Alright, so picture this: it’s kinda one of those typical rainy London Saturdays — or maybe just overcast, can’t remember — and the BBC’s TC1 studio is buzzing with 700 excited folks. Why? They’re all here for some epic Gran Turismo 7 racing chaos on June 7th. Seriously, the vibe was like a festival. Even if you didn’t have a ticket, a giant screen outside broadcasted the chest-thumping action, like some kind of street-side theater.
Let’s dive right into the nitty-gritty. First up, the Manufacturers Cup. Basically, drivers band together, backing their favorite car brands. Round 1 had these hotshots who’d battled it out online just to be there, going head-to-head in Gr.3 beasts on the Tokyo Expressway – South Counterclockwise, no less. Talk about intense.
Seiya Suzuki, repping Team BMW, snatched that coveted pole position. Right next to him was two-time champ Takuya Miyazono for Team Subaru. And guess who pulled up in third? Shota Sato with Team Porsche’s 911 RSR. Things were already heating up.
Now, the Grand Final wasn’t just about pedal-to-the-metal madness. Oh no, strategy was king. Teams had to switch out tires — soft or medium, take your pick. At first, drivers played it cool, checking out the track and each other. Then, post-pit stops, it was like gloves off, all bets are off, let’s see what you’ve got!
Around Lap 16, all heck broke loose. Chaos in the midfield. A pile-up of cars, quick as a flash. Poor Porsche 911 RS got bumped, like, “oops didn’t see you there,” and was sent spinning out of contention. Ouch. In the nail-biting finale, Sato in the BMW and Miyazono in the Subaru sparred. Like, watching the duel felt like you were there, holding your breath. In the end, Miyazono pulled a slick move at the final hairpin, leaving Sato eating his dust. Glory for Subaru, while BMW took a step down. And Mazda? Snagged a respectable third.
Switch gears — pun totally intended — to the Nations Cup. This time, drivers hit the Le Mans 24H track. Just a week before its grand annual event. And what better ride than the Aston Martin Valkyrie? Spaniard Jose Serrano did his homeland proud, holding back his fellow Spaniard, Pol Urra, to grab pole for the Grand Finale.
Tradition’s tradition, right? So, everyone hopped into their Red Bull X2019s, decked out in their nation’s colors, for a reverse twist on Gran Turismo 7’s Gran Valley Highway. Almost everyone stuck with medium tires, except for Kaj de Bruin. This guy took a wild swing with softs from P10. It’s like he had a crystal ball or something because he surged forward quickly, only to flounder under pressure later. Serrano, Urra, even those Japanese and Italian stars kept him busy.
Roaring down those straights at a heart-stopping 320 km/h, tire choices made or broke track positions. de Bruin, risking everything, went with a two-stop strategy. Others? Stuck with one. Then you had Miyazono and Drumont rocking hard tires for their last hurrahs. Bold move. As the finish line neared, it was pedal to the floor between Serrano and Urra. The crowd? Electrified. Each heart-stopping overtake had them going nuts.
In the end? Serrano seized that finish line, edging out Urra by just oodles — or tenths — of a second. And Gallo? Scooped up third place neat and tidy. Everyone else? Well, they just have to try harder next time.
With London’s fireworks done, the whole shebang is off to Berlin. There, Round 2’s cooking up at the Uber Eats Music Hall, close to some artsy place called the East Side Gallery. If you thought this was good, grab some tickets — wherever they sell them — and maybe catch Round 3 in Los Angeles. Calendar it. Just saying.
And if you’re really keen about every little detail of the Gran Turismo World Series 2025, you might wanna dig around for the official scoop somewhere. Or maybe just wing it, like the rest of us humans. Catch you at the races!
