The fun and exciting scenes at the Toyota Gazoo Racing Festival

It’s not everyday that you get invited to see the chairman of one of the largest car companies in the world, let alone watch him perform an exhibition of his drifting skills.

That’s why I immediately said ‘yes’ when Toyota Motor Philippines sent me an invitation to see none other than Toyota Motor Corporation Chairman Akio Toyoda, known in the racing world as “Morizo,” at the the Toyota Gazoo Racing Festival last August 23 to 24, 2023.

TMP dubbed this event as the “greatest gathering to celebrate all things Gazoo Racing,” and is part of the company’s 35th anniversary celebrations to treat customers and fans who have shown continuous love and support for the brand throughout the years. The TGR Festival was attended by more than 6,000 audience on ground and garnered up to 2.6M livestream viewers.

Under the scorching tropical heat, Morizo wowed the crowd with his mastery of the Toyota GR Yaris WRC rally car, where he entertained the crowd with donut maneuvers. He also joined the Gymkhana challenge where he drove a Toyota GR 86 which allowed the audience to witness his expertise with a GR performance car that’s available for local customers. 

 “I developed a car because I wanted to see the smiles of the people. You ask people and you give them what they want,” Morizo said. “It’s because of the smiles and the cheers that is why I’m here,” he added.

Another highlight of the event were the performances of Japanese champion racers from the Toyota Gazoo Racing teamz Norihiko Katsuta and Masahiro Sasaki were both present for the course of the two-day TGR Festival 2023. They brought along their legendary race cars Toyota WRC Yaris and Red Bull GR Corolla which have conquered different rally courses around the world.

The transformation of the GR Yaris from the Toyota WRC Yaris led by Morizo was a remarkable feat. The Red Bull GR Corolla, on the other hand, also has a memorable page in history being remembered as the car that powered Calle Rovampella to victory in the Formula Drift Japan competition.

Morizo, as well as the other drivers, also took lucky passengers for adrenaline-pumping rides, giving them a taste of what it’s like to experience the track from the perspective of a racing master. I wasn’t one of them but some were my friends, surely lucky.

At the end of the day, you can’t help but feel happy seeing the events of that day. It was definitely one way for Toyota to thank its customers and fans for its 35 successful years in the Philippines.