Racing final will each compete in one of the semi-final groups made up of 12 drivers driving the Toyota GR Yaris at the Red Bull Ring. The Top 8 in each will advance to the 16 driver finale, driving in the new Toyota GR 86 at Circuit de la Sarthe.
SATURDAY, 4TH DECEMBER – MANUFACTURERS CUP SERIES
On Saturday, the Manufacturers will be on display to determine the overall champion from the 2021 season. Toyota and Mazda are tied atop the standings with 13 points apiece, but with 12 points available in the first two races plus a doubled 24 points to the winner in the finale, it’s any manufacturer’s title. Each manufacturer has three drivers entered, one driver per team per event, and 12 teams competing in each race.
The first 10 lap Manufacturer Series race will take place at Autodrome Lago Maggiore – GP II. Race no. 2 will utilize Tokyo Expressway – East Outer Loop. The finale is five grueling laps at the Nürburgring 24h circuit. Besides the first race’s starting order which is decided by a qualifying session, the other two races will line up based on the previous race results.
SUNDAY, 5TH DECEMBER – NATIONS CUP SERIES
Finally, Sunday’s show will see drivers go to battle for their country in the Nations Cup Series FIA Gran Turismo Championship World Finals. 32 competitors from what appears to be 17 different countries will be vying for top honors. The drivers will be split into three regions based on their country, and from those three semi-final groupings, a total of 16 drivers will move on to the grand finale.
Semi-Final Group A, the Asia-Oceania region, will take the Mazda Roadster Touring Car to Mount Panorama Motor Racing Circuit for eight laps. The Top 5 finishers advance to the finale round. Semi-Final Group B is the Europe/Middle East/Africa region, and they’ll utilize the Gran Turismo F1500T-A at Autodromo Nazionale Monza No Chicane for 15 laps. Six drivers advance from this group to the finals.
The Group C Semi-Final region is the Americas and will send five drivers onward. They’ll do 17 laps at Blue Moon Bay Speedway – Infield A in the Ford GT ’17. Once the 16 drivers moving to the final round have been decided, they’ll head to Dragon Trail – Seaside for a 22 lap finale in the Ford GT LM Spec II Test Car.
Like the Manufacturer’s championship, 12 points will go to each semi-final winner and 24 points will be awarded to the winner of the final race, with points trickling down from there. Coming into the last race weekend of the year, Italy leads the current standings thanks to the efforts of Gallo, the driver on top with 18 points.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
Keep your eyes peeled in the World Finals Teaser Trailer below for a sneak peak at the Porsche Vision Gran Turismo car for Gran Turismo 7, expected to be fully unveiled during the events this weekend.
In 2020, Japan’s Takuma Miyazono swept the board for the entire show. Miyazono won the Toyota GAZOO Racing GT Cup final as well as both the Manufacturer Series and Nations Cup titles, for Subaru and Japan respectively. He’ll be competing once again for all three titles.
There are quite a few that will be competing in the Toyota GAZOO Racing GT Cup final that also have seats at the table for a respective manufacturer and country. There are still a few surprises in the field, like 2020 WRC champion Sami-Joe Abi Nakhle, who will be looking for success in a different discipline.
Make sure to tune in every day starting at 0600 PST / 0900 EST / 1400 GMT / 1500 CET / 2300 JST on the official Gran Turismo YouTube channel. Check out the previous FIA GT Championship World Final race results over on Traxion.GG, and for more official information on the events, be sure to check out the official Race Structure and list of competitors.
