Serrano strikes again in Berlin

Round 2 of the Gran Turismo World Series (GTWS) unfolded on Sunday at the Uber Eats Music Hall in Berlin, Germany. After a strategic chess match in the Manufacturers Cup, the spotlight shifted to the Nations Cup.

A field of 12 elite racers, comprising 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 second event of the season, one that will ultimately determine the world’s fastest GTWS driver.

The day kicked off with a five-lap Sprint Race at the legendary Autodromo Nazionale Monza, where France’s Kylian Drumont narrowly outpaced his compatriot Thomas Labouteley in the Porsche 962 C one-make contest. The victory secured him pole position for the Grand Final. Round 1 winner Jose Serrano could manage only P7, but with a striking new look – a shaved head and full beard – it was clear that in Berlin, he meant serious business.

The Grand Final took place at the legendary Red Bull Ring, nestled in the heart of Austria. With unpredictable weather looming, drivers had a choice between three tire compounds – slicks, intermediates, or wets. At the drop of the green flag, under clear skies, all competitors launched their Red Bull X2019 Competition cars on the intermediate Dunlop tires.

Eight laps in, the skies began to clear, presenting a hard choice: pit for slicks or stay with the intermediates. As the track dried, all had switched to the dry slick-compound tires, igniting a ferocious battle marked by numerous lead changes and near-catastrophic incidents. Gradually, six drivers began to pull ahead of the pack: the Netherlands’ Kaj de Bruin, France’s Drumont and Labouteley, Spain’s Serrano and Pol Urra, and Italy’s Valerio Gallo.

With only three laps remaining, Urra, then running P2, made a surprising – and ultimately costly – pitstop to switch back to slick tires. The gamble backfired spectacularly. Race leader Serrano chose to stay out, pushing his intermediate tires to the limit, as did Gallo, who had inherited second place. Urra’s ill-timed stop dropped him to P7, while de Bruin, previously thought out of contention after a series of misfortunes, suddenly found himself back in the hunt. The sold-out crowd gasped in disbelief, and even the announcers were left scratching their heads at the stunning turn of events.

In the end, it was Serrano who crossed the finish line first, securing back-to-back victories in the opening two races of the season. Gallo claimed a hard-fought second, while de Bruin battled his way back to third, earning his first-ever podium.

The win cemented Serrano’s early-season dominance, giving him a firm grip on the championship with 12 points, followed by Gallo with nine and Pol Urra with six. The drama continues this November in Los Angeles, where the question looms: Can anyone challenge the blazing pace of the fast Spaniard?