Last year’s Gran Turismo Nations Cup vice champion Angel Inostroza was injured in a road traffic collision earlier this year. He is now in Barcelona for the GT World Finals to make his comeback – and agreed to tell his story in an interview with us.
Image credit: Polyphony Digital
The World Finals for the Gran Turismo World Series is taking place this weekend. The series had a bit of a downsize this year, with the season getting underway with the World Series Showdown in Amsterdam back in August.
Unfortunately, one person that could not be in Amsterdam was Angel Inostroza. The Chilean came off second best after a controversial stewarding decision went in the favour of eventual champion Coque López in the Nations Cup Grand Final last year.
But in the month leading up to the Showdown, Inostroza was involved in a severe traffic collision.
He also took home a Bronze medal for Chile in the Olympic Esports Week Motor Sport event. With gold and silver going the way of France’s Kylian Drumont and Britain’s Will Murdoch respectively. But Gran Turismo is not the only platform where Inostroza has showcased his ability.
Inostroza also competes on Assetto Corsa Competizione, having raced in the GT World Challenge America Esports. He placed third in the Silver class last year, and was running third in the Pro class after the first two rounds before getting injured.
Along with ACC, he also raced on rFactor 2 and iRacing in the VCO Esports Racing World Cup for YAS HEAT. Clearly a very versatile driver and most certainly a beloved one. After his hospitalisation, messages of support came from all corners of the sim racing community.
Therefore, we could not go without interviewing Angel in the leadup to the World Finals this weekend.
OverTake: First things first Angel, how has it been for you since your traffic collision? What procedures have you been through and what are the expectations for your recovery?
Angel Inostroza: Well, the first two weeks after the accident, I was in the hospital and went through two surgeries. After getting discharged, I was not allowed to move my foot at all, had to stay in my bed. Could only do some little stuff.
Thankfully I am now able to put some pressure on my leg and can start walking again. Not at 100% yet but it is slowly getting there. It will certainly be a long journey, I do not know how many months it will take me to be at full health. But I am getting there.
OverTake: Rewinding back a bit, how did you get your start in competitive sim racing?
Angel Inostroza: That was back in 2019, a friend made me aware of the fact that GT Sport was hosting championship with live events. I wanted to be a part of that, so I bought a G29, a PlayStation 4 and the game, and that is how I began sim racing.
Not long after that, I took the win in the Tokyo 2019 World Tour event in the Manufacturers Series. That was within ten months of starting my sim racing career!
OverTake: What would you consider to be your greatest achievements in your time competing?
Angel Inostroza: Probably Tokyo 2019! (laughs) Aside from that though, probably last year when I got second place in the Nations Cup. Maybe a bit embarrassing considering what happened, but it is what it is.
What would you say are the biggest misconceptions about Gran Turismo when it is compared to the likes of iRacing, rFactor 2 and ACC among others?
Angel Inostroza: That is a good question. No doubt those three sims are more advanced, and many people say that Gran Turismo is a sim-cade. But honestly, if you are fast on one platform, you can be fast on every other platform.
You just have to be able to adjust yourself, adapt to the platform you are racing on. Have to know how the physics work, the same stuff you do to be fast on one platform, just adapt.
Some people believe GT is easy in comparison, and yes, driving ACC or iRacing may be a bit more difficult because you have to control the cars in other ways. But if you compare it to real life, every platform can be good for you to get to grips with driving and knowing how to control a car.
OverTake: Of course, this year the Nations Cup went from an individuals to a teams-based competition. How do you personally feel about that change?
Angel Inostroza: That is easy, I do not like it. Mainly because I cannot fight back from what happened last year. But on the other side of the argument, it is a good format in some way since it is similar to the Manufacturers Cup, which I do like.
But when it comes to a country team-based competition, there can be an uneven balance of high quality drivers from one country. There are drivers that are the only ones in their country who could get in as an individual but have no teammates to race with.
One of my teammates at Veloce is Karl Etyemezian. He is racing in the Toyota Gazoo Racing GT Cup, but he is the only high quality Gran Turismo driver from Lebanon and it would be impossible for him to do the Nations Cup with this format.
Of course, I know it is also very unlikely that winning Nations Cup this year is possible. But my Chilean teammates and I will do our best to get as good a result as we can.
OverTake: Heading into the World Finals, what are your expectations and hopes for both the Manufacturers Cup and Nations Cup competitions?
Angel Inostroza: On an individual basis, I expect I can do well in spite of my injury. I am still having difficulty lifting my foot that I use for the throttle. I do not think it will make much difference, since I have been able to adjust my pedals at home. But for the live event, it will be a bit different and I will see if I can make some changes, especially since I will be sharing my rigs with two others.
We have a good line-up for the Nations Cup, we are far behind in the standings but we will do our best. For the Manufacturers Cup, my Porsche teammates won the Showdown event so we can expect at least a top three result. Maybe even the championship? Anything can happen.
The Toyota Gazoo Racing GT Cup broadcast is on 1 December starting at 7pm CET. Following that, the Manufacturers Cup is on 2 December, also at 7pm CET. Finally, the Nations Cup will begin at 4pm CET on 3 December.
Will you be tuning in to the GT World Finals? Tell us on Twitter at @OverTake_gg or in the comments down below!
Image credit: Polyphony Digital
The World Finals for the Gran Turismo World Series is taking place this weekend. The series had a bit of a downsize this year, with the season getting underway with the World Series Showdown in Amsterdam back in August.
