For the first time ever, esports has made its way into the Olympic picture. Timed exactly a month before Tokyo 2020 gets underway, some of the FIA Gran Turismo Championships stars had the opportunity to add another trophy to their cabinets through the Olympic Virtual Series Motor Sport Event – a three-race mini-GT Sport championship which proved to be a huge victory for sim racing.
Race 1
The first bout would take place on Tokyo Expressway’s East Outer Loop and featured the Toyota 86 Gr.4 machine. Germany’s Mikail Hizal would take pole position and the point that comes with it in the tight, single-lap qualifying session.
The unique nature of the circuit meant that even a strong start might not have been enough to fend off the incredibly powerful slipstream effect on the run to Turn 1. Baptiste Beauvois, who had qualified on the front row alongside Hizal, knew this and managed his timing perfectly to execute a beautiful move around the outside for an early lead change.
Despite a couple of draft exchanges, Beauvois would maintain the advantage in large part down to the scrap behind including Hizal, Takuma Miyazono, a returning Igor Fraga and belatedly, Valerio Gallo. The racing was intense with the first and final turns the only real places where an overtake could stick.
The Frenchman would win rather comfortably, while behind, the podium scrap was anything but. Spain’s Jose Serrano steamed into the final corner taking Gallo out although the Italian would still claim third behind Fraga after a post-race penalty was applied to the offender. Pole sitter Hizal would have to settle for fifth.
- B. Beauvois – FRANCE – 7 Laps
- I. Fraga – BRAZIL – +1.380
- V. Gallo – ITALY – +1.919
- T. Miyazono – JAPAN – +2.170
- M. Hizal – GERMANY – +3.196
- N. Moysov – CZECH REPUBLIC – +3.254
- P. Blazsán – HUNGARY – +3.307
- A. Inostroza – CHILE – +5.716
- S. Chau – HONG KONG – +5.757
- K. Konstantinou – GREECE – +5.762
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