Attention Gran Turismo drivers! We’re excited to announce details of the Gran Turismo World Series 2024. Gear up and get ready for another nail-biting season as we start a new format – The Nations Cup and Manufacturers Cup will feature six rounds of Online Qualifiers each.* The best players will progress to four live rounds with spectators, culminating in the World Finals
Montreal, Prague and Tokyo announced as host destinations for the Gran Turismo World Series Rounds 1-3 with the venue for the World Finals to be announced.
The Gran Turismo World Series 2024 gets underway on Wednesday, April 17. Any player who has a copy of Gran Turismo 7 for PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 5 can enter the series by heading to the Sport mode in the game. Once there, sign up for the Nations Cup – racing to represent your home country or territory – and/or the Manufacturers Cup, racing for your favorite manufacturer.
First up from April 17 are the Online Qualifiers for the Nations Cup: six rounds played out over three weeks. From Wednesday, 8 May the action switches to the Manufacturers Cup, similarly with three weeks and six rounds of Online Qualifiers.
At the end of the Online Qualifiers, the top players will be selected to attend the live events. In a change to the format for 2024, three live Gran Turismo World Series Rounds will lead into the end-of-season World Finals.
The calendar for the Gran Turismo World Series 2024 live events is as follows:
- Round 1 – Montreal, Canada | Saturday, 6 July
- Round 2 – Prague, Czechia | Saturday, August 10
- Round 3 – Tokyo, Japan | Saturday, September 28
- World Finals – Date and location to be announced
Fans unable to attend the live events won’t miss any of the action, with each round set to be broadcast live on https://www.gran-turismo.com/world/live/ and https://www.youtube.com/@GRANTURISMOTV.
In the Nations Cup, the top 12 players (five from the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region; two each from the Central & South America, North America and Asia regions; and one from the Oceania region) will be invited to compete in all four live events. With the 2024 Nations Cup reverting to an individual competition, the 12 competitors will battle at all three Gran Turismo World Series Rounds and the World Finals. Points accumulated at each round will determine the overall 2024 World Champion.
The Manufacturers Cup remains a team competition, but with a new twist for 2024. World Series partners Toyota Gazoo Racing, Mazda and Genesis are guaranteed a starting spot at each live event. The other top manufacturers from the Online Qualifiers ranking will create a total field of 12. In the Gran Turismo World Series Rounds 1-3, each manufacturer will be represented by their top driver from the corresponding region to where the event is hosted – Americas in Montreal, EMEA in Prague and Asia-Oceania in Tokyo. For the World Finals, the three drivers per team will be united to compete together. Again, points will be cumulative to decide the World Champions.
The Gran Turismo World Series began in 2018, and 2024 is the seventh season of the ultra-competitive SIM racing championships. In 2023, a thrilling World Finals played out before a lively audience in Barcelona.
It was an unexpected, and first-ever, win for Team Nissan in the Manufacturers Cup with Ryota Kokubun (JPN), Mehdi Hafidi (FRA) and Mateo Estevez (ARG) taking home the trophy. Team Mercedes-AMG and Team Genesis completed the podium.
In the Nations Cup, Team Spain was dominant in front of their enthusiastic and very vocal home crowd. The experienced Coque López and Jose Serrano were joined in the team by exciting, young newcomer Pol Urra to record an impressive win ahead of Team Japan and Team Brazil.
Producer of the Gran Turismo series. “We were keen to increase the number of live events for 2024 and so I am excited about the new format we have. Deciding the competitors for all events at an early stage will give fans a real opportunity to get to know our talented drivers and follow them through the season. We shall be at some great venues and so are looking forward to more events with the same fantastic atmosphere we had in Barcelona last year and, of course, more excellent racing.”
Michelin, Toyota Gazoo Racing (TGR), Genesis, Mazda, Brembo and Fanatec continue their support as official partners of the Gran Turismo World Series in 2024.
The Gran Turismo World Series is open to all players with any PS Plus membership for the online rounds through the ‘Sport’ mode in Gran Turismo 7. The Online Qualifiers are organized into a League format with three brackets determined by Driver Ratings, so that players compete in races against opponents of a similar level. Qualification for the live events is subject to terms and conditions which players can read and accept in game.
*Internet connection and PS Plus membership required for entry
Source: Playstation Blog
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