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MANUFACTURER SERIES
Nissan dominates the series! Akagi_1942mi overwhelms his rivals to secure both titles!
2018 Series, Final Season: Manufacturer Series
2018/09/12

This was the final event of the Manufacturer Series, held at the Autódromo de Interlagos. Each of the manufacturers staked their pride on this, the deciding race.

#12 Kawakana222 (Lexus), who began in pole position, and #9 Akagi_1942mi (Nissan), second on the grid, didn’t quite get off the starting line as quickly as they might have hoped, but third-placed #13 CLS63AMG-sc (Mercedes-Benz) took the lead and soared into the first corner.
While #7 yamado_racing38 (Toyota) came into this final race at the top of the rankings, a failed bid for pole position in the qualifier resulted in a disappointing start at 11th on the grid.

As the race progressed, #13 CLS63AMG-sc (Mercedes-Benz) continued to extend an already impressive lead over the rest of the pack. A group vying for second place trailed some distance behind, consisting of #12 Kawakana222 (Lexus), who was it had been hoped might seize the title in a surprise upset, #3 s-shohei (Honda) and #9 Akagi_1942mi.

#7 yamado_racing38 (Toyota) managed to move steadily up from 11th to 6th, but that hunger for the title came to nothing thanks to a series of off-track and contact penalties.

The second-place group, led by #12 Kawakana222 (Lexus), finally managed to diminish race leader #13 CLS63AMG-sc (Mercedes-Benz)’s lead in the 9th lap, before making a mid-race pit stop during the 11th.

At this point, positions within the leading group changed significantly. #12 Kawakana222 (Lexus) and #9 Akagi_1942mi (Nissan) succeeded in regaining the 1-2 positioning they enjoyed on the starting grid thanks to a strategy of restraining pace in the first half in order to conserve fuel.
#13 CLS63AMG-sc (Mercedes-Benz), who until then had been in the lead, was hemmed in by #24 Adam_2167 (Ford), who had pushed into third place after employing a two-stop strategy, preventing a return to the front line of the battle for first place.

A breathtaking fight for the top spot then ensued between Kawakana222 and Akagi_1942mi.

On the home straight of the 17th lap, #9 Akagi_1942 (Nissan) finally pushed into the lead. While both drivers had picked up time penalties, a wide line taken by #12 Kawakana222 (Lexus) resulted in a further penalty, putting paid to any ambitions of recovering the top spot.

#9 Akagi_1942mi (Nissan) crosses the finish line ahead of the veteran #12 Kawakana222 (Lexus), despite initial expectations that the nature of the track would put the GT-R at a disadvantage, and Nissan secures the Manufacturer Series title.

This was a second title in a row for Akagi_1942, who also won the Nations Cup held just before the final Manufacturer Series race.

After the race, yamado_racing38, a veteran driver in online Gran Turismo events, had this to say: “I’m happy with the fact that I worked my way up from 11th to 5th place, and the penalties I picked up were my fault—if I hadn’t dropped to 11th in the qualifier, they would never have happened.”

While many Japanese veteran drivers are losing speed and motivation, only yamado_racing38 succeeds in continuing to maintain prime position at the top. Despite this perennial champion narrowly missing out on the series title, it was a truly enjoyable race that proved not only to be a clash between manufacturers, but also between veterans and new talent.

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 Nissan Akagi_1942mi S S 2543 2756 2374 2162 2702 3673 1710 2856 - 9663 21650
2 Lexus Kawakana222 S S 2326 2484 2523 - 2251 4041 1967 3237 - 9269 21554
3 Honda s-shohei_ S S 2843 2320 2671 0 2559 4225 2280 2285 2777 8875 21391
4 Toyota yamado_racing38 S S 1795 2648 2077 2603 2750 3122 2588 3999 - 8087 20606
5 Mercedes-Benz CLS63AMG-sc S S 2394 2060 2416 2473 1656 3490 1842 2095 2046 8481 19254
6 BMW okasan_joestar07 S S 2035 2796 2614 1962 1736 2571 - 1904 - 6906 16922
7 BMW JUN-_-JEEEEN S S 1744 2354 2760 2595 2460 2755 - 3618 - 4937 16665
8 Subaru Kerokkuma_ej20 S S 1945 1765 2282 2055 1881 - 1437 3047 1944 7300 16629
9 Aston Martin legacy0193 S S 1225 882 2033 2192 2315 1379 - 2374 2005 7694 16608
10 Hyundai m2vsmario S S 2450 2213 1484 2103 828 1469 1827 - 2407 6512 15685

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