It was a thrilling ride for our racers last April 30th to May 1st as they burned rubber on the race track to get a seat on Round 1 of the Toyota GR GT Cup 2021. 

The competition only gets tougher from here as the Round 1 Semis and Finals have concluded. The intense final leg was held at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza race track.

Our racers had a taste of Italy as it brought them back to the Italian Grand Prix. With 11 turns and 5.8 kms long, the track is well known for its notorious high-speed stretches and technical chicanes – the perfect track for the best of the best. 

During the first day of the event, it covered the qualifiers for the Junior (players 17 years old and below), Promotional (non-professional), and Sporting classes (with professional e-sports experience.) Lap after lap, our racing challengers showed grit and persistence, and eventually, the fiercest of them all dominated round 1.

The Junior Class’s impressive performance on the Monza tracks made it seem to be a playground for our skilled young racers. Claiming the top spot of the category is Russel Cabrera, who has consistently maintained his lead until the end of the lap, finishing the race at 2:02.557. Coming in second is Josh David Marquez who had the best time of the race at 2:02.5, while John Paul Veloso took the third step on the podium at 2:03.128.

The second day of the event started with the heat race of the Promotional Class. First place on the podium was Jether Miole who pushed the lead widening the gap and finished at 2:04.97. The next stop was Lord Michael Hamilton who took second place, finishing with the fastest time in the race at 2:03.514. While Owen Rada kept his cool and secured the third spot at 2:03.893.

Finally, all eyes were focused on the seasoned racers in the Sporting Category. Returning racer Terrence Lallave made sure to claim the number 1 position finishing at 2:03.825. Chasing him in second place is Luis Moreno who pushed the pedal to the metal, closing the gap at 2:03.715. And of course, who knew Estefano Rivera would get into third place finishing the race at 2:03.667, securing the final spot on the podium.

Our champs took home awesome gaming gears and special Toyota GR merchandise.

What a great way to upgrade those sim racing gears at home!

Catch the second round of exciting racing action as higher stakes are up for grabs on Round 2. This time existing points from Round 1 will be multiplied by 1.5. Racers from the previous round are encouraged to join and re-qualify to get more chances of increasing points. 

Don’t miss this exhilarating opportunity to join Toyota’s online racing competition, with up to P1M-worth of prizes at stake! Register for the next leg by signing up on the official Toyota GR GT Cup website: toyota.com.ph/gtcup.

Congratulations to our Champions! Relive the high octane action of the first round of the 2021 Toyota GR GT Cup by catching the full episodes on https://www.facebook.com/ToyotaMotorPhilippines/videos/219630536603903.