2018 FIA GTC season
# 2018 FIA GTC season

The 2018 FIA GTC season was the inaugural season of the FIA-Certified Gran Turismo Championships (FIA GTC), a professional esports league for the racing video game Gran Turismo Sport, managed by Japanese developer Polyphony Digital and French governing body Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. The series concurrently runs two championships in the duration of the season, in the form of the Nations Cup (entrants from their respective countries will represent them) and the Manufacturers Series (entrants will race for and represent their chosen manufacturer).

The season opening event began in 10 May at Nürburg, and concluded at Monaco with the season world final. Igor Fraga was crowned the inaugural Nations Cup champion, and the trio of Kanata Kawakami, Tyrell Meadows, and Vincent Rigaud became the inaugural Manufacturers Series champions with Lexus at the World Final event.

## Format

A phase dubbed as the "Online Series", which is essentially a qualification phase to decide the participants that will race in the live events of the championship tournament, kicks off every season. The Online Series is divided into four stages, with each stage hosting ten rounds. By the end of each stage, another World Tour event is hosted, which includes the top players from that stage instead of the top drivers from the previous season. The top players who are selected after the series must sign an application form in order to be able to participate for the World Tour events, and they must also be over 18. The Online Series goes on for five to seven months. The winner from the World Tour event gains direct access to the "World Final" event.

The "Live Events" begin after the Online Series. The Nations Cup category includes the top 90 players (30 per region) with the highest points across all four stages. Three different live events occur, with each live event carrying a specific world region. The top 10 players from those regions enter the "World Final" event, a championship stage to decide the number one player. The Manufacturer Series category includes the top 48 players (three players per region) and 16 manufacturers with the highest points across all four stages. The top players and manufacturers participate in the "World Final" event, to decide the top three players and the number one manufacturer. The winners of their respective series at the "World Final" are crowned either Nations Cup champion or Manufacturer Series champion.

## Series calendar

The series was set in six locations around the world.

| Round | Title | Location | Date |
| - | - | - | - |
| 1 | World Tour 2018 - Nürburgring | Nürburg | 10-13 May |
| 2 | GT World Tour | Red Bull Hangar-7 | Salzburg | 22 September |
| 3 | Nations Cup Asia/Oceania Final 2018 | Odaiba | 06-7 October |
| 4 | Nations Cup European Final 2018 | Madrid | 19-20 October |
| 5 | Nations Cup Americas Final 2018 | Las Vegas | 31 October |
| 6 | World Finals 2018 | Monaco | 16-18 November |

## Series results

### World Tour 2018 - Nürburgring

| Round | Title | Circuit | Class | Nations Cup |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Nations Cup Semi-Final Group 1 | Nürburgring GP Circuit | Gr.X | Anthony Duval |
| 2 | Nations Cup Semi-Final Group 2 | Nürburgring GP Circuit | Gr.X | Edward Williams |
| 3 | Nations Cup Semi-Final Group 3 | Nürburgring GP Circuit | Gr.X | Kimmo Kaisla |
| 4 | Nations Cup Final Race 1 | Nürburgring GP Circuit | Gr.4 | Anthony Duval |
| 5 | Nations Cup Final Race 2 | Autódromo José Carlos Pace | N300 | Patrik Blazsán |
| 6 | Nations Cup Final Race 3 | Autodromo Nazionale di Monza | Gr.1 | Giorgio Mangano |
| 7 | Nations Cup Final Race 4 | Autodrome Lago Maggiore | Gr.3 | Giorgio Mangano |
| Round | Title | Circuit | Class | Manufacturers Series | Manufacturers Series |
| 1 | Manufacturers Series Race 1 | Autodromo Nazionale di Monza | Gr.3 | Kimmo Kaisla Markus Kononen Thomas Compton-McPherson | Nissan |
| 2 | Manufacturers Series Final | Nürburgring 24H Circuit | Gr.3 | Philippe Nicolay Matthew Thomas Anthony Duval | BMW |

