Toyota GR GT Cup PH returns in 2022, but past champs can't

Better rack up those laps now. The Toyota Gazoo Racing GT Cup is back this year. And this time, the country's number one car manufacturer brought something new for the fastest PH Gran Turismo players.

Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) is hosting the third season of the GR GT Cup, an e-sports tournament that puts the fastest Gran Turismo players head-to-head in a chance to represent the country in the Asia Regional Round.

Like its previous seasons, the GR GT Cup will have three classes – the Junior class for ages 17 and below, Promotional class for up and coming gamers aged 18 up, and lastly, the Sporting class for long-time e-sports players who have been competing at a higher level.

True to its vision of making racing more accessible to everyone, the virtual race series is open to all interested Gran Turismo players in the country, and these are the general requirements:

• Sony Playstation 4
• An active PlayStation Network account
• PS Plus Subscription
• Any compatible gaming controller
• GT Sport game
• High-speed internet
• Active Facebook account
• Valid PH Passport

Here's the kicker: Like the Nissan GT Academy from years back, GR GT Cup participants who have been champions in the past are ineligible to join. The reason for this is that Toyota treats the virtual race series as a grassroots racing program like the Vios Cup, and follows the formula of graduating champions from their series to allow the development of new talent. 

It's the "give a chance to others" principle, but as you can imagine it did not go down well with the past champs who feel they were denied the opportunity to "defend" their crowns. Some are even crying foul on social media and lobbying to have that rule changed. There's actually a new twist, but we'll get to that later.

Whatever the case may be, TMP has announced the virtual series will run Gran Turismo Sport in the meantime. According to their race bulletin, the new Gran Turismo 7 still has a few glitches and bugs which might affect the hosting of their online races, but players will be advised once the organizers have gotten past the issues of the new GT7.

The virtual race series will run through three race weekends with a different car and track combo for each round with a leaderboard-style competition and a series of heats. The Top 5 from each class will be invited to participate in the National Finals which will be held live at Toyota's premier racing event: the Toyota Gazoo Racing Vios Cup at Clark International Speedway.

This is where the 2022 GR GT Cup PH Champions will be awarded. And at the same time, Toyota will then announce who will represent the country in the Asia Regional Round. Previously, the champions of the Media, Promotional, and Sporting classes were selected for Team Toyota Philippines. However, TMP has yet to announce which, or how many players will be chosen for this season.

Round 1 will start on April 29. And if you haven't signed up yet, head on over to the Toyota Motor Philippines' official Facebook page to register and learn more about the 2022 Toyota Gazoo Racing GT Cup. Good luck, have fun, and happy racing!