It was none other than the Fuji Speedway, with the famed circuit by the base of picturesque Mount Fuji serving as the virtual battleground for the grand finals of the 2019 Toyota Gazoo Racing (GR) Velocity Esports Championship tournament.

The E-racing league spearheaded by UMW Toyota Motor Sdn Bhd (UMWT) last year returned for another installment this year following its critical public response from its last running.

Of the 700 participants that registered, 40 of which made it to the grand finals stage held last weekend. By tournament’s end, 11 finalists came out on top to win top honours and sizable cash prizes including the grand prize of RM20,000 in cash.

Besides that, fans and spectators in attendance were treated with a special lucky draw where exclusive gaming products worth up to RM11,000 were given away. Altogether, the prize pool of the 2019 Toyota GR Velocity Esport Championship grand finals tournament stood at whopping RM70,000.

By the way, here’s the full winners’ list of this year’s edition:

The competition itself was hosted using the world-famous Gran Turismo Sport game title, and the competitors competed using top-flight driving simulator hardware supplied by Thrustmaster.

Naturally, the virtual race machine of choice for the competition was Toyota’s new flagship sports car the GR Supra. Though it was raced by competitors virtually, UMWT seized the opportunity here as well by having the actual sports car offering displayed during the competition too, fresh from its local launch just a few days prior.

“In this digital age, it’s not surprising that Esports has become a fast-growing industry, not only in Malaysia but also globally. It offers the thrills and excitement familiar to the generation that has grown up in the digital age of videogames and racing simulators,” said Ravindran K., President of UMWT upon concluding the event last weekend.

For information on the Toyota GR Velocity Esports Championship, members of the public can visit its dedicated microsite at toyotavelocity.com.