Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) recently kicked off the 10th season of its motorsports program with the first race weekend of the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Philippine Cup (TGR Philippine Cup). The event saw thousands of spectators at the Clark International Speedway as more than 30 racers battled it out on track for the sprint and endurance races.
During the opening ceremony, TMP President Masando Hashimoto revealed that he would be participating as a racer under the Novice Class – a new circuit racing class that gathers winners and top performers from the Autocross Challenge. He was joined by influencers Lexi Mendiola and Reph Bangsil, media racers Jamil Lacuna, Jose Altoveros, Pablo Salapantan and John Ray San Diego, and sim racer Russel Reyes.
Seasoned racers under the Promotional, Sporting, and Super Sporting classes also returned to the track to bring adrenaline-pumping action with 2024 newcomers.
The morning saw racers driving under sunny skies, while the afternoon was met with rain showers. The differing weather conditions put both racers and cars to the test, providing fans with high-octane wheel-to-wheel battles.
For the first race weekend, two sprint races and one endurance race were held.
Here is the full list of winners:
RACE 1: SPRINT RACE 1
NOVICE CLASS Rank Name Team 1 Jamil Lacuna TOYOTA GAZOO Racing PH 2 Russel Reyes TOYOTA GAZOO Racing PH 3 Jose Altoveros TOYOTA GAZOO Racing PH PROMOTIONAL CLASS Rank Name Team 1 Bong Garbes Inbox – Toyota San Fernando 2 Rex Abrenilla Toyota Team Cebu 3 Johndale Dy Toyota Team Cebu SPORTING CLASS Rank Name Team 1 Jiro Garbes Inbox – Toyota San Fernando 2 Jarond Mesina Toyota Team Cebu 3 Danzel Waytan JD Motorsport – Ribbon Arc SUPER SPORTING CLASS Rank Name Team 1 Red Diwa JBT Racing / Toyota Isabela 2 Iñigo Anton Toyota Balintawak – Obengers Racing Team 3 Russel Cabrera Toyota Team Cebu
RACE 2: SPRINT RACE 2
NOVICE CLASS Rank Name Team 1 Russel Reyes TOYOTA GAZOO Racing PH 2 Jamil Lacuna TOYOTA GAZOO Racing PH 3 John Rey San Diego TOYOTA GAZOO Racing PH PROMOTIONAL CLASS Rank Name Team 1 Julia Delos Angeles Toyota Marilao/San Jose Del Monte – Obengers Racing Team 2 Bong Garbes Inbox – Toyota San Fernando 3 Rex Abrenilla Toyota Team Cebu SPORTING CLASS Rank Name Team 1 Jay Lao Happy Hotels Racing Team 2 Danzel Waytan JD Motorsport – Ribbon Arc 3 Carlo Suarez Toyota Team Cebu SUPER SPORTING CLASS Rank Name Team 1 Russel Cabrera Toyota Team Cebu 2 Mikey Keilani Jordan Jordan Racing 3 Iñigo Anton Toyota Balintawak – Obengers Racing Team
RACE 3: ENDURANCE RACE 1
NOVICE CLASS Rank Name Team 1 Russel Reyes TOYOTA GAZOO Racing PH 2 Jamil Lacuna TOYOTA GAZOO Racing PH 3 Lexi Mendiola TOYOTA GAZOO Racing PH PROMOTIONAL CLASS Rank Name Team 1 Julia Delos Angeles Toyota Marilao/San Jose Del Monte – Obengers Racing Team 2 Bong Garbes Inbox – Toyota San Fernando 3 Rex Abrenilla Toyota Team Cebu SPORTING CLASS Rank Name Team 1 Danzel Waytan JD Motorsport – Ribbon Arc 2 Jarond Mesina Toyota Team Cebu 3 Carlo Suarez Toyota Team Cebu SUPER SPORTING CLASS Rank Name Team 1 Iñigo Anton Toyota Balintawak – Obengers Racing Team 2 Russel Cabrera Toyota Team Cebu 3 Ian Rosales Toyota Team Cebu
Four-wheeled showstoppers were also spotted on track as car club members took to the speedway their GR performance vehicles for the Car Club Track Day. This was followed by a driving exhibition by drifters Hanz Jimenez and Dane Cruz.
A select few from the public were also given the exciting opportunity to ride shotgun and experience being drifted on the track. Freebies were also up for grabs at the sponsors’ booths and TGR GT Cup experience booth.
The race weekend was capped by performances by Filipino band Autotelic, raffles for the public, and the succeeding awarding of winners.
The TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Philippine Cup is brought to you by Official Fuel Parter Petron and Official Tire Partner GT Radial, and in cooperation with Official Timekeeper Seiko. This event is also supported by Toyota Financial Services Philippines, myTOYOTA Wallet, Denso, AVT, 3M, ROTA, Tuason Racing, OMP, and Kinto One.
Racing fans can look forward to the second race weekend of the TGR Philippine Cup on September 28, 2024 for more exhilarating action.
