GTWS 2026 Exhibition 2 Round 1 Suzuka: Hyundai's Perfect Sweep, BMW Anomaly and Porsche's GT1 Collapse

The opening round of the Manufacturers Cup at Suzuka Circuit delivered high-intensity racing and clear BoP trends across all three leagues. Suzuka's technical layout - defined by the high-speed S-Curves, heavy braking into Degner, and prolonged lateral loads - heavily penalized rear-engine tyre management while favoring balanced front-engine chassis dynamics.

Event Overview

Event: Gran Turismo World Series Manufacturers Cup - Round 1
Track: Suzuka Circuit
Leagues: GT1, GT2 and GT3
Featured Machinery: Gr.3 Class

GT1 League: Regional Winners & Global Standings

Hyundai (1st - 120 Points): Hyundai swept all three regions (Asia-Oceania: 40, EMEA: 40, North America: 40) for a maximum total. The Genesis Gr.3 long wheelbase provided exceptional stability through the S-Curves without shredding front tyres.
Ferrari (2nd - 105 Points): The 296 GT3 '23 proved fast and consistent, claiming second in Asia-Oceania (36) and EMEA (36), plus third in North America (33). Ferrari stood out as the sole mid-engine unicorn surviving near total front-engine dominance in the top ranks.
BMW (3rd - 81 Points): BMW pulled off a rare statistical anomaly by taking 3rd overall globally without securing a top-3 spot in any individual region (Asia-Oceania: 27, EMEA: 24, North America: 30). Consistency across regions outscored manufacturers with volatile regional finishes.
Porsche's Meta Collapse (7th - 65 Points): Following dominant seasons with the 911 GT3 R (992), Porsche tumbled to 7th overall. On current BoP settings, the rear-engine layout suffered severe rear tyre overheating out of Suzuka's long sweepers, dropping to 15 points in North America.

Individual Top Performers by Manufacturer

Hyundai: Calster (484 pts) and K. Drumont (484 pts) tied for maximum points.
Ferrari: M. Rosolen (411 pts) led the charge with a dominant performance.
Lexus: Twitch-F1Slayers (374 pts) topped the leaderboard.
BMW: Karsonracinguk (331 pts) led the team to its global 3rd spot.
Subaru: RedSky (309 pts) maximized the lightweight BRZ GT300 '21 to secure a regional victory in North America (36 pts).
Jaguar: PRiMA_Alpina (282 pts) anchored Jaguar's 4th place global finish (75 pts).

GT2 & GT3 Lower League Highlights

GT2 League:

Hyundai maintained its momentum in the intermediate tier, winning overall with 110 points.
Jaguar followed in second (92.5 pts).
Ferrari taking third (91.5 pts).

GT3 League:

Porsche found redemption in GT3, topping the global table with 104.5 points driven by heavy EMEA participation (40 pts).
Ferrari finished second (99.5 pts).
Hyundai rounded out the top three (96 pts).

GT1 League: Regional Winners & Global Standings

Hyundai (1st - 120 Points): Hyundai swept all three regions (Asia-Oceania: 40, EMEA: 40, North America: 40) for a maximum total. The Genesis Gr.3 long wheelbase provided exceptional stability through the S-Curves without shredding front tyres.

Ferrari (2nd - 105 Points): The 296 GT3 '23 proved fast and consistent, claiming second in Asia-Oceania (36) and EMEA (36), plus third in North America (33). Ferrari stood out as the sole mid-engine unicorn surviving near total front-engine dominance in the top ranks.

BMW (3rd - 81 Points): BMW pulled off a rare statistical anomaly by taking 3rd overall globally without securing a top-3 spot in any individual region (Asia-Oceania: 27, EMEA: 24, North America: 30). Consistency across regions outscored manufacturers with volatile regional finishes.

Porsche's Meta Collapse (7th - 65 Points): Following dominant seasons with the 911 GT3 R (992), Porsche tumbled to 7th overall. On current BoP settings, the rear-engine layout suffered severe rear tyre overheating out of Suzuka's long sweepers, dropping to 15 points in North America.

Individual Top Performers by Manufacturer

Hyundai: Calster (484 pts) and K. Drumont (484 pts) tied for maximum points.

Ferrari: M. Rosolen (411 pts) led the charge with a dominant performance.

Lexus: Twitch-F1Slayers (374 pts) topped the leaderboard.

BMW: Karsonracinguk (331 pts) led the team to its global 3rd spot.

Subaru: RedSky (309 pts) maximized the lightweight BRZ GT300 '21 to secure a regional victory in North America (36 pts).

Jaguar: PRiMA_Alpina (282 pts) anchored Jaguar's 4th place global finish (75 pts).

GT2 & GT3 Lower League Highlights

GT2 League:

Hyundai maintained its momentum in the intermediate tier, winning overall with 110 points.

Jaguar followed in second (92.5 pts).

Ferrari taking third (91.5 pts).

GT3 League:

Porsche found redemption in GT3, topping the global table with 104.5 points driven by heavy EMEA participation (40 pts).

Ferrari finished second (99.5 pts).

Hyundai rounded out the top three (96 pts).