If your parents ever tell you to stop playing video games such as Gran Turismo and go study, you can point send them the link to this piece. Toyota has shown why the future of Esports is blossoming with its very own Gazoo Racing Velocity Esports Championship that saw the grand finals held on 22 September 2019 in Kuala Lumpur.

Shortlisting the top 40 drivers from an initial batch of approximately 700 was no easy feat. Toyota held a time-trial qualifying rounds at Cove Esports Hub in Bandar Sunway, Subang Jaya, on 31 August, 1, 14 and 15 September 2019 to trim the field for the grand finals.

Not only is UMW Toyota Motor the first Malaysian car company to tie in with the lucrative world of esports, the Velocity Esports Championship is the largest national esports racing event in the country. Having held the first event last year, the incredibly positive response encouraged them to continue this year.

The esports avenue virtually complements the high-performance activities of Toyota, including the on-track racing of the Toyota Gazoo Racing Festival that is spearheaded by the Vios Challenge held on street circuits.

All participants virtually pilot the latest 2019 Toyota GR Supra, Toyota’s flagship sportscar that was launched in Malaysia a couple of days before and was also on display at the venue. All races are held on a virtual Fuji Speedway in Japan, the famous 4.563km circuit with 16 turns and a 1.475km long straight.

The top 10 finalist competed head to head on a 10-lap race on a best-of-three tracks which are Kyoto Driving Park, Suzuka Circuit as well as Fuji Speedway. As for the driving rig, all participants were seated in Thrustmaster’s T-GT ultimate racing simulator.

Winners of the finals shared a massive prize pool of RM70,000 plus a few thousand more in gaming products. The top three finishers were:
- Mohd Shahril Bin Nindar - Champion
- Muhammad Uzair Bin Abdul Nasir – 1st runner up
- Mohammad Afif Bin Suhaimi – 2nd runner up

For information on the Toyota Gazoo Racing Velocity Esports Championship winners and participation, members of the public can visit https://toyotavelocity.com.