- After a highly successful inaugural 2023 season, the Toyota Gazoo Racing UAE Academy returns, promising more action, more competition, and more racing thrills
- Registration for the season 2 will be open from 10 – 16 February 2024 on the online portal
- After the off-road challenges of last season, Season 2 of the Academy moves to cover on-track action, with racing, time attack and autocross rounds designed to reveal the UAE’s undiscovered driving talent
- The action-packed programme covers 4 stages: Auditions, Qualification, Development, and Finals
- Final winner will have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to become the 2024 Toyota Gazoo Racing UAE Ambassador and drive a high-performance Toyota GR Supra for the year
Dubai, UAE, February 8th, 2024: After a hugely successful inaugural season watched by millions of viewers on Shahid, the Arab world’s biggest streaming platform, the Toyota Gazoo Racing UAE Academy returns in 2024 for season 2 of the driver development programme pioneered by Al-Futtaim Toyota. The second season aims to continue to delivering more high-octane action, intense competition, and racing thrills for its competitors and online viewers.
Registration for Season 2
The Toyota Gazoo Racing UAE Academy will be open for registration from February 10th to 16th, with those interested in participating invited to register at the Academy’s online portal.
This year, the aptly re-badged Toyota Gazoo Racing UAE Academy will see the contestants take to the track at the state-of-the-art Karting Town in Sharjah for a series of kart racing qualifiers, followed by thrilling Autocross and Time Attack sessions in the blisteringly fast Toyota GR Supra that will demand exceptional driving skill and precision.
Commenting on the initiative, Saad Abdullah, General Manager – Marketing, Toyota Lexus for Al-Futtaim Automotive, said: “Following an amazing event last year, we are extremely excited to announce the return of the successful Al-Futtaim Toyota motorsport initiative – now named Toyota Gazoo Racing UAE Academy. For this year’s exciting programme, the Academy will be shifting gears from off-road racing to on-track Autocross and Time Attack stages featuring the iconic Toyota GR Supra. Leveraging the considerable expertise of our newly formed Al-Futtaim Motorsport Division and external consultants in the motorsport industry, we have developed Season 2 of the Toyota Gazoo Racing UAE Academy to serve as a platform to develop skilled drivers, thereby reinforcing our commitment to motorsport excellence in the region. Guided by the philosophy that “the road shapes the driver as well as the vehicle,” this pioneering initiative offers automotive enthusiasts across the UAE a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to etch their name into the records of motorsport history. Once again, the Academy further reinforces what Toyota has stood for over the years: dependable performance and the ability to push the limits on what machine and man can do together.”
The Toyota Gazoo Racing Academy Programme
The 2024 season of the Toyota Gazoo Racing UAE Academy will take place across four gruelling stages, in which the physical prowess, driving skills, media finesse, and mental acuity of the competitors will be tested, promising not just glory on the track but a lasting impact on the motorsports landscape both in the United Arab Emirates and globally.
Following the registrations, contestants will take part in Auditions on a first-come, first-served basis to determine their suitability for the qualification stages. Candidates will be assessed based on a combination of competitive kart racing to determine driving prowess, and an interview to assess media skills.
The applicants will then be assessed, and 48 successful candidates shortlisted for the Qualifications and Development stages, where the field will be whittled down to just 4 competitors for the Finals stage, and the ultimate battle to be crowned the Toyota Gazoo Racing Ambassador for 2024.
Throughout the Academy’s stages, candidates can expect to be tested on the following:
- Media: Shine in the media spotlight as they showcase their charisma and passion for racing.
- Focus, Physical, & Mental Training: Demonstrate commitment and mental fortitude through focused training exercises.
- Racing: Take to the track to prove their mettle in high-stakes racing challenges.
Those who want to register for the Toyota Gazoo Racing UAE Academy should log on to https://www.toyota.ae/en/motorsports/stage-one/ before February 16th.
Globally Toyota has an illustrious motorsport history spanning five decades of successful participations in the World Rally Championship, Formula One, FIA Cross Country World Cup and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. From the championship-winning Toyota Yaris GR WRC to the multiple Le Mans-winning Toyota Gazoo Racing Hybrid LMP cars, Toyota vehicles have championed the spirit of motorsport at the highest level, both on and off the road.
Round 2 of the Toyota Gazoo Racing UAE Academy continues this proud tradition by offering the UAE’s motorsport community a chance to hone their skills and become serious contenders within the arena. In 2023, the Toyota Motorsport Academy featured four stages of off-road action in the mighty Toyota Land Cruiser GR.
