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Toyota PH ups the ante for an even more exciting Vios Cup season this year

By Randy
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March 26, 2018

Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP), the official local distributor of Toyota vehicles, has formally launched the 5th season of its popular one-make race; the Vios Cup. Checduled for 3 exciting rounds this year, the Japanese carmaker spruced it up with new regulation changes to heat up the playing field.

As with its previous instalments, the 2018 Toyota Vios Cup will have 4 classifications based on driver skill levels. The first of which is the Rota Promotional Class which also includes the Celebrity Class.

The former gives novice or aspiring racers a chance to experience the ins and outs of touring car racing. The latter on the other hand, is where celebrity racers (i.e. showbiz people, sports icons, among others) show their competitive side behind the wheel. Next is the Bridgestone Sporting Class, an intermediate level which tests the skill levels of drivers from the Promotional Class or those with a number of racing experiences on their resumes.

Then there’s the Super Sporting Class. This is a top-seeded classification where well-experienced racing drivers from the Sporting Class, as well as seasoned/veteran professional racers battle it out for the win.

Aside from the already-effective Race 2 Top 6 Reverse-grid order rule and weight handicaps for the winning driver of the previous race/round, TMP tweaked some of the rules a bit to heat up the action in the Super Sporting Class.. Some of these include options for the teams to modify their machines with TRD brake rotors and hoods/trunk lids made of fiber-reinforced lightweight materials.

According to racing instructor JP Tuason, these modifications would allow teams to lower the weight of the machines without exceeding the minimum weight limit. This, in turn, would churn out faster, more competitive lap times.

TMP also presented an initial list of drivers for this season. It contains over 50 entries including returning drivers like Aira Medrano, Sean Velasco, and Tonton Ramos. From their stint in Sporting Class last year, they’ll now be competing in Super Sporting Class. On the other hand, familiar names like Gel Napat, Marc Soong, and Red Diwa will level up Sporting Class from their successful Promotional Class experience last year.

Also included in the 2018 roster are new drivers like Dimple Napat and Maila Alivia, lady drivers who’ll see action for the first time in Promotional Class. They’ll be up against returning Celebrity Class drivers such as Gretchen Ho, Aubrey Miles, Troy Montero, and Fabio Ide. In addition, TMP let in new celebrity drivers to up the racing game. These include Sofia Andres, Chie Filomeno, Diego Loyzaga, and Sam Milby.

Lastly, TMP laid out the race calendar for the 2018 Toyota Vios Cup. This is as follows:

  • Round 1 – April 27 to 28, Clark International Speedway
  • Round 2 – July 28 to 29, Filinvest Alabang Street Circuit
  • Round 3 – September 21 to 22, Clark International Speedway

Photos: Paolo Losaca

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About the Author

Randolph de Leon
Randy is a person with disability (PWD), a partially-blinded person with only his left eye functioning. Since childhood, the automobile has always been his passion, and is able to express it through photography and most recently, through writing as well. Outside the motoring beat, Randy spends time manning the media aspect of his business which he co-founded with his sister/college classmate. It's called Dragonlight Wellness and Solutions, a multi-business venture centering on improving peoples' lives through earning.