eSports is a game competition in which players compete to win or lose in various game genres such as fighting, shooting, puzzle, and strategy. The unique game presentation and the moment when attractive characters perform spectacular special moves are exciting even if you don't know the game. The genre of e-sports that is closest to reality is racing games, or "e-motorsports. Racing games in which players race on real courses in real cars against rivals are just as exciting as they are in real life. This time, the " AUTOBACS JEGT GRAND PRIX 2022 Series Supported by GRAN ", the highest e-motorsports competition in Japan, was held on January 14, 2023 (Saturday) as an official program of the " Tokyo Auto Salon 2023 ". 3 TOP LEAGUE ", Japan's top e-motorsports event, as an official program of "AUTOBACS JEGT GRAND PRIX 2022 Series Supported by GRAN TURISMO "! Don't miss the big upset!
AUTOBACS JEGT GRAND PRIX 2022 Series Final Round!
AUTOBACS JEGT GRAND PRIX 2022 Series" is the highest e-motorsports league in Japan, organized by Autobacs Seven Co. Two divisions, the Top League and theInter-Company Competition, began in September 2022, and the third and final round of the Top League was held on Saturday, January 14, 2023!
In Round 1 on Sunday, September 11, 2022, last year's champion "EVANGELION e-RACING with Hiroshima Mazda" won the championship, and in Round 2 on Saturday, December 3, 2022, "ARTA" won the championship for the first time in their history. The team standings at the start of Round 3, which will determine the overall winner, are as follows
- 1st EVANGELION e-RACING with Hiroshima Mazda (51 points)
- 2nd ARTA (37 points)
- 3rd D'station Racing (36 points)
- No.4 TC CORSE Esports MAZDA (33 points)
- 5th Sengoku Gaming (31 points)
- 6th TC CORSE SPK e-SPORT Racing (24 points)
- 7th eM Fukuoka Entate! Ward LEGENDS (16 points)
- 8th KOSHIDO RACING (8 points)
- 9th NISSAN x TRUST RACING (6 points)
- 10th KOSHIDO Jr. RACING (2 points)
The difference between 2nd and 5th place was only 6 points. EVANGELION e-RACING with Hiroshima Mazda" in first place is now in a clear lead with 14 points over second place, but depending on the results of Round 3, an upset may well be in the cards.
The starting position for the race will be determined by the results of the Super Lap held prior to the race, with "Sengoku Gaming" in the front row in pole position and "ARTA" on the front row. Viewers' predictions for the winner were 39% for ARTA, 26% for EVANGELION e-RACING with Hiroshima Mazda, and 10% for TC CORSE Esports MAZDA.
The course is Fuji Speedway and the number of laps is 24. The minimum number of laps required is 6, so each driver will do 6 to 12 laps.
Also, for the first time in JEGT, the "Equal Condition Mode" will be turned off. The wind will affect the straight speed, and the wind direction will change randomly over time. Fuji Speedway is famous for its 1.5km home straight, and if the wind direction is not grasped properly, braking points will vary and affect the time. Penalties during the race will be strictly enforced, so it is important to stay calm and follow each operation and procedure.
Manabu Suzuki will provide the live commentary, while Nobuteru Taniguchi and Kenta Nishizawa will provide the commentary. The 30 players from 10 teams, as well as the play-by-play commentary team and spectators, will come together for Round 3, which will be held in an offline format. Even before the game, you could feel the tension between the players and the pit.
Finally, the race is underway!
Round 3 finally got underway with a rolling start as each car started at speed! Sengoku Gaming", the pole position car, maintains its 1st position, but "ARTA", the front row car, drops down to 5th position.
From the opening lap, the teams were in a tight battle. Before the first corner on lap 2, "TC CORSE SPK e-SPORT Racing," "ARTA," and "EVANGELION e-RACING with Hiroshima Mazda" lined up three-wide at top speed!
The teams that chose hard tires for the first runners pitted one after another. While the teams change tires and refuel, driver changes take place. Driver changeover procedures are also regulated, and any violations will result in penalties, so the teams must be on their toes. Because the race is fought over fractions of a second, the competitors themselves must run to change drivers, and if they fall off the stage in the heat of the moment, they will be disqualified. They are on the edge of their seats even outside the race.
Accident in the middle of the race
After 10 laps, "EVANGELION e-RACING with Hiroshima Mazda," the No. 1 ranked team, unexpectedly came in last place after delaying their pit stop! It appears that an operational error occurred during the tire change. If this situation continues, the team that wins the 3rd round will be crowned champion.
Sengoku Gaming" is in first place, and their team logo shines in the western sun of Fuji Speedway! Incidentally, "Sengoku Gaming" has announced the renewal of their logo, and this may be the last time we see them in the race.
Fate Divided in the Final Laps
The third-place finishers in each race are all present for the final battle. "TC CORSE Esports MAZDA" and "D'station Racing" were fighting for position from the home straight to the first and second corners. It was very interesting to see the position change rapidly depending on the difference in the tires left on the third-placed driver!
The first-place winner was "Sengoku Gaming", who was running alone from start to finish, thanks to a pit stop strategy that worked perfectly. Second place went to "TC CORSE Esports MAZDA" and third to "D'station Racing". The third-place finishers from each team, who had just finished the race, were on stage to congratulate each other on their efforts.
