Here are the winners of 2024 Toyota Gazoo Racing GT Cup PH

Toyota PH wraps up National Finals of e-motorsports tournament

Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) has concluded the National Finals of its premier e-motorsports tournament, the Toyota Gazoo Racing GT Cup Philippines (TGR GT Cup PH) last August 18 in a thrilling live event at the SM Mall of Asia (MOA).

Held for the first time live in a public venue, the TGR GT Cup PH Finals drew crowds as top sim racers in the country put the pedal to the metal in their racing rigs for a chance to bring home cash prizes, exclusive TGR merchandise, Autocross Challenge seats, and the honor of representing the Philippines at the Asia Finals.

The Finals began with the Quarterfinals last August 17 where the Top 40 fastest e-racers from the qualifiers battled it out on Trial Mountain in the Toyota GR Yaris RZ “High Performance” ‘20. The participants were split into four batches of 10 players each.

Each group went head-to-head for three race heats. The first race held a qualifying time trial to set the grid, Meanwhile, the second race put winners of the first race at the back of the grid in an exciting reverse grid. The third race once again had the racers put in their fastest lap for a chance to start higher on the grid.

In the end, past TGR GT Cup PH Sporting Class champion Luis Moreno and defending champion Russel Reyes solidified their places as top contenders, winning all three races of their respective batches. Past Junior Class champion Enzo Ison also dominated his batch. On the other hand, former Promotional Class champion Stanley Golez went on to win two out of the three races for his batch, the other being won by newcomer Adrian Unisa.

Following the Quarterfinals was the Semifinals, which pitted the Top 20 against each other on the Suzuka Circuit in the Toyota GR Supra RZ ’20. Similar to the Quarterfinals, the Semifinals held three race heats for two batches of 10 players each.

Qualifying time trials were done for the first and third races, while the second race reversed the grid, putting the top placers of race one at the back. Weather conditions were chosen at random which were thrown into the races to further test the skill of the drivers. The first race was met with drizzle, the second race with dry weather, and the third race with full-on rain.

Race one of the first batch of the Semifinals saw Luis Moreno crossing the finish line with an eight-second lead from the rest of the pack, with Jether Miole in second after a close fight with Enzo Ison, who finished third. Ison then went on to win the second race, with Moreno and Miole close behind. The third race was dominated by Moreno with Ison and Miole rounding up the second and third spots.

Russel Reyes drove strong and steady to maintain his lead after starting from pole position in the first race of the second batch, which he won. Matthew Ang and Stanley Golez followed in second and third. The second race saw similar results to that of batch one with Ang taking the win while Reyes and Golez finished in second and third, respectively. The same three e-racers dominated the rainy third race, with Russel Reyes in first place, Matthew Ang in second, and Stanley Golez in third.

For the National Finals, three different tracks with three different cars were introduced for the three race heats. E-racers sped through Deep Forest in the Toyota GR Yaris RZ “High Performance” 20 for the first race, the Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit in the Toyota GR 86 RZ ‘21 for the second race, and finally, the Fuji International Speedway in the Toyota GR Supra Racing Concept '18.

With 10 of the best players remaining, more wheel-to-wheel action was witnessed by the crowds as the top e-racers pushed their limits on the virtual racetracks. Players who were put in different batches in the earlier races faced each other for the first time in the National Finals. This was met with enthusiasm from the audience as cheers echoed in the SM Mall of Asia for their favorite racers.

Russel Reyes took pole position in the first race but was overtaken by Luis Moreno who went on to win the race after undercutting Reyes in a clever pit strategy. The second race was a reverse grid, which put Moreno at the back with Reyes and Ison in front of him. Race two ended with Moreno on top after making his way to the front of the pack, followed by Ison in second, and Reyes in third.

For the third race, positions were once again reversed based on the results of race two, and dynamic weather conditions were enabled. Moreno was able to take advantage of the grid with his pit strategy, putting him ahead of Ison and Reyes, but behind Jether Miole, the race leader. A mistake would cost Miole the lead, and Moreno was quick to take pole position.

The final lap of the last race was met with adrenaline-filled action as Moreno made contact with another driver, putting Ang in the lead. Race three ended with Ang in first place, Moreno in second, and Ison in third. Official results were announced, revealing Luis Moreno as the TGR GT Cup PH 2024 Champion with 75 points, Enzo Ison in 2nd Place with 48 points, and Russel Reyes in 3rd Place with 45 points. Special awards were also given to Ison for Driver of the Day and Matthew Ang for Fastest Lap.

Moreno, Ison and Reyes will represent Team Philippines at the Asia Finals in Malaysia on October 13, 2024.