### GT World Tour | Red Bull Hangar-7

| Round | Title | Circuit | Class | Nations Cup |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | GT World Tour 2018 - Red Bull Hangar-7 Race 1 | Fuji Speedway | N300 | Tomoaki Yamanaka |
| 2 | GT World Tour 2018 - Red Bull Hangar-7 Race 2 | Circuit de la Sarthe | Gr.1 | Benjámin Báder |
| 3 | GT World Tour 2018 - Red Bull Hangar-7 Race 3 | Willow Springs Raceway | N500 | Ádám Tápai |
| 4 | GT World Tour 2018 - Red Bull Hangar-7 Final | Red Bull Ring | Gr.X | Benjámin Báder Patrik Blazsán Ádám Tápai |
| Round | Title | Circuit | Class | Manufacturers Series | Manufacturers Series |
| 1 | Manufacturers Series Semifinal A | Autodromo Nazionale di Monza | Gr.3 | Patrik Blazsán Tomoaki Yamanaka | Toyota |
| 2 | Manufacturers Series Semifinal B | Circuit de Sainte-Croix B | Gr.3 | Mikail Hizal Andrew McCabe | Nissan |
| 3 | Manufacturers Series Final | Red Bull Ring | Gr.3 | Mikail Hizal Andrew McCabe | Nissan |

### Nations Cup Asia/Oceania Final 2018

| Round | Title | Circuit | Class | Nations Cup |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | FIA GT Championship 2018 Asia/Oceania Final - Race 1 | Suzuka Circuit | N500 | Ryota Kokubun |
| 2 | FIA GT Championship 2018 Asia/Oceania Final - Race 2 | Dragon Trail - Gardens II | Gr.3 | Jonathan Wong |
| 3 | FIA GT Championship 2018 Asia/Oceania Final - Final Race | Fuji Speedway | Gr.1 | Ryota Kokubun |

### Nations Cup European Final 2018

| Round | Title | Circuit | Class | Nations Cup |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | FIA GT Championship 2018 European Final - Race 1 | Alsace - Village | N500 | Mikail Hizal |
| 2 | FIA GT Championship 2018 European Final - Race 2 | Dragon Trail - Seaside II | Gr.3 | Mikail Hizal |
| 3 | FIA GT Championship 2018 European Final - Final Race | Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya | Gr.X | Mikail Hizal |

### Nations Cup Americas Final 2018

| Round | Title | Circuit | Class | Nations Cup |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | FIA GT Championship 2018 Americas Final - Race 1 | Blue Moon Bay - Infield A I | N500 | Fabian Portilla |
| 2 | FIA GT Championship 2018 Americas Final - Race 2 | Mount Panorama Circuit | Gr.3 | Igor Fraga |
| 3 | FIA GT Championship 2018 Americas Final - Final Race | Autódromo José Carlos Pace | Gr.X | Igor Fraga |

### World Finals 2018

| Round | Title | Circuit | Class | Nations Cup |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 2018 FIA GT Championship World Final - Race 1 | Tokyo Expressway - South Inner Loop | N500 | Igor Fraga |
| 2 | 2018 FIA GT Championship World Final - Race 2 | Autódromo José Carlos Pace | Gr.3 | Tomoaki Yamanaka |
| 3 | 2018 FIA GT Championship World Final - Race 3 | Autodromo Nazionale di Monza | Gr.1 | Tomoaki Yamanaka |
| 4 | 2018 FIA GT Championship World Final - Final Race | Circuit de la Sarthe | Gr.X | Igor Fraga |
| Round | Title | Circuit | Class | Manufacturers Series | Manufacturers Series |
| 1 | 2018 FIA GT Championship World Final - Final Race | Nürburgring Nordschleife | Gr.3 | Kanata Kawakami Vincent Rigaud Tyrell Meadows | Lexus |
