Region’s First-Ever Al-Futtaim Toyota Motorsport Academy Ends on a Thrilling High Millions of Motorsport Fans Tune into the Season One Finale

• After beating thousands of applicants, and intense gruelling challenges over many weeks, four motorsport contenders made it to the final
• South African sales professional, Branden Hancock, with a passion for fitness and motorsport, was crowned the winner and named the 2023 Al-Futtaim Toyota Gazoo Racing Off-Road Ambassador
• Winner will drive the adrenaline-fuelled, high-performance Land Cruiser GR Sport for the entire year and receive an all-expenses-paid trip to a global racing event, including a chance to participate in the FIA Cross Country Challenge

The region’s first home-grown motorsports reality TV show, the Al-Futtaim Toyota Motorsport Academy had its thrilling grand finale streamed to millions of motorsports enthusiasts across the Middle East on Shahid, the region’s leading Arabic streaming platform.

Dubai-based Branden Hancock was crowned as the winner and the Al-Futtaim Toyota Gazoo Racing Off-Road Ambassador for 2023, after edging out fellow finalists Nour Dawood (second place), Aksana Yordanov (third place), and Nicolas Gondard (fourth place).

As the grand winner, Branden will enjoy a range of stunning benefits that include taking the keys to the mighty Toyota Land Cruiser 300 GR Sport for a year, participating with the Al-Futtaim Toyota Gazoo Racing Team at the 2023 FIA World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) Final in Morocco in October, and taking part in Al-Futtaim Toyota’s exciting automotive activities and launches throughout the year.

Commenting on the occasion, Jacques Brent, Managing Director, Al-Futtaim Toyota & Lexus, said: “After a season of intense competition and thrilling off-road action, we are excited to announce the winner of the inaugural edition of the Al-Futtaim Toyota Motorsport Academy. On behalf of the entire Al-Futtaim Toyota team, I offer the warmest congratulations to Branden Hancock for his outstanding achievement and our heartiest compliments to the finalists, as well as the legion of motorsport enthusiasts who qualified – you are all champions to us.”

A total of 1,200 automotive enthusiasts had applied for the first edition of the Toyota Motorsport Academy, an initiative from Al-Futtaim Toyota that brought the UAE’s automotive and off-roading communities together. The academy selected 150 applicants for the first-of-its-kind driver development programme designed to enhance sporting skills.

Commenting on his win, Branden said: “Being named the Al-Futtaim Toyota Gazoo Racing Off-Road Ambassador 2023 after a very competitive time at the Toyota Motorsport Academy feels like an unreal moment for me – it is a dream come true. From meeting the Al-Futtaim Toyota Gazoo Racing team at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge to winning the first edition of the Academy, it has been an exciting journey, and I thank Al-Futtaim Toyota for making this possible. As this year’s ambassador, I am very excited to see what the future brings and look forward to an intense calendar of events.”