40 of Malaysia’s fastest simulator racers will gather this weekend for one final showdown for a shot at being crowned the Toyota Gazoo Racing GT Cup Malaysia champion.

The three-day finale will take place at the Sunway Pyramid Mall Blue Concourse in Petaling Jaya with the quarter-final shoot-out scheduled for Friday (18 Aug). The top 20 racers will then move on to the semi-final on Saturday (19 Aug) to determine the best 10 racers who will advance to the final on Sunday (20 Aug). The schedule is as follows:

The championship, formerly known as the GR Velocity eSports Championship, offers combined prize monies amounting to RM 90,500, the largest ever offered by UMW Toyota Motor Sdn Bhd since it first introduced the event in 2018.

Since 2018, the event has attracted the participation of thousands of simulator racers, more than 3 million viewers and 40,000 spectators. Toyota is the only vehicle manufacturer to be involved in eSports racing in Malaysia, and is directly invested in the promotion and development of young racing drivers via simulator racing.

Also read: 6 steps to set up your own racing simulator for less than RM 1k

“Online and simulator racing have become an important training ground for today’s new generation of racers. We are fortunate to have been at the forefront of embracing this worldwide phenomenon from the very beginning,” said UMW Toyota Motor President, Datuk Ravindran K.

“These initiatives have had a very profound impact in producing extremely competitive and talented young racers in the real world. These young racers have not only made successful transitions into racing series organised by Toyota such as the GR Vios Challenge, GR Vios Sprint Cup and GR Vios Enduro Cup but have also progressed to make a mark and even dominating in other championships both locally and abroad."

The GR GT Cup Malaysia finale will see the return of former champions Taj Izrin Aiman Taj Madira who has won the event twice and Mior Muhammad Hafiz Mior Lahmudin who have successfully competed in the final since 2018. Like previous years, the top three winners will also go on to represent Malaysia in the GR GT Cup Asia to vie for a seat to compete in the World Finals.

The weekend will also see a series of exhibition races involving racers and celebrities competing in the Gazoo Racing Vios Challenge racing series. The celebrities include former Promotional Class overall champion and actor Shukri Yahaya; actor Zizan Razak; actress and TV personality Ahirine Ahirudin; TV personality Ain Edruce; actor, TV host and Hot FM radio presenter Imran Aqil; actor and host Ezzrin Loy; actor, host and TV personality Hefny Sahad; and actress and model Reen Rahim.

The race involving the top contenders in the GR Vios Challenge meanwhile, will be led by Prima Pearl TD Racing’s Tengku Djan Ley Tengku Mahaleel and teammate Mitchell Cheah; Axle Sports’ Hayden Haikal, Naquib Azlan and Nabil Azlan; Royal47 Racing’s Brendan Paul Anthony; Crestmax Motorsport’s Bradley Benedict Anthony; Race Rally KL’s Shafiq Samsudin; Todak Wheelstar Motorsport’s Muhammad Alif Shawqi; and Hi Rev Dream Chaser’s Lee Wai Cong.

The event will also see the participation of the top 10 fastest racers scouted from GR GT Cup Malaysia Campus Tour which for the first time this year, introduced the simulator racing series and experience at universities across Malaysia. The representatives this weekend will represent the proud institutions of UiTM Shah Alam, INTI Subang and Sunway University.

Also read: UMW Group upbeat about 2023's targets: Combined sales of Perodua and Toyota is up 12% for H1 2023

“This initiative to introduce simulator racing to institutions of higher learning is with the objective of pioneering a program to inspire young people and to open up opportunities in motorsports that many would never have considered otherwise,” said Datuk Ravindran K.

“It is in line with one of Toyota’s objectives to not only contribute to the overall development of motorsports in Malaysia, but to also elevate motorsports as a profession,” he added.

Also being held on Sunday, will be a race exclusive for members of the Media. Members of the public are also invited to take part in a simulator time attack, in addition to checking out a demonstration booth of Gran Turismo 7 and more, organised in collaboration with Gamers Hideout. UMW Toyota Motor is also inviting members of the public to test drive several of its latest generation vehicles like the Vios, Yaris, and Corolla Cross Hybrid.

There will also be a booth and sale dedicated to GR merchandise. For more information log on to Toyota’s online channels as below:

• toyota.com.my/gtcupmalaysia
• facebook.com/tgrmy
• youtube.com/tgrmalaysia
• instagram.com/tgrmalaysia

Also read: Review: 2023 Toyota Vios (AC100) - It came, it saw, it conquered? Almost...