2023 Gran Turismo World Series Showdown

The 2023 Gran Turismo World Series Showdown was a playoff event in the Gran Turismo World Series, which took place on August 11-12, 2023, at Theater Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands. Unlike the previous season, no online, tape-delayed races are held for points battle purposes, nor there are season-wide points.
The event was open to the general public, with ticket sales beginning on June 12, 2023 for Platinum tickets (a 3-day ticket that also includes a special premiere of the Gran Turismo film on August 10 at the Pathé Tuschinski Theater and a Q&A session with Kazunori Yamauchi) and on June 19, 2023 for single-day tickets (attendees must purchase both Manufacturers Cup and Nations Cup separately to watch both events without a Platinum ticket).
==Manufacturers Cup==
The Manufacturers Cup portion of the event took place on August 11, 2023.
===Entry List===
The Manufacturers Cup race consists of the top 12 manufacturers in the GT1 League's Global Manufacturer Rankings of the 2023 Online Series, with the partner manufacturers being granted "immunity" from failing to qualify. Each manufacturer has three drivers, one chosen from the best driver in the GT1 League of the online series for each region (Americas, EMEA, Asia-Oceania).
One driver will do the qualifying run (both the nine-minute and top six shootout), and during the race, all drivers must participate by performing driver changes during the pit-stop period. If a team is one driver short, the first driver will do the third stint.
(P) indicates a partner manufacturer, which has a guaranteed entry regardless of if they finished outside of the top 12 in the online series. (c) indicates the defending champion make, while (fc) indicates a former champion team.
Car numbers listed here are only used in the first qualifying session; the actual numbers used in the second qualifying session and the race is based on their qualifying position. Also, the driver list reflects what appears on the Gran Turismo website, and may not reflect the actual driver order during the event.
Team 	Number	Car 	Drivers
McLaren 	1 	McLaren 650S GT3 '15 	Donovan Parker Konstantinos Konstantinou Koki Mizuno
Toyota (P, fc) 	2 	Toyota GR Supra Racing Concept '18 	Adriano Carrazza Coque López Rikuto Kobayashi
Nissan 	3 	Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 '18 	Ryota Kokobun Mehdi Hafidi Mateo Estevez
Subaru (c) 	4 	Subaru BRZ GT300 '21 	Takuma Miyazono Roberto Sternberg Kylian Drumont
BMW 	5 	BMW M6 GT3 Sprint Model '16 	Rodrigo RegaladoCalen Roach (CalenJRoach) was the top scoring driver for BMW in the Americas, but is ineligible to compete as he is underage. Rodrigo serves as his replacement. Seiya Suzuki Thomas Labouteley
AMGAMG was referred as "Mercedes-AMG" throughout the event, except by commentators. 	6 	Mercedes-AMG GT3 '20 	Lucas Bonelli Tomoaki Yamanaka Baptiste Beauvois
Mazda (P) 	7 	Mazda RX-Vision GT3 Concept Stealth ModelMazda used the Stealth Model version of the RX-Vision GT3 Concept, although the car performs identically to the regular counterpart.	Pol Urra Hiroshi Okumoto Robert Heck
Lamborghini 	8 	Lamborghini Huracán GT3 '15 	Will Murdoch Randall Haywood Yuki Kodaka
Porsche 	9 	Porsche 911 RSR (991) '17 	Jose Serrano Takuma Sasaki Angel Inostroza
Honda 	10 	Honda NSX Gr.3 	Soki Nabetani Valerio Gallo João Pessôa
Renault 	11 	Renault Sport R.S.01 GT3 '16 	Guy Barbara Alex López Murillo Arthur Mosso
Genesis (P)Genesis finished 13th in the online standings, therefore qualifying through partner immunity. This had the effect of Ferrari, who finished 12th in the online standings, failing to qualify for the live events.	12 	Genesis X GR3 	Dean Heldt Nicolas Romero Yuito Sasaki
====Notes====
===Qualifying===
The qualifying is held into two sessions: a nine-minute qualifying shootout the rest of the grid, and a top six shootout to determine the pole position. Only the top-six shootout was part of the broadcast.
