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| (Image Source: Toyota Motor Philippines) |
Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) is raising the summer heat with the return of its e-racing series, the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing (GR) GT Cup – this time with thrilling new tracks to be played and an exciting opportunity to represent the Philippines at the Asia Regional Rounds. Now on its third year, GR GT Cup Philippines is bringing the joy of racing Toyota vehicles to the next level. For the 2022 season, the annual e-motorsports tournament is also giving participants the chance to be an official racer at TMP’s premier one-make race event – the TGR Vios Cup.
GR GT Cup Philippines champions not only get to represent the Philippines and race with fellow Asian e-racing champs in the regional round, but they get to take their racing skills from the virtual tracks to the real-world tracks of the Clark International Speedway. “We started the GR GT Cup Philippines as an avenue to make the thrill of motorsports more accessible to more Filipino racing fans. With the level of talent that we have seen in the first two years, we believe now is the right time to expand the motorsports journey of our e-racers and enable them to further develop their racing skills, this time together with our Vios Cup racers,” said TMP’s Assistant Vice President for Marketing Services Elvin Luciano. The winners of the GR GT Cup Philippines will participate in the Vios Cup Autocross event, as a first step towards being a full-fledged competitor at the Circuit Championship along with some of the country’s best racing talents.
The 2022 season kicks off with the local rounds, followed by the national final round and finally, the Asia regional round. There will be three local rounds – qualifiers, semifinals, and finals – all of which will be broadcast on the official TMP Facebook page (www.facebook.com/ToyotaMotorPhilippines) on the following dates:
• Qualifiers – May 6 and 7
• Semifinals – May 27 and 28
• Finals – June 24 and 25
All rounds will be done online on the Gran Turismo Sport game. Participants must have a Sony PlayStation 4 or 5 with an active PSN account and PS PLUS subscription. Aspiring racers who meet all the requirements can already register via the official GR GT Cup website at toyota.com.ph/gtcup. For more information on how to join, visit toyota.com.ph/gtcup/how-to-join.
Three classes will be opened – junior class for players 17 years old and below, sporting class for professional e-racers, and promotional class for those with no professional e-sports background. Each local round will feature a different GR sportscar and racetrack for a unique and immersive racing experience. Racers will compete for the best time to get their name on the leaderboard. Winners from the local rounds will then head on to compete at the national final round, where they will be up against the top racers nationwide. Cash prizes and GR GT Cup merchandise await the winners of the local rounds and national final round.
GR GT Cup Philippines is one of TMP’s major activities under TOYOTA GAZOO Racing, Toyota’s global brand for performance cars, motorsports, and celebrating the fun and thrill of racing. “Through GR GT Cup Philippines, we aim to find some of the best local talents to give them the chance to represent the country and shine in the international championships. And in the long term, we would love to help further grow motorsports in the country by enabling racers with great potential to push the limits for better through these sustained motorsports development activities,” concluded AVP Luciano.
