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NATIONS CUP
Victory for Japan! Strategic genius Akagi_1942mi wins the title!
2018 Series, Final Season: Nations Cup
12/09/2018

The Circuit de la Sarthe was the venue for the final race of the hotly contested 2018 series of the Nations Cup. This 8-lap event for Group 1 cars began with the Peugeot L750R HYbrid VGT, which was tipped to have the advantage in the race, dominating the top positions on the grid.

#18 TRL_holl01 (Australia) got off to a great start from pole position in the Peugeot L750R HYbrid VGT. #11 Akagi_1942mi, the favourite for the title, was the only driver to compete in a Toyota TS050 Hybrid, aiming to take advantage of the differences between this car and those of rival drivers to help push from 6th position to the top spot.

The six-kilometre-long straight of Les Hunaudières is where skilled drivers employ slipstream in order to conserve fuel.

It’s also where the battle intensified among a group vying for 4th place. #7 yamado_racing38 (Japan) led the pack, with #5 Kerokkuma_ej20 (Japan), #11 Akagi_1942mi (Japan) and #1 yukiku (Japan) in hot pursuit, each putting their cars’ maximum speed, acceleration and cornering speed to the test in a spectacular series of overtaking manoeuvres.

Having been in the lead until the midpoint of the race, #18 TRL_holl01 (Australia) made a pit stop at the start of the 4th lap for fresh tyres and fuel, followed by #17 MINT GTR (Australia), in second place, and #3 gilles_honda_v12 (Japan), in third.

However, #5 Kerokkuma_ej20 and #11 Akagi_1942mi elected to stay out of the pit, and together began a fresh battle for the lead, leaving the rest of the opposition, who had anticipated a stop, far behind.

The contest between the diesel and hybrid cars in the lead seemed like it might be a long one, but a sudden spurt from the Peugeot 908 HDi put #5 Kerokkuma_ej20 (Japan) ahead, widening the gap with #11 Akagi_1942mi (Japan), and leaving the Toyota out of range of the lead car’s slipstream.

Having secured a solid lead over #11 Akagi_1942 (Japan), who remained in second, #5 Kerokkuma_ej20 (Japan) was the first to be greeted by the chequered flag. However, this wasn’t enough to cause an upset in the points table, and, having finished second, #11 Akagi_1942mi (Japan) took the season title.

Since the test season, Akagi_1942 has demonstrated his precise, shrewd racing acumen on numerous occasions, such as in his surprising selection of cars. Speed alone is not enough to win the title, and Akagi_1942mi continues to compete in a world one step beyond every other player competing in Sport Mode.

Rank Driver DR SR Rd. 1 Rd. 2 Rd. 3 Rd. 4 Rd. 5 Rd. 6 Rd. 7 Rd. 8 Rd. 9 Rd. 10 Total
1 Japan Akagi_1942mi S S 2589 2054 1543 - 2198 3634 730 3977 2076 8380 20778
2 Japan Kerokkuma_ej20 S S 280 2495 2245 2593 2336 - 2325 3804 - 8750 19978
3 Hong Kong saika159- S S 2524 2047 - 1757 2737 - - 3631 - 6904 17843
4 Japan yukiku S S 1726 2201 1964 2305 1648 2941 2066 1556 2282 8011 17740
5 Australia warrior2167 S S 0 2284 0 2370 1833 1557 2250 3112 1858 7642 17658
6 Japan gilles_honda_v12 S S 0 1761 - 2017 2093 3460 2339 3285 1937 6166 17343
7 Japan yamado_racing38 S S 0 1908 924 2738 2061 1038 2376 2420 2522 6535 16591
8 Australia TRL_holl01 S S - - - - 2256 2768 1875 1495 2123 7273 16295
9 Japan Kawakana222 S S 2445 2348 - - 2503 3287 2046 2766 - 5059 16060
10 Japan CLS63AMG-sc S S 2665 2642 1122 2133 1786 3114 1986 2074 2389 3952 14762

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