Toyota Vios Cup concludes action-packed 2017 season in style

Race 1

The racing weekend’s action was flagged off with the start of the Rota Promotional Class race. Within a few minutes of Lap 1, chaos ensued as several cars came into contact with each other. But this incident didn’t stop the fighting spirits of Gel Napat (Biskeg), Marc Soong (Obengers), and Don Vic Portugal (Toyota San Pablo), who crossed the line in that order.

Amid the opening lap fiasco, the Celebrity Class had Fabio Ide, Dominique Roque, and Aubrey Miles gunning it for the win. They safely made it through in 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd places, respectively.

Up in Bridgestone Sporting Class, celebrity racer turned pro competitor Sam YG (Toyota Quezon Avenue) made a heroic comeback as he dominated the 12-lap race. After a valiant effort to place himself from 17^th to 3^rd on Lap 3, he then took command of the lead on Lap 5. In the end, he placed 1^st, followed by Sean Velasco (Toyota Cebu) in 2^nd and Tonton Ramos (Toyota San Fernando) in 3^rd.

Meanwhile, the Total Excellium Super Sporting Class, Allan Uy (Allan Uy Racing) established a commanding lead early on in the race. This had the crowd focusing on the battle for 2^nd between Daniel Miranda (Obengers), Miko Maristela (Toyota Quezon Avenue), and Gerald Loy (Biskeg). The trio swapped places a number of times until Miranda took the upper hand to take 2^nd. Maristela followed suit in 3^rd, leaving Loy in 4^th.

Race 2

By mid day, the sky was blanketed with dark clouds, a sign of an exciting finale to come. The action continued on with a rather wet Race 2 of the Rota Promotional Class. This class had Red Diwa (Toyota Isabela) claiming 1^st, followed by Gel Napat in 2^nd, and Vincent Courcol (AP Corse/Toyota Makati).

Being their final chance at winning races for this year, the folks at the Celebrity Class delivered well to please the crowd. On the podium were Fabio Ide, Dominique Roque, and Troy Montero. They claimed 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd places, respectively.

In Bridgestone Sporting Class, Mark Sy (Toyota San Pablo) took home 1^st, followed by Tonton Ramos in 2^nd and Rhaffy Latorre (Toyota San Pablo) in 3^rd.

The last showdown in Total Excellium Super Sporting Class this year was highlighted with an intense action from Lap 2 onwards. This began with Daniel Miranda who started the race in 6^th due to the reverse-grid order rule. This, and the additional weight handicap, didn’t stop Miranda from reeling in opponents until he took control of the pack coming into Lap 3.

Shifting the focus on the midfield, Maristela, who was battling for 4^th, careened out of control on Lap 7. This had his car flipping off the gutter and landing on its roof. Thankfully, he was okay, but the incident prompted the stewards to launch the Safety Car.

When the race resumed on Lap 10, Miranda floored it again to establish a wide gap from the rest of the pack. As the chequered flag came out, Miranda crossed the line to take the season victory over Ramon Tanjuatco (AP Corse/Toyota Makati) who claimed 2^nd. Another celebrity competitor tuned professional racer Dominic Ochoa (Toyota Quezon Avenue) settled for 3^rd.

Congratulations to all the winners, a brilliant and action-packed run this season. See you again next year!