Following fierce competition among 26 racers from 13 countries

Amman, October 2022: The racing track of the 2022 Toyota GAZOO Racing MENA Esports Cup finals, hosted on 7 and 8 October in the Jordanian capital, Amman, witnessed fierce competition between 26 professional digital racers from 13 countries - with Mohamed Al Barwani (Oman) grabbing the first place title, and Khalid Al Maraghi (Qatar) and Wesam Khalil (Saudi Arabia) securing the second and third spots, respectively.    

The 2022 Toyota GAZOO Racing MENA Esports Cup finals were officially sponsored by Toyota Motor Corporation - represented by Toyota GAZOO Racing - under the supervision of Jordan Motorsport as Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) representative and the organization of Desert Fox Racing, with sponsorship from Bank al Etihad, Samsung, Zain Esports, McDonald’s and Al Ameed Coffee. Held at Zara Expo, the first day, Friday 7 October, featured friendly competitions between several participants and media representatives, as well as other friendly races for the Country Challenge, with the Qatari Team - which included Faesal Al Yafei and Khalid Al Maraghi - securing the win. The second day, Saturday 8 October, comprised the thrilling semi-final races, the official regional launch of the all-new Toyota GR86, the final races and the distribution of prizes amongst the winners - in the presence of media entities, top influencers and avid audiences.   

“We’ve witnessed a great wrap-up befitting of this regional championship and its talented contestants who exhibited incredible driving skill, exceptional sportsmanship and inspiring commitment throughout. We would like to congratulate the top three winners and participants who represented their countries in the 2022 second edition. Also, special thanks to Toyota Motor Corporation, represented by Toyota GAZOO Racing, for supporting the championship, as well as our fantastic sponsors and enthusiastic fans for their dedication and encouragement. We look forward to hosting this distinguished event every year to continue to give rise to remarkable digital motorsport talents across the MENA region,” commented Head of TGR MENA Esports Cup and Managing Director of Markazia, Nadim Haddad.

In turn, Jordan Motorsport CEO, Zaid Balqez, added, “We’re very excited to have hosted this major sporting event in Jordan and to have presented young talents throughout the MENA with an opportunity to showcase their outstanding skills on the racing track and represent their countries within the regional arena. Congratulations to the first, second and third place winners and the remaining participants for making it to the finals.”

As first-place winner, Mohamed Al Barwani (Oman) will go on to represent the MENA in the global finals of the Toyota GAZOO Racing GT Cup, which will bring together a lineup of some of the world’s most masterful simulator drivers to compete for the title.   

The second edition of the Toyota GAZOO Racing MENA Esports Cup brought forth an even wider range of participants and a more advanced structure comprising national qualifier rounds spanning from the end of July until the end of August - offering everyone a fair chance to showcase their talents, win and represent their countries during the finals. 

2022 Toyota GAZOO Racing MENA Esports Cup top three winners:

• Oman: Mohamed Al Barwani - First Place
• Qatar: Khalid Al Maraghi - Second Place
• Saudi Arabia: Wesam Khalil - Third Place