Gran Turismo’s World Tour Championships hits the apex in North America this weekend
The FIA-certified championship pits the best Gran Turismo drivers around the world in New York City on August 24th and the 25th.
With the Big Apple being the third stop on the World Tour, tires aren’t the only thing that will be heating up as the pressure intensifies midway through the 2019 season of Gran Turismo Sport.
In the Nations Cup division, the inaugural championship held at the Gabriel Pavillion in Paris back in March set the stage as Chile’s Nicolás Rubilar won gold. This served triumphantly not just for Rubilar, but also for the country of Chile as it was the country’s first World Tour title.
Returning to Germany, the second championship settled once again on one of the most historic racing tracks in the world, the Nürburgring. Racing in Gran Turismo Sport’s virtual recreation of the iconic track, last year’s World Tour winner Igor Fraga returned to form and took first place.
Igor Fraga participating in the World Tour 2018 finals. Credit: gran-turismo.com
Following New York, the tour returns to Europe in Austria next month. Rounding up the World Tour, the final stop will reside in Tokyo in October. This is fitting as Tokyo is the headquarters of Gran Turismo’s own Polyphony Digital.
Outside of last year’s American Finals held in Las Vegas, this is the first American stop on the 2019 World Tour. In a city where eSports is on the rise, due in part to teams like Overwatch’s New York Excelsior, New York being a host to Gran Turismo seems fitting. This is made apparent when considering the venue of choice. The Playstation Theater is not only in the heart of the city, in Times Square. It is also located in the heart of the Gran Turismo’s fans and players who had played the series on a Playstation console at some point.
Approaching the mid-way stretch of the World Tour, the New York Championship will prove monumental for its racers. There will be two more events of the world tour after next weekend, which leaves fewer chances online and offline to make an impact for the 2019 season. Every placement and podium finish counts.