The race standings have been determined for the moment, but the final standings will be determined after deliberations and penalties for dangerous driving and pit procedure violations are added to the results.
The overall standings for the year are announced!
The final standings are now finalized based on the results of the first and second rounds!
3rd EVANGELION e-RACING with Hiroshima Mazda
- Takuma Miyazono
- Kiyoya Suzuki
- Tomoei Yamanaka
In third place is EVANGELION e-RACING with Hiroshima Mazda! Last year's champion had saved a lot of money in the first and second rounds, but an accident and a penalty in the third round of this year's championship resulted in a third place finish.
2nd TC CORSE Esports MAZDA
- Tadato Sasaki
- Tatsuhiko Kato
- Shoutarou Ryu
In second place is TC CORSE Esports MAZDA! The team showed consistent performance throughout the season. They will receive 500,000 yen and a trophy!
Poroppolo!
Tadato Sasaki dropped the trophy. He must have been competing hard up to this point. It happens. The facilitator, Mr. Alee, gave a nice follow-up, saying, " That's how shiny and polished the trophy is.
First place: Sengoku Gaming
- Kanade Kawakami Player
- Hiroshi Okumoto
- Shunsuke Imamura
The new champions are "Sengoku Gaming"! They were in 5th place in the overall standings until the second round, but made a great comeback in the third round!
Mr. Kiyomi Kobayashi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Autobacs Seven Co.
In addition, the winner's trophy will be presented! Kanade Kawakami accepts the trophy on behalf of the team!
Greetings from Mr. Yoshimi Kobayashi, Chairman of the Board
We are at the top of the 3.5 million (e-sports population in Japan). The more you work hard, the more players there will be. Please lead the way until we reach 5 or 10 million! Thank you very much!
Interview with the winner
- How do you feel now?
Kanade Kawakami: I am really happy. I have had a good season, and the result of all my preparation and practice led me to the victory.
- I was impressed by how calmly he communicated with the pit.
Hiroshi Okumoto: Imamura, who was in first place, made a big gap, so I was able to just concentrate on driving calmly.
- How was your first position?
Shunsuke Imamura: I got off to a good start from pole position and was able to get away from the pack, and I was also blessed with a good race development, so I was happy.
- What would you like to say for the next season?
Shunsuke Imamura: I will do my best to win the championship next season!
Round 3 Race Results
The final results of Round 3, including penalties, were shown on the screen.
- 1st Sengoku Gaming (35 points added)
- 2nd TC CORSE SPK e-SPORT Racing (25 points added)
- Third place: TC CORSE Esports MAZDA (20 points)
- 4th ARTA (15 points added)
- 5th KOSHIDO RACING (12 points added)
- 6th D'station Racing (9 points added)
- 7th eM Fukuoka Entate! Ward LEGENDS (7 points added)
- 8th NISSAN × TRUST RACING (5 points added)
- 9th KOSHIDO Jr. RACING (3 points added)
- 10th EVANGELION e-RACING with Hiroshima Mazda (1 point added)
Except for Sengoku Gaming (1st) and TC CORSE SPK e-SPORT Racing (2nd), the other eight teams were penalized in Round 3. This shows how important it is to be fair and courteous in a heated race.
Comment from Mr. Nobuteru Taniguchi
Every race showed us wonderful battles and drama. I felt that it was no different from the actual SUPER GT. In addition, the camera angles in Gran Turismo are really cool, and I was impressed by them. I hope that many more people will play the game and learn that there is more fun, tension, and hot racing.
Comment from SPYGEA
First of all, I would like to thank all the players for their hard work. It was fun to see the fruits of your hard work, which you practiced every day, up close on this big stage. When I actually played in the exhibition, it was too difficult, and I thought the drivers were amazing (laugh). I thought I love cars again, and I wanted to support them because of the handshakes after the race and at the awards ceremony.
Comment from Yuta Seki
I was able to watch the high-level battles behind the scenes. When I played the game myself, I could see firsthand how great it was being done. Even just driving straight, the tires would slip and I almost crashed a few times. It was a great opportunity to see the culmination of a tremendous amount of practice. Thank you!
AUTOBACS JEGT GRAND PRIX 2022 Series Supported by GRAN TURISMO" has now come to a close! The competition has been held in two divisions, the Top League and theCorporate Competition, since September 2022, and we are very happy that it was finally held offline as one of the programs of the "Tokyo Auto Salon 2023"! The audience cheered every time there was a battle for position. It was great to be able to directly see the interaction between the drivers' seats and the pit, and to feel the excitement firsthand.
After the distribution ended, we also saw the players communicating with each other. It is one of the best parts of being offline, where the players who have been engaged in fierce battles online can interact with each other on a team basis. Let's keep an eye on the next season and beyond!
What would happen if people who are very active in the worlds of motorsports and e-sports, respectively, faced off in a race? We will soon be releasing a video of an exhibition race in which Nobuteru Taniguchi (@NOB_TANIGUCHI), Sumire Sawa (@sumiresour), SPYGEA (@spygea_jp), Yuta Seki (@stylishnoob) and other spectacular performers compete against each other, so stay tuned!