Asian sim-racing top contender bests local Toyota GT Cup anew
The recently-concluded Toyota Gazoo Racing Gran Turismo Cup held at the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City was jaw-dropping–literally. And headlining the exhilarating event was none other than TGR GT Cup Philippines 2021 champion, Luis Moreno, as he again bagged this year’s local crown of the prestigious e-motorsports event.
Moreno was also a second-placer last year at the Asian Finals of Toyota’s prestigious sim-racing competition, making him the lone Filipino who represented the country at the TGR GT Cup Global Finals.
For him, the crowd at the SM Mall of Asia made the digital racing competition even more exciting.
“It’s the first time we had a live event head-to-head, and it’s good to see more of these events coming out,” Moreno shared.
“This year, I had a different approach in terms of training. I wanted to be more open, more dynamic, and I’m happy that it paid off,” he added.
“I would like to thank Toyota Motor Philippines for a phenomenal event.”
Thrilling live sim-racing action
The heart-pumping live event at the SM Mall of Asia was the first-time ever to be held in a public venue. It drew big crowds as competitors tooth and nail dueled it out from their racing rigs for a chance to bring home cash prizes, exclusive TGR merchandise, Autocross Challenge seats, and the honor of representing the country at the Asia Finals.
Here, the Finals kicked off with the Quarterfinals where the Top 40 fastest e-racers from the qualifiers jousted head-to-head on Trial Mountain in the Toyota GR Yaris RZ “High Performance” ‘20. From there, they were pitted into four batches of 10 players each, with each batch gnawing at each other for three race heats. The first race held a qualifying time trial to set the grid, while the second race put winners of the first race at the back of the grid for an exciting reverse grid layout. The third race once again had the racers put in their fastest lap for a chance to start higher on the grid.
Moreno and defending champion Russel Reyes secured their places as top contenders, winning all three races of their respective batches, while former Junior Class champion Enzo Ison also outclassed other players in his batch.
Meantime, former Promotional Class champion, Stanley Golez, went on to win two out of the three races for his batch, with the other being clinched by newcomer Adrian Unisa.
Race one of the first batch of the Semifinals saw 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 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.
Several races transpired and the competitors went on through their paces.
For the National Finals, three different tracks with three different cars were introduced for the three race heats. E-racers zoomed past the 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, tension was high.
Reyes then took pole position in the first race but was overtaken by Moreno who went on to win the race after outwitting Reyes in a clever pit strategy. The second race was a reverse grid, which put the latter 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 reversed once again based on the results of race two, and dynamic weather conditions ensued. Moreno delivered a masterclass with his pit strategy, which put him ahead of Ison and Reyes, but behind Miole, the race leader. A mistake then cost Miole the lead, and Moreno was quick to take advantage of the opportunity.
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 3 ended with Ang in first place, Moreno in second, and Ison in third.
Official results were announced, recognizing Moreno as the TGR GT Cup PH 2024 Champion with 75 points, Ison in 2nd Place with 48 points, and 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.
