The thrilling Oct. 12 finals of the 6th season of Toyota Motor Philippines’ premier sim racing tournament the Toyota Gazoo Racing Philippines eSports GT Championship held at the Ayala Malls Manila Bay has produced three winners to represent the country at the Nov. 23 Asia finals in Thailand.
Newcomer Victor Ancheta emerged as champion after competing against 39 other racers through the quarterfinals, semifinals and national finals. Qualifying third overall among more than 250 participants during the qualifiers, Ancheta consistently placed in the top ranks in all his races, just behind seasoned sim racers.
Meanwhile, 2024 season runner-up and Asia finals participant Enzo Ison bagged 2nd place. A top contender, Ison ranked first in the qualifiers, and showed consistent performance throughout the finals to secure his spot on the podium.
2023 third placer and Asia finals participant Matthew Ang took the last spot on the podium at 3rd place, completing Team Philippines. Ang qualified second overall during the qualifiers, establishing himself as a racer to look out for.
For the quarterfinals, the top 40 sim racers from the qualifiers were seeded into four groups of 10 players each, where each group took on Dragon Tail Gardens in the GR Yaris High Performance ’20 in three race heats.
Ison topped the ranks in the quarterfinals, followed by Ang, and Jether Miole.
The top 20 racers then went wheel-to-wheel in the semifinals the following day, where points were reset. Participants were seeded into two groups of 10 racers each. The first race put racers in the Toyota GR Supra Race Car 19 Gr. 4 on Mount Panorama. The same car was used during the second race in the drizzling Redbull Ring. For the third and final race of the semifinals, tire wear and fuel consumption were enabled to test the racers’ race craft on the Daytona International Speedway.
Miole pulled off an exceptional drive, placing first in the semifinals. He was followed by Ang in second, and Ison in third.
The national finals had the top 11 racers going head-to-head in three races, each in a different car and track. Racers drove the Toyota Supra Racing Concept ’18 on Kyoto Driving Park – Yamagiwa for the first race, the Toyota GR Yaris on Colorado Springs for the second race, and the Toyota GR010 Hybrid on the technical Circuit de Spa Francorchamps in dynamic weather conditions for the third and final race.
Matthew Ang took pole position but was overtaken by Enzo Ison in the first race, who went on to win the race. He was followed by Victor Ancheta in second, and Jether Miole in third.
In the second race, Ang made his way to the front of the pack to secure first place, showing off his skill in the dirt track. Miole and Ison finished behind him in second and third, respectively.
A scuffle in the first lap of the third race would relegate Miole to the back of the pack, while tire strategy would affect the pace and track position of Ison and Ang, putting Michael Velasquez and Victor Ancheta ahead of them in the final laps. A bold overtake by Velasquez in the final lap took the win away from Ancheta, and Corwin Mercado finished behind them in third.
After rounding up the points, Victor Ancheta was crowned champion with 72 points, Enzo Ison in 2nd with 67.5 points, and Matthew Ang in 3rd with 61.5 points.
“I feel happy that I won the championship, and I feel honored to be one of the drivers to be representing the Philippines. I am looking forward to going up against Asia’s fastest drivers and see where I stand up against them,” shared Ancheta.
“It feels great to be on the podium and that I will have the chance to represent the country once again in Thailand. I’m looking forward for another fun experience and hopefully get a great result for Team Philippines at the Asia finals,” shared Ison.
“I felt disappointed since I genuinely felt I could become champion this year, but now I feel grateful and empowered to perform well in the Asia finals. I’m looking forward to representing my country again and more importantly, seeing my old competitors from 2023 and seeing how much I improved in two years,” shared Ang.
The TGR Philippines eSports GT Championship 2025 is sanctioned by the Automobile Association Philippines. This event is also supported by Toyota Financial Services Philippines, myTOYOTA Wallet and Kinto One.
Those interested in joining the TGR Philippines eSports GT Championship next season can stay tuned to Toyota Gazoo Racing Philippines on Facebook, Instagram and X for the latest announcements.
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