July 18, 2024 – 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 thrill-filled 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.
TMP President Masando Hashimoto drives car #4 under the Novice Class
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.
Sporting and Super Sporting Class racers battle it out in wet weather
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
TMP President Masando Hashimoto and Senior Vice President Masahiro Haoka with the Endurance Race Novice Class winners
Endurance Race Promotional Class winners
Endurance Race Sporting Class winners
Endurance Race Super Sporting Class winners
A car club member drives their GR Yaris on the track
Spectators at the Clark International Speedway were treated with a GR 86 driving exhibition
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.
Autotelic heats up the stage at the TGR Philippine Cup
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.
For more information on the TGR Philippine Cup, visit https://toyota.com.ph/tgrphilippines. Follow TOYOTA GAZOO Racing on Facebook and Instagram and TMP’s official pages—Toyota Motor Philippines on Facebook and Instagram, ToyotaMotorPH on X, and join the Viber community at Toyota PH for updates.