Bold indicates the fastest driver in each session.
Driver information for teams eliminated in the Q1 is currently unknown, except for Genesis.
Pos	Team 	Qualifying Driver	Time (Q1)	Time (Q2)
1 	BMW 	Thomas Labouteley	1:56.902 	1:57.094
2 	Subaru 	Kylian Drumont 	1:57.225 	1:57.404
3 	Porsche 	Jose Serrano 	1:57.105 	1:57.422
4 	Honda 	Valerio Gallo 	1:57.219 	1:57.528
5 	Nissan 	Mehdi Hafidi 	1:57.206 	1:57.556
6 	AMG 	Baptiste Beauvois	1:57.135 	1:57.773
7 	Mazda 	 	1:57.261 	Eliminated
8 	Genesis 	Nicholas Romero 	1:57.323 	Eliminated
9 	Lamborghini	 	1:57.425 	Eliminated
10 	Toyota 	 	1:57.452 	Eliminated
11 	McLaren 	 	1:57.599 	Eliminated
12 	Renault 	 	1:57.788 	Eliminated
* For Manufacturers Cup qualifying, Q1 refers to the standard qualifying before the broadcast, while Q2 refers to the top six shootout.
===Race===
After a chaotic start and a rainstorm throughout the middle stages of the race (that initially only covered parts of the track), it appeared as if Subaru was heading towards a dominant victory as the race progresses. However, a pit line violation, the decision to use hard tires in the closing stint (most other teams opted to use medium tires), and Roberto Sternberg's (Subaru final stint driver) struggle with the car's reduced grip amidst cold road temperature and tires meant that Porsche would take away the crown from Subaru with few laps to go, even with Porsche being one driver short due to their star driver Angel Inostroza being injured.
Pos	Team 	Time 	Q Grid
1 	Porsche 	1:14.27.687	3
2 	Subaru 	+6.385 	2
3 	Lamborghini	+10.682 	9
4 	Toyota 	+15.760 	10
5 	Nissan 	+20.031 	5
6 	BMW 	+27.534 	1
7 	Honda 	+33.166 	4
8 	Genesis 	+34.266 	8
9 	Mazda 	+39.655 	7
10 	Renault 	+40.572 	12
11 	McLaren 	+42.468 	11
12 	AMG 	+46.207 	6
Fastest Lap: Kylian Drumont (Subaru) - 1:58.822
==Nations Cup==
The Nations Cup portion of the event took place on August 12, 2023.
===Entry List===
The Nations Cup saw a format change for 2023. Instead of every driver for themselves, players represent their country as a team. Each country is represented by respective country's top three drivers in the GT1 League standings, while qualifying countries are determined by the highest placed player in the GT1 League standings.
Each region is capped to a set number of countries, for a total of 12 participating countries:
* Europe, Middle East, Africa: 5
* North America: 2 (both United States and Canada automatically qualify as these are the only countries in that region)
* Central/South Americas: 2
* Asia: 2
* Oceania: 1
The race is divided into two races, the Qualifying Race, a one-driver race that determines their qualifying position in the grand finals, and the Grand Final, where all members of the country's team participate.
(c) indicates the defending Nations Cup champion, while (fc) indicates a former champion.
The driver list below as what appears on the Gran Turismo website, determined from their per-country GT1 League standings. The driver in the first line is the driver that will race in the qualifiers, unless otherwise noted. Also note that car numbers for this portion of the event are determined by their qualifying spot.
Region 	Country 	Drivers
Europe/Middle East/Africa	Spain 	Jose SerranoCoque López (c)Pol Urra
Europe/Middle East/Africa	France 	Kylian DrumontBaptiste BeauvoisThomas Labouteley
Europe/Middle East/Africa	Italy 	Valerio Gallo (fc)Giorgio ManganoMarco Busnelli
Europe/Middle East/Africa	Netherlands 	Kaj de BruinFloris SimmermanRick Kevelham
Europe/Middle East/Africa	Belgium 	Quinten JehoulGiovanni BaccellieriKeanu De Vroe
North America 	United States	Kevan PounderDonovan ParkerRandall HaywoodCalen Roach (CalenJRoach) was the thirdmost-scoring driver in the American GT1 League standings, but is ineligible to compete as he is underage. Haywood, fourth in the standings, serves as his replacement.
