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EUROPEAN FINAL
Germany Claim the Crown! Hizal (TRL_LIGHTNING) Wins All Three Races to Take the European Title!
Nations Cup: European Final
22/10/2018

The final race took place on the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya - a new track, making its debut appearance here. All drivers drove the same car, the Red Bull X2014 Standard.
Despite the fact that the same conditions applied to all drivers and that they had had time to practise on the circuit, there were significant discrepancies in qualifying times. Several drivers repeatedly span or left the course as they sought to push their cars to the limit.

The first incident of note took place at the very start of the race. Italy's Giorgio Mangano (Giorgio_57), who was second on the grid, got stuck in a rear wheelspin, and fell down to sixth place.

The race's early leader was Germany's Mikail Hizal (TRL_LIGHTNING), the winner of the previous two races and the hot favourite to win the competition. As it turned out, however, he would face stiff competition from Spain's Jorge López (Williams_Coque14).

As a Spaniard, López (Williams_Coque14) is very familiar with the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, and was no doubt buoyed by the sight of several Spanish flags in the stands.
He was the only driver who'd opted for soft tyres at the start of the race, and performed fantastically on the first lap, jumping up to third position.

Lucas Ordóñez, in the Spanish commentary booth, could barely conceal his excitement.

By the tenth lap, López (Williams_Coque14) was hot on Hizal (TRL_LIGHTNING)'s heels.

On the first corner of lap 11, López (Williams_Coque14) overtook Hizal (TRL_LIGHTNING) to take first place.
At the first pit stop, Hizal (TRL_LIGHTNING) opted for hard tyres while López (Williams_Coque14) chose medium tyres. This strategy appeared to pay off, as López (Williams_Coque14) held the lead for four laps, cheers of adulation for the local hero pouring down from the stands.

Mangano (Giorgio_57) saw his hopes of clinching the title slip away as he made a number of errors, including one where his rear tyre left the track, causing him to enter a spin. He eventually fell down to sixth place. Mangano (Giorgio_57) suffered a number of misfortunes during the European Final, including a mechanical failure in the first race, but he'll have another chance to show what he's capable of in the World Tour.

Hizal (TRL_LIGHTNING) went into the race's closing stages on soft tyres, while López (Williams_Coque14) opted for hard. This would prove to be the decision that would seal the fate of the race - López (Williams_Coque14) defeated by Hizal (TRL_LIGHTNING)'s masterful tyre management. Hizal (TRL_LIGHTNING) picked up the pace and surged past López (Williams_Coque14) to reclaim the lead.

It had been a breathtaking battle over twenty laps, but in the end Hizal (TRL_LIGHTNING) emerged victorious. He had performed spectacularly throughout all three races, winning them all and crushing the competition.

Hizal (TRL_LIGHTNING) is a genius driver, and is also a keen student of Japanese. He can already hold basic conversations without any difficulty. His passion for Japanese video games is one of the main reasons for this. He is not only learning Japanese in order to play the games themselves, however - he is also keen to interact with the Japanese gaming community.

The UK's Adam Suswillo (GTP_Aderrrm) ended the compettion without any victories to his name, but his fine driving saw him pick up enough points to end the competition in second place. Just as he had done in the online series, Suswillo (GTP_Aderrrm) once again showed that he is a very strong all-round driver.

A combination of mistakes and misfortune saw Mangano (Giorgio_57) end the final race in sixth place, allowing Suswillo (GTP_Aderrrm) to overtake him in the point rankings, pushing him down to third place. He will be looking to reverse his fortunes once the World Tour beings.

López (Williams_Coque14) ended the competition in seventh place, but made a big impact on the European Finals with the skill and intensity of his driving. The Spaniard briefly threatened an upset by beating Hizal (TRL_LIGHTNING) in the final race, and that alone suggests that we can expect big things of him in the future.

Germany's Mikail Hizal (TRL_LIGHTNING)

I'll be having cookies and Turkish tea at the World Finals!
Joking aside, I really like the fact that in Race 3 we were all driving the Red Bull X2014, which meant that conditions were the same for all of us and we could see who was really the fastest. For me personally I think it was my best race and a great way to end the European finals.
I'm hoping to take this form to the World Finals - I'm looking forward to racing against, and hopefully beating, the best drivers in the world!

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