The region’s first home-grown motorsports reality TV show, the Al-Futtaim Toyota Motorsport Academy had its thrilling grand finale streamed to millions of motorsports enthusiasts across the Middle East on Shahid, the region’s leading Arabic streaming platform.
Dubai-based Branden Hancock was crowned as the winner and the Al-Futtaim Toyota Gazoo Racing Off-Road Ambassador for 2023, after edging out fellow finalists Nour Dawood (second place), Aksana Yordanov (third place), and Nicolas Gondard (fourth place).
As the grand winner, Branden will enjoy a range of stunning benefits that include taking the keys to the mighty Toyota Land Cruiser 300 GR Sport for a year, participating with the Al-Futtaim Toyota Gazoo Racing Team at the 2023 FIA World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) Final in Morocco in October, and taking part in Al-Futtaim Toyota’s exciting automotive activities and launches throughout the year.
Commenting on the occasion, Jacques Brent, Managing Director, Al-Futtaim Toyota & Lexus, said: “After a season of intense competition and thrilling off-road action, we are excited to announce the winner of the inaugural edition of the Al-Futtaim Toyota Motorsport Academy. On behalf of the entire Al-Futtaim Toyota team, I offer the warmest congratulations to Branden Hancock for his outstanding achievement and our heartiest compliments to the finalists, as well as the legion of motorsport enthusiasts who qualified – you are all champions to us.”
A total of 1,200 automotive enthusiasts had applied for the first edition of the Toyota Motorsport Academy, an initiative from Al-Futtaim Toyota that brought the UAE’s automotive and off-roading communities together. The academy selected 150 applicants for the first-of-its-kind driver development programme designed to enhance sporting skills.
Commenting on his win, Branden said: “Being named the Al-Futtaim Toyota Gazoo Racing Off-Road Ambassador 2023 after a very competitive time at the Toyota Motorsport Academy feels like an unreal moment for me – it is a dream come true. From meeting the Al-Futtaim Toyota Gazoo Racing team at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge to winning the first edition of the Academy, it has been an exciting journey, and I thank Al-Futtaim Toyota for making this possible. As this year’s ambassador, I am very excited to see what the future brings and look forward to an intense calendar of events.”
The launch of the UAE’s first Al-Futtaim Toyota Motorsport Academy is a milestone achievement in the nation’s motorsport history. It showcases Al-Futtaim Toyota’s continued investment in developing the motorsport community around the region, and reinforces the brand’s motorsport heritage spanning five decades of successful participation in the World Rally Championship, Formula One, FIA Cross Country World Cup and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Al-Futtaim Toyota Motorsport was also lauded for its outstanding commitment to developing motorsport in the MENA region by winning the ‘Best Innovative Sports Brand’ award at the 10th annual Sports Industry Awards 2023. Al-Futtaim Toyota has been at the forefront of the sport as the sponsors of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge and the renowned off-road race Dubai Baja.
Motor 283 is the biggest automotive website created by a team of automotive enthusiats and this author page is used to show the readers the press releases and news posted on Motor 283 website.
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.
SHARE