Unfortunately, one person that could not be in Amsterdam was Angel Inostroza. The Chilean came off second best after a controversial stewarding decision went in the favour of eventual champion Coque López in the Nations Cup Grand Final last year.
But in the month leading up to the Showdown, Inostroza was involved in a severe traffic collision.
An Esteemed Portfolio
The Chilean racer is part of the Veloce/YAS HEAT fold. He first burst onto the Gran Turismo competitive scene during the 2019 GT World Tour event in Tokyo. During the Manufacturers Series Grand Final, he performed an incredible comeback to take the win for Porsche.He also took home a Bronze medal for Chile in the Olympic Esports Week Motor Sport event. With gold and silver going the way of France’s Kylian Drumont and Britain’s Will Murdoch respectively. But Gran Turismo is not the only platform where Inostroza has showcased his ability.
Inostroza also competes on Assetto Corsa Competizione, having raced in the GT World Challenge America Esports. He placed third in the Silver class last year, and was running third in the Pro class after the first two rounds before getting injured.
Along with ACC, he also raced on rFactor 2 and iRacing in the VCO Esports Racing World Cup for YAS HEAT. Clearly a very versatile driver and most certainly a beloved one. After his hospitalisation, messages of support came from all corners of the sim racing community.
Therefore, we could not go without interviewing Angel in the leadup to the World Finals this weekend.
OverTake: First things first Angel, how has it been for you since your traffic collision? What procedures have you been through and what are the expectations for your recovery?
Angel Inostroza: Well, the first two weeks after the accident, I was in the hospital and went through two surgeries. After getting discharged, I was not allowed to move my foot at all, had to stay in my bed. Could only do some little stuff.
Thankfully I am now able to put some pressure on my leg and can start walking again. Not at 100% yet but it is slowly getting there. It will certainly be a long journey, I do not know how many months it will take me to be at full health. But I am getting there.
OverTake: Rewinding back a bit, how did you get your start in competitive sim racing?
Angel Inostroza: That was back in 2019, a friend made me aware of the fact that GT Sport was hosting championship with live events. I wanted to be a part of that, so I bought a G29, a PlayStation 4 and the game, and that is how I began sim racing.
Not long after that, I took the win in the Tokyo 2019 World Tour event in the Manufacturers Series. That was within ten months of starting my sim racing career!
OverTake: What would you consider to be your greatest achievements in your time competing?
Angel Inostroza: Probably Tokyo 2019! (laughs) Aside from that though, probably last year when I got second place in the Nations Cup. Maybe a bit embarrassing considering what happened, but it is what it is.
“If you are fast on one, you can be fast on every other platform”
OverTake: Even though you are known for racing on Gran Turismo, you have dabbled in other titles. Many people who race those are quite negative about Gran Turismo.What would you say are the biggest misconceptions about Gran Turismo when it is compared to the likes of iRacing, rFactor 2 and ACC among others?
Angel Inostroza: That is a good question. No doubt those three sims are more advanced, and many people say that Gran Turismo is a sim-cade. But honestly, if you are fast on one platform, you can be fast on every other platform.
You just have to be able to adjust yourself, adapt to the platform you are racing on. Have to know how the physics work, the same stuff you do to be fast on one platform, just adapt.
Some people believe GT is easy in comparison, and yes, driving ACC or iRacing may be a bit more difficult because you have to control the cars in other ways. But if you compare it to real life, every platform can be good for you to get to grips with driving and knowing how to control a car.
OverTake: Of course, this year the Nations Cup went from an individuals to a teams-based competition. How do you personally feel about that change?
Angel Inostroza: That is easy, I do not like it. Mainly because I cannot fight back from what happened last year. But on the other side of the argument, it is a good format in some way since it is similar to the Manufacturers Cup, which I do like.
But when it comes to a country team-based competition, there can be an uneven balance of high quality drivers from one country. There are drivers that are the only ones in their country who could get in as an individual but have no teammates to race with.
One of my teammates at Veloce is Karl Etyemezian. He is racing in the Toyota Gazoo Racing GT Cup, but he is the only high quality Gran Turismo driver from Lebanon and it would be impossible for him to do the Nations Cup with this format.
Of course, I know it is also very unlikely that winning Nations Cup this year is possible. But my Chilean teammates and I will do our best to get as good a result as we can.
OverTake: Heading into the World Finals, what are your expectations and hopes for both the Manufacturers Cup and Nations Cup competitions?
Angel Inostroza: On an individual basis, I expect I can do well in spite of my injury. I am still having difficulty lifting my foot that I use for the throttle. I do not think it will make much difference, since I have been able to adjust my pedals at home. But for the live event, it will be a bit different and I will see if I can make some changes, especially since I will be sharing my rigs with two others.
We have a good line-up for the Nations Cup, we are far behind in the standings but we will do our best. For the Manufacturers Cup, my Porsche teammates won the Showdown event so we can expect at least a top three result. Maybe even the championship? Anything can happen.
GT World Finals: How to Follow
To follow Inostroza and all the other GT World Series competitors in the World Finals, the racing will be streamed to the Gran Turismo YouTube channel and the PlayStation Twitch channel. Plus, you can earn prizes by watching the streams in-game as well as credits for making predictions just before the Grand Final races.The Toyota Gazoo Racing GT Cup broadcast is on 1 December starting at 7pm CET. Following that, the Manufacturers Cup is on 2 December, also at 7pm CET. Finally, the Nations Cup will begin at 4pm CET on 3 December.
Will you be tuning in to the GT World Finals? Tell us on Twitter at @OverTake_gg or in the comments down below!
