The EMEA Regional Finals of the FIA GT Sport Championship were held in Madrid last weekend, where Mikail Hizal — better known as TRL_LIGHTNING on PSN and here in our forums — beat the other top 30 drivers from across Europe in a dominating performance.

The accomplishment makes him the very first European GT Champion, and we had a chance to talk with him about it after all the racing had concluded in Madrid.

If you haven’t seen all the action yet, re-watch the live streams here. Otherwise, check out our interview with Mikail below:

After the incredibly strong showing in Madrid, Hizal laughed off the notion that finalists from other regions might be intimidated by him at World Finals, staying humble about his own accomplishments.

“Nah,” Hizal said, laughing. “When you have the 10 fastest drivers from each region, it is basically a much harder challenge to get a prestigious result. Personally, I think everyone has an equal chance to become world champion.”

For more on the German’s background and the road leading up to his European Regional Championship victory, check out his profile video created by the Gran Turismo media team.

It’s a fun watch, and explains Hizal’s secret weapons: cookies and Turkish black tea…

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