With a total of RM90,500 as prize money – the largest purse ever – for the GR GT Cup Malaysia run by TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Malaysia and UMW Toyota Motor, the competition was intense to grab the largest share.
From over 800 to 10
The 10 sim racers who took part in the Grand Finals at the Sunway Pyramid mall in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, had reached that point in the series after battling through a field of more than 800 contenders. The 3-day finale event began with the quarter-final shoot-out to select the top 20 semi-finalists, and subsequently, the best 10 racers.
Seasoned sim racers
Some of the finalists were seasoned sim racers and it was Taj Izrin Aiman Taj Madira who clinched his third overall title to become the most decorated GR GT Cup Malaysia racer since the event was first introduced in 2018 as the Toyota GR Velocity Esports Championship.
![GR GT Cup Malaysia [2023]](https://www.motaauto.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/GR-GT-Cup-Malaysia-2023.png)
“The event has become extremely competitive with a lot of newcomers,” said Taj Izrin Aiman who won 2 races and finished second in the third and final race to take the
overall title in 2023. For his impressive efforts, he won RM25,000 as a cash prize.
Second and third places were taken by Dhanesh Wigneswaran and Chong Kai Chang, respectively. Wigneswaran has been a regular participant and the second position overall is so far his best performance since 2019. Last year, he finished fourth overall.
On to the next challenge
The top three winners will represent Malaysia in the GR GT Asia Pacific Qualifier to be held later this year. Winning the event last year and concluding the GR GT World Cup in 12th, Taj Izrin Aiman is optimistic of Team Malaysia being able to improve on the achievement this year Wigneswaran and Chong as team mates.
If they do well, they can also move on to the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing GT Cup 2023 which will see winners of regional qualifying rounds competing. The event will be held in conjunction with the Gran Turismo World Series in November.
“The sport has truly and exponentially grown judging by the outstanding pedigree of simulator racing talent we have in Malaysia,” said UMW Toyota Motor’s President, Datuk Ravindran K. “UMW Toyota Motor is proud to be part of this phenomenal sport that is increasingly becoming a very important pre-requisite to producing the next generation and competitive real-world racers.
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