By Victoria “NIKE” De Dios
‘Waku-doki’ which means heart-pumping excitement in Japanese is expected to be experienced in the first e-motorsports program, the GR Supra GT Cup Asia – Philippines which will start in July 2020.
Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) has officially launched it and organized under Toyota’s global Gazoo Racing brand, the virtual racing tournament aims to find the Philippines’ top e-sports racers who will represent the country in the Asian Regional Round in the last quarter of this year.
The GR Supra GT Cup Asia – Philippines expands TMP’s range of motorsport activities with its long-running One-Make-Race program as its forerunner, the Vios Racing Festival (VRF). TMP recently announced the postponement of the VRF’s 2020 season in view of health and safety risks resulting from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. However, this did not stop the leading automotive company from keeping the waku-doki (heart-pumping excitement) spirit alive by taking the race online with no less than its flagship sports car, the GR Supra.
Filipino gamers aged 18 and above, will get the chance to race against other participants with a chance to represent the country against competitors from Asia Pacific countries in the GR Supra GT Cup Asia Regional Round. Participants will get to race Toyota’s iconic flagship sports car in the Gran Turismo SPORT game on Playstation, and in two classes for the public:
- Promotional Class – for novice drivers with no professional e-sports background
- Sporting Class – for intermediate and professional e-racers
The qualifying rounds will start this July and will be concluded with the grand finals in August, in time for the regional competition towards the latter part of the year. To join, interested players may check out the complete mechanics and register online via toyota.com.ph/gtcup.
Another class for Media & Celebrity partners will be created based on a different selection process by TMP. A separate registration will be conducted and details will be announced soon.
TMP will also open the Junior Class, where racers below 18 years old can join. Winners, however, cannot qualify for the regional round in compliance with the international tournament rules.
In the statement sent by Toyota Motor Philippines to THEPHILBIZNEWS, TMP President Mr. Atsuhiro Okamoto said, “Because of the current situation, we have decided to postpone VRF this year for safety reasons. The good news is, our waku-doki spirit lives on. This 2020, we are launching the GR Supra GT Cup Asia – PHILIPPINES.”
“This e-motorsports program will not only continue Toyota’s racing legacy but will also discover the Philippines’ top e-Sports talents. We are very excited to find them so they can represent the country in our international races,” the President of TMP added.
During the online press conference to launch the program, TMP provided a sneak peek of the exciting e-racing experience with TMP President Mr. Atsuhiro Okamoto battling VRF racers on the digital track.
Aside from this, TMP also announced its support to several frontliners who have been working tirelessly to keep road safety in check.
“Our motorsports programs have always been linked with our responsible driving and road safety advocacy. The GR Supra GT Cup is no different.” Announced TMP Executive Vice President Mr. Kei Mizuguchi “We are encouraging our racers and livestream viewers to donate any amount to be used for to provide food packs for military, police and medical frontliners deployed to man our highways and checkpoints. TMP will match the donation from racers and viewers to reach out to more front liners! It’s our simple way of helping and thanking them for keeping us safe on the road during these challenging times.”
For more Toyota updates, visit www.toyota.com.ph or check out Toyota’s official social media pages at ToyotaMotorPhilippines (Facebook and Instagram), and @ToyotaMotorPH (Twitter).