At long last, the event had finally become what D1 had intended: US versus Japan. Both drivers had never made it this far and with emotions running high on both sides, everyone in the house was ready to witness history. They both took turns playing mind games, evaluating each other's moves, resulting in a call for a "one more time" that neither could back down from. On the second go, JR matched Sakuma's lead, nailing the advantage, but Sakuma managed to hang tight with JR on the final pass. As both drivers are called to stand before the crowd, the cliffhanger of all cliffhangers kept us glued to Tsuchiya's lips as we waited for his announcement.
You can probably imagine what happened next. Champagne sprayed in every direction, with the fans roaring in appreciation. In fact, I don't think I've ever heard the cheers so loud before. You could say it was deafening, to a point. Actually, you don't need to imagine what happened because what happened is fact--JR Gittin won, making this the first time an American has ever won a D1 event! A great show for the fans indeed.