Enzo Ison, Russel Reyes, and Michael Velasquez will represent the Philippines at the 2026 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Asia Esports GT Championship in Bangkok, Thailand, after earning their places at the national finals.
The TGR Philippines Esports GT Championship National Finals, held September 27 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City, brought together the top 10 Sporting Class and top 10 Junior Class players from more than 400 sim racers who joined the qualifiers.
FOUR RACES DECIDE THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONS
Competitors in both categories raced across four rounds in Gran Turismo, using different Toyota performance cars on a mix of real and fictional circuits.
The first race put drivers in the GR Corolla at Autódromo de Interlagos in Brazil. They then moved to the GR Yaris at the Sardegna Windmills dirt course, the GR Supra at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, and the GR010 Hybrid at the Nürburgring.
Changing weather conditions during the final two races added another challenge as drivers fought for the points needed to secure the national titles and places in Team Philippines.
ENZO ISON DOMINATES JUNIOR CLASS
Enzo Ison topped the Junior Class with 130.5 points, ahead of Chester Jordan Ilog with 85 points and Luth Ifamy with 76.5.
Ison started strongly by taking pole position and winning the opening race at Interlagos. At Sardegna Windmills, he began fifth on the reverse grid before moving into second by lap four and eventually winning a three-way fight with Samuel Rey Icalia and Ilog.
He followed that performance with a 17-second victory in Barcelona. At the Nürburgring, an error dropped him to eighth while Ilog opened a 10-second advantage, but Ison recovered the lead by lap four and eventually won by 54 seconds.
The Junior Class title earned the 16-year-old a PHP100,000 cash prize and a place in the Asia Finals.
RUSSEL REYES TAKES SPORTING CLASS
Russel Reyes won the Sporting Class with 130.5 points, followed by Michael Velasquez with 93.5 and Luis Antonio Moreno with 84.
Reyes held off Moreno’s late attack at Interlagos and again defended his position during the closing stages in Barcelona. At Sardegna Windmills, Velasquez took advantage of the reverse grid to lead from the opening lap, while Reyes worked his way from fifth to second.
The Nürburgring finale saw Victor Ancheta take the lead and build a 10-second advantage through an extended pit strategy. A penalty later dropped Ancheta to sixth, allowing Reyes to regain the lead and finish 17 seconds ahead of the field.
Reyes also received PHP100,000 and a direct slot in the Asia Finals.
VELASQUEZ COMPLETES TEAM PHILIPPINES
Velasquez secured the third Team Philippines slot after finishing second in the Sporting Class and recording the higher points total among the national finals runners-up.
He received a PHP75,000 cash prize and will join Ison and Reyes in Bangkok.
“To Enzo, Russel, and Michael, we wish you the best of luck as you carry the Philippine flag in Bangkok. We are behind you as you go out there and push the limits for better,” said Sherwin Chua-Lim, Toyota Motor Philippines senior vice president for marketing division.
EXPERIENCE MEETS A FIRST-TIME FINALIST
For Ison, the 2026 competition marks a return to the regional stage. He previously represented the Philippines in the Asia Finals in 2024 and 2025 and was Junior Class champion in the Philippine competition in 2023 and 2022.
“I feel really great and thankful for winning in the Junior Class and having the chance to represent the country for the third time,” Ison said. “This year, we will train harder than ever to get the best results for the Asia Finals.”
Reyes is also an Asia Finals veteran, having represented the Philippines in 2022, 2023, and 2024. He won the Philippine championship in 2023, finished third overall in 2024, and was Sporting Class runner-up in 2022.
“Being gone for a year gave me a chance to reset and rethink how I race,” Reyes said. “I can feel that I am a stronger sim racer than ever.”
Velasquez, meanwhile, will make his first appearance at the Asia Finals.
“It’s an honor to represent Team Philippines after finishing P2 in Sporting Class and the third most overall points in the TGR Philippines GT Esports Championship 2026,” he said. “I’m really ecstatic to work together alongside Russel and Enzo and I look forward to us learning from each other and growing as a team.”
BANGKOK FINALS SET FOR NOVEMBER
Ison, Reyes, and Velasquez will face sim racers from across the region at the TGR Asia Esports GT Championship in Bangkok on November 14–15, 2026.
Toyota Motor Philippines says Filipino motorsports fans will be able to follow Team Philippines through the Asia Finals livestream on the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Philippines Facebook page.