Bengaluru, October 05, 2020: Toyota, today announced the India winners of the action-packed regional round of first-ever “GR Supra GT Cup ASIA 2020”. TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s (TGR) virtual motorsport is an ultimate platform that connects e-Sport enthusiasts and provides them with engaging avenues surrounding the brand. In a super thrilling encounter, three racers from India namely, Aditya Raghav, Abishek Dwaraknath, Tariq Rahman made it to the regional round scheduled later this month.
“GR Supra GT Cup ASIA 2020” is a proud off-shoot of TOYOTA GAZOO Racing motorsport legacy strongly fired by the ultimate concepts of passion and endurance. The recent cherished accomplishment came when Toyota, behind the wheel of the GAZOO RACING TS050 Hybrid, notched its third-consecutive win at the legendary race, 24 Hours of Le Mans. The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world’s oldest active sports car race in endurance racing and is often referred to as the “Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency”.
“GR Supra GT Cup ASIA 2020” will bring together 15 top e-motorsport players in Asia for its first ever virtual motorsport showdown. Three top challengers from each of the five participating countries – India, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Philippines, will race online, to win the top spot in the first-ever “GR Supra GT Cup ASIA 2020” regional finals, slated to be streamed on 25th October for all the e-Sport fans to enjoy.
India debut of “GR Supra GT Cup ASIA 2020” was well-received by racing enthusiasts with much fanfare. The championship received a response of over 30,000 applications of which 3400 made it to the next round and 13 made it to the finale.
Speaking on behalf of the three qualifiers of GR Supra GT Cup ASIA 2020 from India, winner Mr. Aditya Raghav, said, “The Toyota India GR Supra cup has been a great opportunity for India to bring out the best eSport racers. This gives us a chance to showcase our skills against the rest of the competition and I definitely feel like we have the pace and the consistency to take India to the top. The competition is definitely going to be a tough one and I will be bringing my best to the track. Looking forward to some great racing from the rest of the folks.”
Commenting on the upcoming “GR Supra GT Cup ASIA 2020 [Regional Round]”, Vice President of Toyota Motor Asia Pacific, Mr. David Nordstrom, said, “The ‘GR Supra GT Cup ASIA’ challenge is all about the power of passion, cars and limitless possibilities and we are excited to engage with the aspiring players in the region. It is a great feeling to race on-line. Indeed, my racing moments on simulator captures some of the exhilaration I have experienced on real race tracks around the world.
It’s a feat to have these incredible players competing in the legendary sports car, GR Supra, and we look forward to having fans join us to experience virtual racing with Toyota, by watching the regional finale.”
Mr. Naveen Soni, Senior Vice President, Sales and Service, TKM, also joined Mr. David Nordstrom in congratulating the winners. “Just like the winners, it’s a proud moment for Toyota Kirloskar Motor too as the GR Supra GT (Gran Turismo) Cup has enabled us to display the pinnacle of TOYOTA GAZOO Racing e-Motorsport to the Indian market. We are extremely delighted with the tremendous response to the India debut. We hope to keep motorsports enthusiasts and young talents engaged and entrained by pushing our limits for the better whilst promoting e- motorsport in India.”
Streamed online, the regional virtual race will allow motorsport enthusiasts and avid gamers all over Asia to come together and experience the real-racing excitement with Toyota virtually. The wheels of choice in this race is Toyota’s iconic sports car, the GR Supra. The “GR Supra GT Cup ASIA 2020”, a one-make race championship in *Gran Turismo Sport kicked-off in June 2020 with national-level qualifying races hosted by Toyota, in each of the five participating countries, has generated huge excitement among e-Sport fans in Asia.
E-Motorsport is one of the key pillars of TOYOTA GAZOO Racing to bring thrill to car enthusiasts and engage those looking to pursue new challenges in the virtual world. Furthermore, the key learnings and real-time experiences gained from the TGR’s motorsport activities remain eminent to the development of ever-better cars.
This achievement of Toyota at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, one of the most coveted platforms for endurance, reiterates the brand’s top class of sports cars while vindicating its passion and ability to push for ever-better technology and superlative results. The victory also puts the spotlight on the superior performance of hybrid electric technology through its unique ability to combine power and endurance at the same time. As pioneers and leaders in hybrid electric technology, Toyota’s cumulative sales of electrified vehicles have already crossed 15 million units over the 23 years since the launch of the Prius in Japan in 1997, the first full hybrid electric mass-produced car. As a result, Toyota’s contribution towards the reduction of CO2 emissions is more than 125 million tons globally. In Europe, the company has sold more than 2.8M hybrid cars, allowing it to be a leading automaker towards EU CO2 reduction targets in 2020 and 2021.
*© 2019 Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. Developed by Polyphony Digital Inc. ”Gran Turismo” logos are registered trademarks or trademarks of Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc
