The entirety of Round 2 of the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing GT Cup proves to bring the power of a thrill, or Waku-Doki, to homes and the screens in spite of being miles apart from each other.
Racers participating in this much-awaited competition have shown power and determination to claim the title of being the fastest racer in the Philippines dominating the digital tracks.
From the iconic Italian racetrack, participants travel to the east side of the globe, right in Tokyo Expressway – East Outer Loop, a fictional city circuit that appears in Gran Turismo Sport. It features 5 sectors, 12 turns, and a total of 7.3 kilometers of tarmac. Altogether, it’s an exciting and challenging track with varying changes between ascents, flat surfaces, and a series of high-speed corners.
Starting with the 17-under Junior Class race heat with the second round of competition already opening with Paco Samson seconds in lead generating a wide gap against his adversaries. But the grit remains apparent with all racers from second to the last position treading the tracks with only milliseconds apart. Russel Cabrera, round 1 champion jumps on in a cat & mouse chase in the first couple of laps, with back-to-back overtaking attempts and denials. By the 5th lap,
Joshua David Marquez runs with a sizable lead and goes for a home stretch finally winning round 2, awarding him a total of 30 points coming from a 1.5x multiplier. Russel Cabrera is pushed back to second place and John Paul Veloso maintains his position at third.
Proceeding to the Promotional Class, Jether Miole was already challenged by other racers but was able to keep the position all to himself throughout the first lap. The recurring s-curves has proven to be a test of patience and wit of racers as they go for paint-trading collisions just to take up a position. In the end,
Jether owned it all as he closed the final lap with a wide gap victory getting himself an overall total of 50 points in the competition so far. The top finishers get to go home with their share of the prizes including gaming peripherals and high-tech devices.
And finally, with the best of the racers in the Sporting Class – the starting line-up already presents a familiar roster of popular participants. Trade-painting contacts are already in the show even in the first few seconds of the opening lap. Defending champion Terence Lallave continues to pressure Luis Moreno who tried to keep the lead throughout the race.
The Final laps get even more intense as the long road stretches give all-or-nothing suspenseful moments of whether one will give in upon entry of the next turn. In the end, Luis Moreno takes it all home despite having Terrence Lallave on his tail. The overall scores now stand with Moreno at 45 points, Lallave at 42.5 points, and Lance Padilla at 28.
It’s not too late for aspiring racers to catch up. The upcoming third round even pushes the gears further with multipliers doubling up the scores for the finishers. Racers who are chasing the championship title will definitely put the pedal to the metal with the national finals already close-in view.
The overall champions will take home a brand-new Sony PlayStation 5 plus a cash prize, while the second and third placers get to take home high-tech gadgets and a much-coveted gaming chair. Round 3 will stream on June 18 and 19, and the National Finals on June 26, 2021.