North America 	Canada 	Ethan LimTrent JeffreyMark Pinnell
Central/South Americas 	Brazil 	Adriano CarrazzaLucas BonelliIgor Fraga (fc)
Central/South Americas 	Chile 	Angel InostrozaHarald WalsenFelipe Muñoz
Asia 	Japan 	Rikuto KobayashiTakuma SasakiSeiya Suzuki
Asia 	Malaysia 	Dhanesh WigneswaranTaj AimanMelvin Chung
Oceania 	New Zealand 	Matthew McEwenSimon BishopThomas England
 
====Notes====
===Qualifying===
The time trial qualifiers took place before the broadcast, to decide their start grid as well as their car picking order for the Qualifying Race.
Pos	Team 	Qualifying Driver 	Time
1 	France 	Kylian Drumont 	1:28.104
2 	Italy 	Valerio Gallo 	1:28.631
3 	Japan 	Rikuto Kobayashi 	1:28.677
4 	Spain 	Jose Serrano 	1:28.733
5 	Belgium 	Quinten Jehoul 	1:28.946
6 	Brazil 	Adriano Carrazza 	1:29.058
7 	New Zealand 	Matthew McEwen 	1:29.100
8 	Netherlands 	Kaj De Bruin 	1:29.253
9 	Malaysia 	Dhanesh Wigneswaran	1:29.468
10 	Canada 	Ethan Lim 	1:29.502
11 	Chile 	Harald Walsen 	1:29.519
12 	United States	Kevan Pounder 	1:58.740
===Qualifying Race===
Twelve road cars, pre-tuned by Polyphony Digital officials, were provided for the qualifying race that determines the starting grid for the main race. All cars feature similar livery pattern, only differing in colors, mostly referring to each maufacturer's colors.
Pos	Team 	Driver 	Car 	Time 	Q Grid
1 	France 	Kylian Drumont 	Mercedes-AMG GT S '15 	19:54.784	1
2 	Spain 	Jose Serrano 	Ford GT '06 	+6.273 	4
3 	Italy 	Valerio Gallo 	Honda NSX Type R '92 	+6.877 	2
4 	Japan 	Rikuto Kobayashi 	Porsche 911 GT3 (996) '01 	+7.947 	3
5 	Netherlands 	Kaj De Bruin 	Jaguar F-type R Coupe '14 	+10.731 	8
6 	Belgium 	Quinten Jehoul 	BMW M3 Coupé '07 	+11.083 	5
7 	Brazil 	Adriano Carrazza 	Toyota SUPRA RZ '97 	+15.425 	6
8 	Canada 	Ethan Lim 	Nissan Z Performance '23 	+16.033 	10
9 	Malaysia 	Dhanesh Wigneswaran	Mazda RX-Vision '15 	+20.001 	9
10 	New Zealand 	Matthew McEwen 	Ferrari F40 '92 	+21.142 	7
11 	United States	Kevan Pounder 	Lamborghini Diablo GT '00 	+22.999 	12
12 	Chile 	Harald Walsen 	Chevrolet Corvette Stingray (C7) '14	+26.066 	11
Fastest Lap: Rikuto Kobayashi - 1:58.667
===Grand Final===
Pos	Team 	Time 	Q Grid
1 	Spain 	46:51.256 	2
2 	Japan 	+15.968 	4
3 	Brazil 	+17.984 	7
4 	Italy 	+21.919 	3
5 	Netherlands 	+24.719 	5
6 	Belgium 	+30.186 	6
7 	France 	+42.470 	1
8 	Canada 	+44.548 	8
9 	Chile 	+44.609 	12
10 	United States	+53.508 	11
11 	New Zealand 	+1:00.038 	10
12 	Malaysia 	+1:49.908Malaysia's gap time is not posted on the race results, both on the stream and on the @thegranturismo's tweet; it is calculated from their total time, which did appear in the race results on the stream.	9
Fastest Lap: Rikuto Kobayashi - 1:30.595
====Notes====
==Winners==
Manufacturers Cup	Porsche	Jose Serrano Takuma Sasaki
Nations Cup 	Spain 	Jose SerranoCoque LópezPol Urra
Players who entered the Bonus Campaign with the correct predictions will receive a Cr. 1,000,000 Credit Ticket for each correct prediction, for a total of Cr. 2,000,000 for those who correctly predicted both winners. Distribution of the prizes began on August 14, 2023, and the prizes must be claimed before September 14, 2023.
