Reigning GT Sport Nations Cup champion Takuma Miyazono has the chance to win at his home Olympic games, but 15 other drivers will be there to try to stop him.
Photo credit: GT Sport
Esports racing is a part of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, and the finals of the event are already just around the corner! Wednesday, 23 June will see the world finals of the inaugural Olympic Virtual Series Motor Sport Event, held on Gran Turismo Sport and with FIA accreditation. The 16 qualifiers have been officially confirmed, and they will make up the grid for the final event itself.
World champion faces tough competition
Many of the drivers who qualified are well-established names in the world of GT Sport competition. Takuma Miyazono,, the reigning GT Sport Nations Cup champion, will be the home-country hero representing Japan. While he is likely to be one of the favourites, he will not have things all his own way.
Two competitors who are likely to challenge Miyazono are his Manufacturers Cup teammates Mikail Hizal and Daniel Solis of the United States. Hizal was also the Nations Cup champion back in 2019, so the German certainly has pedigree. Italy’s Valerio Gallo only fell short of Miyazono by three points in the 2020 Nations Cup, and will certainly be eager to settle the score. Jose Serrano and Andrew Brooks, two more top ten finishers in 2020, will also be entering the Olympic fray to fight for medals, representing Spain and Canada respectively.
Finalists confirmed in inaugural Olympic Virtual Series
— FIA (@fia) June 22, 2021
Motor sport event
The scene is set for a thrilling finale to the inaugural Olympic Virtual Series – Motor Sport Event on Olympic Day tomorrow (23 June)#OlympicVirtualSeries @Olympics https://t.co/U73OHg3R2S
Each participating driver hails from a separate nation, meaning that 16 different countries will field competitors in the event. From the European qualifiers, Frenchman Baptiste Beauvois and Patrick Blazsan from Hungary also made it to the finals, as did Kostas Konstantinou of Greece and Czech Nick Moysov.
Progression through the Asian qualifying section alongside Miyazono are three drivers. Hong Kong’s Stanford Chau, Nathayos Sirigaya from Thailand, and the Malaysian representative Taj Aiman have all earned a spot on the Olympic grid. 2018 Nations Cup winner and ex-Red Bull driver Igor Fraga will be the Brazilian entry, with Angel Inostroza from Chile being the other Central and South America qualifier. Finally, to round out the field of sixteen is the Oceania contestant Adam Wilk who hails from Australia.
Commemorating Olympic’s revival
The date 23 June was chosen for the final itself as it falls on Olympic Day, the day on which the Olympics were originally founded back in 1894. It will consist of three races, each of which will yield points to the drivers. At the end of the three races, the driver with the most points accumulated will be victorious in the Olympic Virtual Series Motor Sport Event.
If you want to catch the action, you can do so over on the Olympic Games website, or on the IOC Facebook page. The show will begin at 6 PM CEST, and will feature analyses and interviews alongside the racing itself.
Who do you think will claim gold in the Olympic Virtual Series? Tell us on Twitter at @OverTake_gg or in the comments down below!
