After a hugely successful inaugural season watched by millions of viewers on Shahid, the Arab world’s biggest streaming platform, the Toyota Gazoo Racing UAE Academy returns in 2024 for season 2 of the driver development programme pioneered by Al-Futtaim Toyota. The second season aims to continue to delivering more high-octane action, intense competition, and racing thrills for its competitors and online viewers.
The Toyota Gazoo Racing UAE Academy will be open for registration from February 10th to 16th, with those interested in participating invited to register at the Academy’s online portal.
This year, the aptly re-badged Toyota Gazoo Racing UAE Academy will see the contestants take to the track at the state-of-the-art Karting Town in Sharjah for a series of kart racing qualifiers, followed by thrilling Autocross and Time Attack sessions in the blisteringly fast Toyota GR Supra that will demand exceptional driving skill and precision.
Commenting on the initiative, Saad Abdullah, General Manager – Marketing, Toyota Lexus for Al-Futtaim Automotive, said: “Following an amazing event last year, we are extremely excited to announce the return of the successful Al-Futtaim Toyota motorsport initiative – now named Toyota Gazoo Racing UAE Academy. For this year’s exciting programme, the Academy will be shifting gears from off-road racing to on-track Autocross and Time Attack stages featuring the iconic Toyota GR Supra. Leveraging the considerable expertise of our newly formed Al-Futtaim Motorsport Division and external consultants in the motorsport industry, we have developed Season 2 of the Toyota Gazoo Racing UAE Academy to serve as a platform to develop skilled drivers, thereby reinforcing our commitment to motorsport excellence in the region. Guided by the philosophy that "the road shapes the driver as well as the vehicle," this pioneering initiative offers automotive enthusiasts across the UAE a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to etch their name into the records of motorsport history. Once again, the Academy further reinforces what Toyota has stood for over the years: dependable performance and the ability to push the limits on what machine and man can do together.”
The 2024 season of the Toyota Gazoo Racing UAE Academy will take place across four gruelling stages, in which the physical prowess, driving skills, media finesse, and mental acuity of the competitors will be tested, promising not just glory on the track but a lasting impact on the motorsports landscape both in the United Arab Emirates and globally.
Following the registrations, contestants will take part in Auditions on a first-come, first-served basis to determine their suitability for the qualification stages. Candidates will be assessed based on a combination of competitive kart racing to determine driving prowess, and an interview to assess media skills.
The applicants will then be assessed, and 48 successful candidates shortlisted for the Qualifications and Development stages, where the field will be whittled down to just 4 competitors for the Finals stage, and the ultimate battle to be crowned the Toyota Gazoo Racing Ambassador for 2024.
Throughout the Academy’s stages, candidates can expect to be tested on the following:
• Media: Shine in the media spotlight as they showcase their charisma and passion for racing.
• Focus, Physical, & Mental Training: Demonstrate commitment and mental fortitude through focused training exercises.
• Racing: Take to the track to prove their mettle in high-stakes racing challenges.
Those who want to register for the Toyota Gazoo Racing UAE Academy should log on to https://www.toyota.ae/en/motorsports/stage-one/ before February 16th.
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 multiple Le Mans-winning Toyota Gazoo Racing Hybrid LMP cars, Toyota vehicles have championed the spirit of motorsport at the highest level, both on and off the road.
Round 2 of the Toyota Gazoo Racing UAE Academy continues this proud tradition by offering the UAE’s motorsport community a chance to hone their skills and become serious contenders within the arena. In 2023, the Toyota Motorsport Academy featured four stages of off-road action in the mighty Toyota Land Cruiser GR.
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
