WITH the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic putting the sporting world largely to a standstill, stakeholders are made to reassess their push and adapt to the “new normal” the current conditions have brought forth.
For Tuason Racing, one of the top proponents of the sport of motor racing in the country, the onset of the pandemic has made conducting its affairs more challenging but not necessarily enough to stop it from pushing for what it wants to achieve for the sport here.
One of the ways the long-time pro racing school is adapting to the new normal is by tapping on the digital platform, recognizing how with COVID-19 still a going concern motorsports athletes and enthusiasts alike are turning to virtual racing and e-sports to keep their excitement.
“We knew we wanted to be in the digital space as early as 2019. So we pushed forward all our digital events such as the young driver program online with a skew to help our frontliners. What was very interesting was this pivot to online racing was done while in lockdown without even one physical meeting with our team,” said JP Tuason, founder and CEO of Tuason Racing, whose group started pivoting online when COVID-19 further started making its presence felt in the country.
Instead of being swamped by COVID-19, Tuason Racing took the situation as an opportunity to launch motorsports in the virtual world.
“There has been a continuous surge for online games during the lockdown. More and more people are doing games since there are limited live activities to do. In the US all gaming stocks are on a high showing that this is really the future,” said Mr. Tuason.
While Sim racing, or virtual racing, is relatively new in the country, Tuason Racing believes in its potential to be a success here and that it is determined to rally behind it by providing, among other things, a professional league for players to enhance their skills on the track and on online platforms.
It has already conducted an online race for the benefit of frontliners in the fight against COVID-19 and has lined up a number of programs for the rest of the year.
Among the programs it is involved in is the newly launched esports program of Toyota — The GR Supra GT Cup — which it is helping organize and in August it is launching another online league on a PC platform along with a complimentary spectators program where they can make their own teams and win prizes.
Tuason Racing will also pioneer its new normal racing events later in 2020 featuring contactless racing on- and off-track. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo
