NACON and KT Racing, alongside WRC Promoter, have announced that Toyota Gazoo Racing is now the official presenting sponsor of the 2020 and 2021 eSPorts WRC seasons. Previously, Hyundai was the official partner and the winner received a Hyundai i20 however this time around with Toyota Gazoo Racing the new official presenting sponsor, the winner will receive a Toyota GR Yaris which is the brand new hot hatch offering by Toyota and is one serious machine.
The announcement comes in celebration of the Japanese manufacture’s recent unveiling of their brand new Toyota GR Yaris which a pure performance car born from Toyota’s title-winning experience in the World Rally Championship. It comes equipped with Toyota’s new GR-Four intelligent all-wheel drive system coupled with a 1.6 litre 3-cylinder turbocharged engine that delivers 216 DIN HP and 360 Nm of torque. This brand new GR Yaris is the most lightweight, powerful, and exhilarating hatch ever to come out of Toyota’s factory.
The brand new partnership between Toyota Gazoo Racing and NACON will extend into further promotions spanning WRC 8 as well as WRC 9 which is their upcoming title in the WRC franchise. It is slated for release on September 3, 2020. The 5th Season of eSPorts WRC kicked off back in January 2020 and is currently in full swing. Many of the competitors from the previous eSPorts WRC has back again along with a lot of new drivers this time around.
At this point, Lebanese competitor Sami-Joe is leading the 2020 eSPorts Championship presented by Toyota Gazoo Racing. He claimed his second victor last weekend at Rally Portugal and moved a point above of the 2017 and 2019 champion, Lohan ‘Nexl’ Blanc. There are four more rounds remaining at this time. If they secure a victory at Italy’s Rally Sardinia next month, both of them could move into the grand final.
The Grand Finale of eSports WRC 2020 will take place in October 2020 where the winner of the championship will be determined. The winner of the championship will be the first owners of the new Toyota GR Yaris so this year around, it is much more exciting. Benoit Clerc, NACON’s Head of Publishing said:
We’re very proud of the progress we’ve made since the creation of eSports WRC, which has become inseparable from the development and work performed all year long on the WRC video games. It has now become an unmissable event for every fan of off-road racing games. Thanks to the support of Toyota, the 2020 year will benefit from significant reinforcement, and we’re very impatient to continue collectively expanding eSports WRC.
Andrea Carlucci, Director of Product and Marketing Management of Toyota Motor Europe said:
We’re pleased to partner with eSports WRC to bring the excitement of rallying to more fans around the world. As one of the pillars of TOYOTA GAZOO Racing, e-motorsports is key for us to make motorsport and sports cars more accessible to more people and to foster a new generation of car lovers everywhere. With the growing interest in eSports, and our increasing sports car offering, we’re looking forward to working closely with our partners to bring our brand value and exciting products closer to consumers and fans.
WRC Promoter managing director Oliver Ciesla also added:
Since physical events have been affected by recent circumstances, eSports is, now more than ever, a way for our fans to experience the thrill of motorsports competition even more intensely.
The eSports WRC Championship has grown in stature over the last five years to become one of motorsport’s leading virtual competitions. We’re pleased to welcome the enthusiastic participation of Toyota Gazoo Racing, a WRC manufacturer team, to the tournament.
WRC 8 is now available on Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and PC while WRC 9 is slated for release on September 3, 2020, on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. It will also release on PS5, Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch however their release dates will be announced at a later stage.
