Team PH gets 4th place anew at 2025 Toyota Gazoo Racing Asia eSports GT Championship

MANILA: Team Philippines nearly finished the 2025 Toyota Gazoo Racing (TGR) Asia eSports GT Championship at the podium.

The team made up of Enzo Ison, Matthew Ang, and Victor Ancheta ended their campaign at the three-race virtual tilt for the year in fourth place taking the  following spots:

Name	Position
Enzo Ison	8th
Matthew Ang	13th
Victor Ancheta	14th

It can be recalled that the local bets for last year rounded up the 2024 season at the same spot.

Taking this year’s top three place as a team were:

Position	Points	Country
Champion	169	Indonesia
First runner-up	151	Malaysia
Second runner-up	93	Singapore

Individually, 2023 champion Andika Rama of Indonesia was announced as this year’s victor after recording a total of 74 points. He was trailed by teammate Moreno Pratama with 62 and Malaysia’s Chong Kai Chang who got 59 points.  

The three winners have beaten other drivers from neighboring countries in the region last weekend after finishing all three races using the Gran Turismo 7 platform.

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Per Toyota, the rankings were determined from the points they garnered after completing each race — with bonus points for the fastest laps in each of the three races. The three leaders — in individual and team categories — each received a cash prize of $8,000, $4,500 and $3,000 respectively.

Race Highlights

At the first race, competitors utilized the Toyota GR Yaris at the virtual Suzuka Circuit. The venue offered an elevated difficulty as the racers have to prove their mettle in a wet scenario.

Malaysian frontrunner Taj Aiman took an early lead — leading six out of seven laps. However, he slipped to the fourth position after experiencing tire issues.

Rama, Chang, and Iqbal Suji saw the opportunity and immediately took advantage of the situation. At the final stretch, Rama charged ahead to claim victory.

Pratama overtook Chang and Iqbal to claim the second-place finish while Chang was on third when he crossed the checkered flag.

The second race was at Interlagos, which had an endurance-style complexity.

All drivers for each team raced using Toyota GR010 Hybrid and had to execute two driver swaps to complete the longest circuit (nearly thrice the length of Suzuka) among the three locations used in the competition. This was the first time in the Championship history that employed a full team race format.

The open format put pressure on pitstop strategies, tire management, energy conservation, and maintaining pace as track conditions shifted.

Aiman again had the early advantage — with Singapore’s Fadtris Isa and the Indonesian team not far behind.

Both the Indonesian and Singaporean teams showed exceptional tire management, stretching their stints and minimizing pitstops, while Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand cycled through more sets of tires.

By Lap 15 at the Interlagos race, Malaysia took advantage of the pit-stop window with Suji rejoining the track just as Singapore and Indonesia pitted to get the lead. By Lap 16, the differing strategies created a 17-second gap between Singapore and Malaysia.

Malaysia completed the race at first place, Indonesia at second, and Singapore on third.

The last leg of the competition was the 14-lap race at Watkins Glen on a 2019 Toyota GR Supra race car.

During this race, competitors were eager to score higher points as they were only behind each other by less than a second — with Indonesia and Malaysia controlling the pace.

Malaysia had an early pit that landed them into the top three by the ninth lap but took its toll in the latter stages of the race as they were forced to do an additional stop. This gave Indonesia the opportunity to climb to the leading position.

Isa delivered one of the race’s standout moments, climbing into second place and closing in on race leader Rama. Despite his aggressiveness, Rama was able to clinch to his second individual win of the night, with teammate Pratama crossing the line in second. Chang showcased an impressive comeback of his own, climbing four spots up from seventh to third after his second pit stop.

“This year’s Toyota Gazoo Racing Asia eSports GT Championship showcased exactly what the TGR philosophy stands for,” Toyota Motor Asia General Manager Jaja Ishibashi said.

“Every racer pushed their limits, refined their approach, and demonstrated remarkable composure across changing conditions. Beyond the results, what stood out most was the collective commitment to improvement and teamwork. These are values that continue to drive Gazoo Racing forward.”

Drivers

Rama shared that his second victory at the TGR Asia eSports GT Championship since 2023 is the result of months of preparation and sticking to our race strategies.

“We focused on refining our approach lap by lap, adjusting in real time while remaining true to our plan. Each corner, each tire change, and each overtaking decision was an opportunity to improve. Seeing our strategy pay off and being crowned Asia’s champion again gives us an incredible sense of pride,” he noted.

Echoing his teammate’s views, Pratama acknowledged that competing against the top drivers in Asia was not an easy task.

“Every race tested my focus, adaptability, and determination. Teamwork was evident in every lap for every one of us. In such races, it is not just about speed but about evolving and supporting one another. I’m proud to have pushed myself to the limit and to have earned a podium finish at the Asia Finals,” he said.

For Chang, his first podium finish at the Asia Finals is bittersweet, saying that he came to get the championship. “Racing against Asia’s best pushes me to keep improving, and I look forward to better accomplishments in my next races.”

Special awards

Special awards were also given in recognition of drivers’ exceptional performances. They are:

Special Awards
Driver of the Day	Andika Rama Maulana (Indonesia)
Best Race Craft	Chong Kai Chang (Malaysia)
Fastest Race Pace	Fadtris Isa (Singapore)

Here are the participants in this year’s regional finals:

Drivers

Country	Drivers
Thailand	Thanaphat Pungphat
	Chaiyapat Lipikornkosol
	Akkaparon Meesanthea
Malaysia	Taj Izrin Aiman
	Iqbal Suji
	Chong Kai Chang
Singapore	Muhammad Fadtris Bin Isa
	Ethan Yoh
	Jarod Yikai Zulkifly
Indonesia	Moreno Pratama
	Farizi Pramaditya
	Andika Rama Maulana
Philippines	Victor Ancheta
	Enzo Ison
	Matthew Ang

Also read:

Toyota GR GT Cup PH winners head to Malaysia for Asia Finals

These are the 2024 Toyota GR GT Cup PH winners

2024 Toyota GR PH Cup 2nd leg scheduled this weekend

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