The last of the preliminary live events in the 2024 Gran Turismo World Series is coming up this weekend, with the drivers heading to Tokyo for one last battle for points before the world finals.
While familiar ground for the series, as the third event to be hosted in the Tokyo area since its inception in 2018, the venue itself will be an all-new one. That’s actually quite literal too as the building itself is barely a year old.
It’ll be the final of three live events this year, which have effectively taken on a regional finals mantle, before the grand final which — despite early leaks of being in Abu Dhabi — will take place at last year’s Showdown venue in Amsterdam.
We’ll see the dozen Nations Cup finalists resume their season-long tussle for points, while it’ll be the third set of drivers from the qualified Manufacturers who take to the track for the first time before the team-based World Finals.
Tokyo’s Kabukicho Tower, which only opened in May 2023, will be hosting the event. This 225m (740ft) tower, located in the Kabukicho entertainment district, is the first skyscraper in Japan designed by a female architect and is intended to resemble a fountain.
The Tower includes a number of different visitor attractions — including an eight-screen cinema, a night club, Sony Music Entertainment’s “Tokyo Matrix” feature, a Namco event space, and two separate hotels — with the GT event taking place in a three-floor theater facility.
Called “Theater Milano-za”, this space occupies the 6th to 8th floors of the tower, with a 900-person, theater-style seating gallery above the main stage where the competitors will race. If you’ve not already made plans to attend, you’re out of luck because all tickets across all types for the event sold out three weeks ago.
Those who do attend will see what’s likely to be an enthralling battle, as the 12 Nations Cup drivers return to try to score points ahead of the World Finals, with the Asia-Oceania representatives for the manufacturers taking their seats to do the same.
Despite not winning a round yet, it’s back-to-back champion Coque Lopez who leads the way in Nations, ahead of Montreal winner Takuma Miyazono and Prague winner Valerio Gallo. Team Porsche is in a similar position, with consistency propelling it to the top of the Manufacturers title ahead of round-winners Lexus and Ferrari.
We’re still yet to see the promised debut of the official Gran Turismo DD Extreme wheel from series partner Fanatec, but given the brand was recently bought out by Corsair following some recent troubles, there’s a good chance Tokyo could be the occasion for it.
Additionally we’re hoping to hear more about the World Finals, “My First Gran Turismo“, and the PlayStation 5 Pro version of GT7 — which you can also try out at the nearby Tokyo Games Show this weekend.
Whether you’re in attendance or not (and those who are may be grateful for Remote Play!), players who tune into the streams through GT7 itself, and those who can accurately guess the outcomes of the races can pick up some in-game rewards as part of a pair of tie-in campaigns.
If you click through a special portal within GT7 to watch the streams, you’ll earn yourself a pair of Japanese race cars. You only need click to confirm your entry any time before 1459 UTC on Friday October 4, and you’ll receive a Mazda 787B for Manufacturers and a Nissan GT-R GT500 ’08 for Nations in your garage’s “Gifts” section.
There’s also up to 2m credits available as bonus rewards for your Gran Turismo 7 bank account if you’re able to predict who’ll win each of the two races. Again, there’s a special portal in GT7 for making your selections, and you can do so at any time right up until the start of the final race in each broadcast, allowing you to watch qualifying first to get an idea of form. Each correct pick earns you one million credits.
The events take place back-to-back on the same evening — though the time zone differences will make it early morning for European and American viewers — with the Manufacturers Cup beginning at 0700 UTC and the Nations Cup at 1000 UTC on Saturday September 28.
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