Thrill and excitement dominated the racetracks as Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) kicked off the 2022 season of the Toyota Gazoo Racing (TGR) Vios Cup. The Clark International Speedway (CIS) in Pampanga roared with heart-pounding cheer as veteran racers, celebrities and influencers, and members of media welcome motorsport enthusiasts back in the grandstands.
TMP President Atsuhiro Okamoto shared the excitement as he welcomed racers and fans at CIS. “The TGR Vios Cup is our way of celebrating our ever-growing racing community. We are thankful to our races and racing teams for showing the Gazoo Racing spirit, especially in this challenging times.” Okamoto said. “We hope this year’s season will continue to give the drive to race your ambition.”
Vios Cup celebrity veterans Troy Montero, Daniel Matsunaga, and Fabio Ide were back in the Circuit Championship using their One Make Race (OMR) Toyota Vios, perfect for the thrill and excitement of wheel-to-wheel racing. Young and fresh faces joined them in driving full-throttle in their respective classes.
The Circuit Championship was classified into three categories; the Super Sporting, Sporting and Promotional class, with a total of 27 racers participated across all three categories. The winners for the Super Sporting class were John Dizon of Obengers Team, Inigo Anton of Toyota North Edsa-Obengers Team, and Darryl de Leon of Toyota Marilao Obengers Team; meanwhile, Celebrity Troy Montero, from Toyota Gazoo Racing PH, won the Sporting class followed by Royce Sarmiento of RMS Cars Racing Team and Joaquin Garrido of Toyota Otis – Obengers Racing Team. Meanwhile, in the promotional class, Alain Alzona of Alzona Racing Team-Toyota Team General Santos grabbed the first place, followed by Alan Placios and Ian Robles from Toyota Cebu.
Meanwhile, the Autocross Challenge made enthusiasts hearts thump with excitement when celebrities, influencers, and members of the media showcased their speed and racing skills by navigating the specially designed obstacle course. First timer Benedict Cua became an instant favorite, and even claimed the top spot in the podium for the Influencer Promotional Class. He was joined by Gino Quillamor as the champion in the Influencer Sporting Class. For the media class, Autoindustriya’s Jan Lacuna won the Sporting Class as Pablo Salapantan of YugaAuto took the trophy for the Promotional Class.
This year, the excitement was not limited to veteran and skilled racers. Toyota Gazoo Racing Gran Turismo (GR GT) Cup champions were also there to take their e-racing skills from the screen to the tracks. After joining the Toyota Gazoo Racing Academy, these champions participated in the Autocross event.
“I’ve always loved racing and it’s such a thrilling experience for me to finally feel the rush of racing first-hand.” Russel Reyes, winner of the GT Cup Autocross Challenge, said. “And it’s an even more thrilling experience to win! This is definitely one of my best moments. Hoping to get another shot at real life racing again in the future.”