==Michelin Driver of the Day==
Manufacturers Cup	Porsche	Jose Serrano
Nations Cup 	Spain 	Jose Serrano
==Viewer Campaign==
Returning from the previous year's World Finals, an in-game Viewer Campaign event was held, by simply watching the stream through the game; unlike that event, there are no associated quizzes. Delivery of prizes began on August 14 for those who watched the broadcast in-game by August 13 on 23:59 UTC, while those who watched later will receive them on August 21.Celebrating the World Series Showdown 2023 with Two Special Giveaway Campaigns! Enter to Win In-Game Prizes and Early Access to the Toyota Ambulance Himedic! - gran-turismo.com
The prizes for both Viewer Campaigns must be claimed before September 14, 2023, if received on August 14, or September 21, 2023, if received on August 21.
Date/Event 	Gift
August 11, 2023, 17:00 UTCManufacturers Cup	6-Star Roulette Ticket (Engine)
August 12, 2023, 17:00 UTCNations Cup 	Toyota Ambulance Himedic '21
==Trivia==
*Throughout the Manufacturers Cup broadcast (and in the race report posted on the Gran Turismo website), BMW and Nissan used their old logos. Additionally, Renault uses the now-disbanded Renault Sport division logo.
*The Manufacturers Cup race featured Suzuka Circuit with an updated branding, used since 2022. It is unknown if the updated branding will be released to the general public in a content update.
**The updated Suzuka Circuit branding was featured in news articles announcing the 1.38 (September 2023) update and the Spec II opening movie released in November 2023 (ahead of the World Finals), but was not actually included in either version. Additionally, promotional pictures for Honda Civic Type R (FL5) '22 and Honda NSX GT500 '00 featured the updated Suzuka Circuit logo used at the event.
*With Porsche's victory being done with just two drivers, it also marks the second victory for a two-driver team; Subaru had won the 2022 Manufacturers Cup Showdown with just two drivers after Takuma Miyazono had to miss that event because of a positive COVID-19 test.
*The Ferrari Vision Gran Turismo used during the qualifying for Nations Cup did not feature any livery, instead using the car's default colors. However, the F40 used in the event did have a standard livery pattern as used with the other cars in the event.
**The livery pattern used for pre-road cars was not carried over to subsequent live events involving such stipulation. Instead, subsequent pre-tuned road car races feature plain color cars. 
*Two races in the GTWS 2023-24 Exhibition Series online season serve as replicas of the Showdown races: the first round of the Manufacturers Cup and the second round of the Nations Cup (replicating the Nations Cup grand finals). That season's first round of the Nations Cup also feature the exact set of cars used in the Nations Cup qualifier race, but is held at Deep Forest Raceway instead of Grand Valley.Opening of the 'Gran Turismo World Series' Manufacturers Cup 2023/24 Exhibition Series - gran-turismo.comOpening of the 'Gran Turismo World Series' Nations Cup 2023/24 Exhibition Series - gran-turismo.com
**Additionally, five cars (the F40, Diablo GT, F-Type, M3, and NSX) were removed as playable car options due to balancing issues. The decision to cull the five cars took effect on September 12, 2023, four days after the Exhibition Series was announced.The "Gran Turismo World Series" Nations Cup 2023/2024 Exhibition Series Regulation Changes - gran-turismo.com
==References==
==External Links==
* GTWS Showdown on gran-turismo.com
* Race Report: On a Wet Track, the Most Unimaginable Comeback Took Place - gran-turismo.com
* Race Report: A Rock-solid Strategy Mixed With Incredible Driving Talent Wins the Day - gran-turismo.com
Category:Esports race reports