Over the weekend I was invited by Toyota to attend the GR Yaris Cup. I didn’t really need an invitation since I was planning to go anyway to meet up with some friends, especially since a couple of the drivers are from our circle.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with the GR Yaris Cup, it’s a racing series where 12 drivers compete against each other across multiple races. What makes it different from other races is that all the cars are built exactly the same. They’re Toyota GR Yaris cars that have been modified specifically for racing. With every driver competing in the same car, it becomes a true drivers race since it’s no longer about who has the faster car.
I initially thought this was a race series introduced by Toyota Japan, but this weekend I found out it was actually created by the AlSayer Toyota dealer and later adopted by other countries. This is now the third season of the GR Yaris Cup, and after the success of the first season, other markets wanted to bring the series to their own tracks.
It’s a great event to watch because the races are short and the cars tend to stay close together due to identical performance. That makes every lap exciting, especially when they come past the grand stands as a group. The races take place at Kuwait Motor Town and are always free to attend. There are usually activations and food trucks on site as well.
This past weekend Toyota gave us an early sneak peek at the new 2026 GR Yaris, which is finally becoming available to purchase in Kuwait. The car is being officially launched tonight and will most likely sell out tonight as well since I know a lot of car enthusiasts who want one.
The next GR Yaris Cup race will take place in January and it’s going to be a big one since it will run alongside the popular Gulf Run weekend and White Expo Market. I’ll be posting more about that next month, but for now you can check out some photos and learn more about the series on their official accounts @toyotakw and @gazooracingkw or visit the website.