Spain starts strong in Gran Turismo World Series Nations Cup in London

The eighth season of the Gran Turismo World Series (GTWS) kicked off its first live event on June 7 at the Television Centre in London, UK. After a thrilling showdown in the Manufacturers Cup, all eyes turned to the Nations Cup, where drivers took to the track as proud ambassadors of their home countries and territories.

A field of 12 racers, comprising of the top three finishers from the 2024 Nations Cup and the highest-ranking drivers from each region in the Online Qualifiers, lined up to battle in the first round of a championship that will ultimately determine the world’s fastest Gran Turismo driver.

The day began with a five-lap Sprint Race, where Spain’s Jose Serrano and Pol Urra secured a one-two finish, earning the top two starting positions for the Grand Final.

Nearly every driver on the grid chose to start the 20-lap Grand Final race — held at the scenic Grand Valley Highway race course — on medium-compound tires. However, the Netherlands’ Kaj de Bruin, starting from P10, opted to gamble on softs. His bold strategy paid off early, propelling him into the lead by the fourth lap. Yet he struggled to maintain the pace under relentless pressure from Serrano, Urra, Kylian Drumont of France, Takuma Miyazono and Takuma Sasaki of Japan, and Italy’s Valerio Gallo.

With their Red Bull X2019 Competition race cars exceeding 320 km/h on the straights, the drivers left nothing on the table. Tire strategy played a pivotal role: de Bruin made two stops, while most others managed with just one. Miyazono and Drumont chose hard-compound tires for their final stints, a gamble that failed to pay off. In the closing laps, a fierce wheel-to-wheel battle for the lead unfolded between the two Spaniards, each pushing the other to the limit. The sold-out crowd watching the action live was on the edge of their seats, gasping and cheering with every turn and attempted overtake.

Ultimately, Serrano emerged victorious ahead of Urra, with Gallo completing the podium.

Round 2 of the Gran Turismo World Series will be held in Berlin on September 20th. Watch it live on RACER Network.