Toyota sends Filipino sim racers to Asia finals

Three Filipino sim racers will represent the Philippines at the 2026 Toyota Gazoo Racing (TGR) Asia Esports GT Championships in Bangkok, Thailand, on 14 and 15 November after securing their places in the national competition.

Enzo Ison, Russel Reyes and Michael Velasquez earned their slots during the TGR Philippines Esports GT Championship National Finals at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City on 27 September.

The competition drew more than 400 participants during the qualifying rounds before the field was reduced to 20 finalists. Ten competed in the Sporting Class, while another 10 contested the Junior Class championship.

The finalists raced in four rounds of the Gran Turismo racing simulator, with different Toyota vehicles assigned to each circuit.

They drove the GR Corolla at Brazil’s Interlagos, the GR Yaris at the fictional Sardegna Windmills dirt circuit, the GR Supra at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain, and the GR010 Hybrid at Germany’s Nürburgring.

Weather changes during the final two races added difficulty as drivers fought for championship points.

Ison, 16, dominated the Junior Class with 130.5 points after winning all four races. Chester Jordan Ilog finished second with 85 points, followed by Luth Ifamy with 76.5.

Ison started his campaign with a victory at Interlagos before recovering from fifth position on the reverse grid at Sardegna Windmills.

His toughest challenge came at the Nürburgring, where a mistake dropped him to eighth place. He recovered the lead by the fourth lap and eventually won by 54 seconds.

Reyes, 25, secured the Sporting Class championship with 130.5 points. Velasquez finished second with 93.5 points, while Luis Antonio Moreno took third with 84.

Reyes faced close opposition from Moreno during the Interlagos and Barcelona races. At the Nürburgring, Victor Ancheta briefly threatened his lead before a penalty dropped Ancheta to sixth. Reyes eventually finished 17 seconds ahead of the field.

Both class champions received P100,000 each and automatic places in the regional finals.

Velasquez collected P75,000 and secured the third Philippine slot after finishing as the runner-up with the higher points total between the two classes.

Ison and Reyes are no strangers to international competition.

Ison previously represented the country at the Asia Finals in 2024 and 2025. He also won the national Junior Class titles in 2022 and 2023 and currently competes in the Tamaraw Class of the TGR Philippine Cup.

“This year, we will train harder than ever to get the best results for the Asia Finals,” Ison said.

Reyes represented the Philippines in the 2022, 2023 and 2024 regional championships. He also won the national overall title in 2023.

Velasquez, meanwhile, will make his Asia Finals debut in Bangkok.

Toyota Motor Philippines senior vice president for marketing Sherwin Chua-Lim congratulated the finalists and expressed support for the Philippine representatives.

“It was inspiring to see our finalists push themselves lap after lap at the National Finals,” Chua-Lim said.

The three Filipinos will compete against other qualifiers from across Asia in November.