Last August 17-18, Toyota Motor Philippines hosted the national finals of the Gazoo Racing GT Cup Philippines which determined who would represent the country in the Asia finals. The top 40 racers came together at the SM Mall of Asia. Despite the virtual playing field, the fierce competition was real.

Three competitors came out on top with Luis Moreno placing first for the second time after having been crowned the national champion in 2021. Following him were Enzo Ison and Russel Reyes in second and third, respectively.

Laid out were 10 sets of PlayStation 5 with copies of Gran Turismo 7 and sim racing rigs each with identical Thrustmaster T-GT II steering wheel. Each round consisted of three races with different grid types: The first was based on a qualifying session; the second had a reverse grid of the previous race’s results; and the third was another qualifying session.

The quarterfinals on Saturday were done in four heats to accommodate the initial contestants, all of which tackled the Trial Mountain Circuit with the GR Yaris. On Sunday, the semifinals narrowed down the player count with the GR Supra on a rainy Suzuka Circuit.

The nail-biting finals were divided into three rounds: the GR Yaris at Deep Forest Raceway, the GR86 at Brands Hatch, and the GR Supra Racing Concept at Fuji Speedway.

“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 said as he expressed his pleasure in the growing interest in sim racing. “This year, I had a different approach in terms of training. I wanted to be more open and more dynamic, and I’m happy that it paid off.”

Moreno, Ison, and Reyes will travel to Malaysia for the GR GT Cup Asia finals on October 13, while the top two drivers will automatically have a seat in the Autocross Challenge on an unspecified date.