Eight month’s after Gran Turismo Sport’s release, and almost exactly four years since the partnership was first announced, the inaugural FIA Gran Turismo Championship begins in earnest this week.
Make that plural: there will be two championships this year, in the shape of the Nations Cup and the Manufacturer Series. Both begin with their first seasons this month, with a second in July. Following on from that, a “Final Season” will stretch across August and September. This third series will narrow down the field in preparation for Live Events — much like the Nurburgring races last month — where the top players will face off. From there, the cream of the crop moves to the World Final in November to fight for the crown.
Polyphony Digital will release Live Reports throughout the year so players and fans can keep track of their favorites.
Eligible Regions
The initial levels will be open to all GT Sport players. The “Star Player Registration Form” and Regional/World Finals do have limitations however. Players in the EMEA region must be over 18, and residents of the following countries:
- Austria
- Bahrain
- Belgium
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- France
- Finland
- Germany
- Hungary
- Ireland
- Lebanon
- Kuwait* (over 21)
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Oman
- Poland
- Portugal
- Qatar
- Russia
- Saudi Arabia* (over 21)
- Slovakia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- UAE* (over 21)
- UK
Season Structure
Seasons will range from this month’s shorter four-round run to a full 10 in the final season. Rounds will last for three/four days each, starting June 20, July 4, and August 8, respectively:
- 2018 FIA GT Championship – Season 1 (June)
Total Rounds: 4 / Points tallied from: Best 2 Rounds - 2018 FIA GT Championship – Season 2 (July)
Total Rounds: 8 / Points tallied from: Best 4 Rounds - 2018 FIA GT Championship – Final Season (Aug/Sept)
Total Rounds: 10 / Points tallied from: Best 5 Rounds
Season 2 and the Final Season will also include Top 24 Superstar races, which should be familiar to those that have taken part in pre-season testing. Season 2’s will be held on rounds 4 and 8 (July 14 and 28), with the Final Seasons on 6, 8, and 10 (August 25, September 1, September 8).
Selection Process
So, outside of being quick, how do you make it to the live events?
For the Nations Cup, the top 30 players after the Online Final Season will qualify. The catch is that each country/region has a limit on number of drivers. That means that if you’re 26th overall in the EMEA region, but 6th in the UK, you won’t make it (unless someone ahead of you drops out).
The player count limitations for the Nations Cup:
- EMEA Regions:
Up to 3 players from each Country/Locale - Asia/Oceania Region:
Up to 10 players from each Country/Locale - North/Central/South Americas Region:
Up to 10 players from each Country/Locale
The Manufacturers Series selection process is a bit more complicated. The best explanation comes from the official site:
- In each region of the online ‘Final Season’, the points gained by players at the top of each manufacturer will be counted as the points for that manufacturer.
- Based on these points, there will be a manufacturer ranking for each manufacturer in the 3 regions.
- In the order of this point ranking, the points found in the table below will be awarded.
- The points awarded to each manufacturer in 3 regions is totaled, to determine the Global manufacturer ranking.
Or, for the more visually-oriented amongst us:
Star Players
An additional “Star Players” ranking will be available for select drivers. Players will automatically qualify if they’re in the top 200 of the global rankings in a season, or in the top 10 for their country/manufacturer. An in-game pop-up will direct eligible players to the official GT site for registration — just remember the age/region limitations posted earlier in the article.
For more details on the FIA Gran Turismo Championship season, check out the official site. And start practicing!
See more articles on FIA Online Championship.
