Porsche Gran Turismo Cup Asia Pacific concludes with Japan on top

MANILA: The Porsche Gran Turismo Cup Asia Pacific came to a thrilling conclusion last December, 2021, after more than three months of e-motorsports competition from racers across the Asia Pacific region.

In the finale of the Porsche Gran Turismo Cup Asia, Japan's Tatsuya Sugawara took pole position. He will receive the grand prize of an all-expenses paid Porsche weekend in Tokyo, including a visit to the brand new Porsche Experience Centre Tokyo. 

From the Asia Pacific region, Matthew McEwen (New Zealand), Dhanesh Wigneswaran (Malaysia), Kevin Maijukkree Areekijsree (Thailand), and our very own Terenece Lallave and Luis Moreno (Philippines) lined up on the grid against the top racers from Japan, South Korea and Taiwan at the final qualifying round.

The Porsche Gran Turismo Cup Asia virtual tournament featured races at the world's most famous racing circuits, including Fuji Speedway, Mount Panorama Circuit, Goodwood Motor Circuit and the Circuit de la Sarthe, where Porsche has won the 24 Hours of Le Mans a record 19 times.

Competitors raced behind the wheel of iconic Porsche race cars including modern greats like the 919 Hybrid and legends of yester-year like the 962 C, providing the racers with a stern test of their skills.

Organized by Porsche Asia Pacific together with Porsche Japan, Porsche Korea, and Porsche Taiwan, the tournament built on the success of e-sports events such as the Porsche Asia Pacific Forza Cup in 2020, the Porsche SimRacing Trophy and Porsche E-sports Supercup.

In a release, Porsche boasted that it "stands for authentic and emotive experiences such as these."

The car marque added: "Over the past few years, the sports car manufacturer has extended the brand experience to the world of gaming, where countless automotive dreams are born. In this context, the virtual world of gaming offers new opportunities to make sports cars interactive and to make driving them an accessible experience."

For this reason, Porsche has collaborated with various companies from the gaming industry. Most recently, Porsche and Polyphony Digital Inc., a subsidiary of Sony Interactive Entertainment, presented the Porsche Vision Gran Turismo, the marque’s first concept study created specifically for the virtual world.

"Gaming and e-sports will continue to be an important aspect of Porsche’s future growth, opening up a world of exciting possibilities and creating a lasting brand experience," Porsche concluded. 

Photos from Porsche

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