Toyota chairman Akio 'Morizo' Toyoda coming to the Philippines, driving in Toyota Gazoo Racing Fest

Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) has something special planned for its 35th anniversary and the Gazoo Racing Festival.

The Japanese automaker announced in a press statement that it is bringing in a heavy hitter – Toyota Motor Corporation chairman Akio “Morizo” Toyoda will be attending the event from Aug. 23 to 24, 2023 at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila.

Morizo, who Toyota calls its "master driver," is also an accomplished racing driver who helped develop many of Toyota's Gazoo Racing (GR) models, such as the Toyota GR Yaris.

Morizo will perform exciting and challenging driving exhibitions in front of Filipino fans at the event on Aug. 23. TMP said this is a rare occasion, as he typically performs in some of the world’s most renowned race tracks. 

Before becoming company chair on April 2023, Morizo had served as Toyota Motor Corporation president and CEO since June 2009. He is the grandson of company founder Kiichiro Toyoda.

Spirit of Gazoo

Meanwhile, the Gazoo Racing Festival is open to the public and is completely free.

The event is a gathering of motorsports enthusiasts where everyone can experience the thrill and joy of driving Toyota cars.

The festival is also expected to be a grand meetup of Toyota Gazoo Racing drivers and fans aiming to form the biggest assembly of GR cars in one venue. 

Morizo will also be joined by other Japanese champion racers from the Toyota Gazoo Racing team. Norihiko Katsuta and Masahiro Sasaki will showcase legendary race cars that have run the rally courses of global racing events – the Toyota WRC Yaris and Corolla D1.

Local talents like Alex Perez, Luis Gono, Marlon Stockinger and Ryan Agoncillo will also be performing drifting and gymkhana exhibitions at the festival.

They will be using Toyota Gazoo Racing performance cars, including the local versions of the GR Supra, GR Yaris and GR 86. 

Sim races, live entertainment

But wait, there's more!

The event will also hold the biggest national sim racing championship, the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Gran Turismo Cup Philippines. Official Toyota GR merchandise will also be available at the festival.

And expect awesome live music courtesy of Ely Buendia, Ben&Ben, Parokya ni Edgar and Kamikazee.

Make sure to visit the event, as it's only some days that the Chairman of Toyota comes to the country to show off his racing prowess. 

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AutoFun Philippines Senior Writer VJ Bacungan contributed to this story.