Al-Futtaim Motors has deepened its commitment to motorsport in the United Arab Emirates with the launch of a new Motorsport Division dedicated to expanding their support and involvement in all forms of motorsports, both on- and off-road, as well as esports racing.
In addition to supporting motorsport, the new Al-Futtaim Motorsport Division will encompass the Toyota Gazoo Racing and Lexus F Performance brands in the UAE, both of which offer high-performance versions of some of the most popular models from each brand, such as the Toyota GR Supra, the Toyota Land Cruiser GR Sport, the Lexus RC F, Lexus GS F and the Legendary LFA, to name a few.
Globally Toyota has an illustrious motorsport history spanning five decades of successful participations in the World Rally Championship, Formula One, FIA Cross Country World Cup and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. From the championship-winning Toyota Yaris GR WRC to the Toyota Hilux that has enjoyed huge success in the Dakar Rally, Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge and the Dubai International Baja, Toyota vehicles have championed the spirit of motorsport at the highest level.
Also no stranger to competing at the highest levels, Lexus first entered the world of motorsport in 2002 at the historic Daytona 24-hour race, and from 2006 to 2008, its cars won three straight victories in the 24 Hours at Daytona. In the UAE, Lexus stepped in the world of motorsport when they built the first ever Lexus RC F drift car which made its global debut at Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2019, as well as launching the first Lexus F Club for F and F SPORT owners. Lexus has since competed successfully across a range of disciplines, from GT3 and GT4 series to endurance racing, hill climbs, off-road rallies, drifting and more.
The newly launched Al-Futtaim Motorsport division builds on this proud tradition by supporting the UAE’s motorsport community through partnerships with illustrious home-grown sporting events such as the UAE Autocross Challenge, the Dubai International Baja, and the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, as well as developing motorsport talent through the Toyota Gazoo Racing Academy, a driver development programme which took place earlier this year.
Commenting on the launch of the new Al-Futtaim Motorsport Division, Jacques Brent, Managing Director at Al-Futtaim Toyota & Lexus, said: “Al-Futtaim Motors has always been deeply committed to motorsports in the Emirates, and this new division reinforces this commitment with a new team entirely dedicated to supporting and developing motorsports across the UAE. In a nation that is so passionate about motoring, the Toyota and Lexus brands have become an integral part of the motoring and off-roading culture of the UAE. The Al-Futtaim Motorsport division empowers us to further develop this culture and our historic ties with the UAE’s motoring communities, and engage and give back to them by developing and supporting local events and driving talent.”
Ensuring the success of the new division will be a dedicated team led by Alaa Tarawneh, Motorsport Manager at Al-Futtaim Toyota & Lexus, with a mission to spearhead Al-Futtaim’s drive to support motorsports in the Emirates and build awareness around the exceptional performance of Toyota GR and Lexus F Performance models.
The Al-Futtaim Motorsport Division’s calendar kicks off almost immediately with support for the UAE’s participation in the Toyota Gazoo Racing MENA Esports Cup, with the top two competitors qualifying to compete at the regional finals in Amman, Jordan, in October.
This will be followed by event partnerships with several motoring events in the UAE including the Dubai International Baja and the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, with more to be announced soon. Further developing the UAE’s undiscovered driving talent will be the second edition of the Al-Futtaim Toyota Gazoo Racing Academy, also set to launch later this year.
The inaugural edition of the Al-Futtaim Toyota Gazoo Racing Academy was a huge success, with the different stages streamed to millions of viewers across the region on Shahid, the Arab world’s biggest digital streaming service, and Brandon Hancock was crowned as the winner and the Al-Futtaim Toyota Gazoo Racing Off-Road Ambassador for 2023.
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Formula E and the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) have today revealed the next generation of race car, the new all-electric GEN3 Evo, capable of 0-60mph in 1.82s.
Leveraging a roster of innovative technical upgrades, the GEN3 Evo unveiled at H.S.H Prince Albert II’s Private Car Collection will debut in Season 11 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship where some of the world’s greatest manufacturers and drivers race wheel-to-wheel in iconic locations around the globe.
Developed by specialists from Formula E and the FIA, the latest GEN3 Evo edition marks a significant leap in electric racing technology, with acceleration 0-60mph 30% faster than a current F1 car, and 36% faster than the GEN3 car.
Capable of accelerating nearly a full second faster than its predecessor – the GEN3 – that was the world’s first race car designed for street racing, it sets an even higher standard in performance, sustainability, and efficiency. The GEN3 Evo serves as a formidable ambassador for the future of motorsport, embodying cutting-edge advancements and a commitment to environmental responsibility.
On Saturday, April 27th, Abu Dhabi will host a groundbreaking event, welcoming 10,000 spectators to witness the inaugural ASPIRE Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League (A2RL) at the iconic Yas Marina Circuit. This brand-new autonomous racing competition marks a significant milestone in motorsport history, billed as the largest league of its kind globally.
Eight teams will compete: Code19 Racing (one of the first independent autonomous racing entity from the USA), Constructor University (based in Germany and Switzerland), Fly Eagle (representing Beijing Institute of Technology from China and Khalifa University from the UAE), HUMDA Lab (a member of the Széchenyi István University Group from Hungary), KINETIZ (a collaboration between Singapore Nanyang Technological University and Kintsugi based in the UAE), PoliMOVE (representing Politecnico di Milano from Italy), UNIMORE (also from Italy - University of Modena and Reggio Emilia), and Technical University of Munich - TUM (from Germany), vying for a substantial prize purse of US$ 2.25 million.
Aston Martin’s new Vantage GT3 continues its hunt for glory in the world’s two most prestigious endurance racing series, as the FIA World Endurance Championship [WEC] and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship [IMSA] resume this weekend.
The WEC begins its European leg on Sunday with the 6 Hours of Imola (ITA), and an inaugural visit to one of the continent’s best-known circuits, before heading to Spa-Francorchamps (BEL) on 11 May, and then the 24 Hours of Le Mans on 15-16 June. Meanwhile IMSA heads to the world famous Long Beach street track for its first sprint race (100 minutes) of the season. A second-place finish in the brand-new LMGT3 class for the Heart of Racing (HoR), and third for D’station Racing, made Aston Martin the only one of the nine GT manufacturers present to score a WEC double podium finish at the season-opening 1812km of Qatar in March. It means both teams arrive in Italy in strong form.
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