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.
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Nissan Formula E Team secured race victory in the final event of the 2023/24 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, with Oliver Rowland putting in a masterful drive in the season-ending Round 16 at the London E-Prix.
The new Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH has hit the track for the first time, as Aston Martin with The Heart of Racing begins a comprehensive testing programme ahead of the British ultra-luxury sportscar brand’s bid to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans outright next year and for the first time since 1959.
The new Hypercar, developed by Aston Martin Performance Technologies and works team The Heart of Racing, completed a shakedown and initial evaluation testing in the UK this week, The car was driven by Aston Martin High Performance development driver Darren Turner (GBR), The Heart of Racing’s Mario Farnbacher (DEU) and Harry Tincknell (GBR), who won the LMGTE class of the 2020 24 Hours of Le Mans with Aston Martin.
Aston Martin with The Heart of Racing will now commence a full development schedule to prepare the car ahead of FIA homologation in the autumn and its competitive debut in early 2025. The Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH is the first racing car to be built to Hypercar regulations to contest both the FIA World Endurance Championship [WEC] and the US-based IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship [IMSA] simultaneously.
The Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH is unique in the top Hypercar class of global endurance motorsport in that it is the only one among its contemporaries to derive its roots from an existing production-based extreme performance car – Aston Martin Valkyrie, the ultimate hypercar. Works team The Heart of Racing will enter two Valkyrie AMR-LMH contenders in WEC and a single car in IMSA in 2025.
Adam Carter, Aston Martin Head of Endurance Motorsport, said: “The Valkyrie AMR-LMH sets its own standard as a thoroughbred endurance competition car. It is a pure, leading edge racing machine, and while it is very early in the testing cycle, from what we have witnessed so far, we are satisfied that it is achieving the targets and criteria we have set out for it to accomplish.”
The last day of the 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed was nothing short of spectacular. Over the five-day event, hundreds of vehicles, ranging from turn-of-the-century machines to modern hypercars, took on the iconic 1.16-mile hill climb. This year, the top 10 fastest cars showcased a thrilling mix of vintage Formula One racers and cutting-edge sports cars. Some were veterans of the hill climb, while others made their debut in style. Let's dive into the details of the 10 fastest cars at this year's event.
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