Exciting wheel-to-wheel action ensues at the 2017 Toyota Vios Cup Round 1

It was a weekend full of on-track fun and action last April 28 and 29 as the opening round of the Toyota Vios Cup Season 4 went green and go at the Clark International Speedway in Pampanga.

Organized by Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP), this one-make race saw over 70 drivers from various Toyota dealerships nationwide battle it out for the win on its 3 classes. These include the Rota Promotional Class (which also incorporates the Celebrity Class), the Bridgestone Sporting Class, and the top-seeded Total Excellium Super Sporting Class.

For this year, a few rule changes have been made to fire up the competition on its Race 1 and Race 2. Here’s a quick recap on these changes.

Race 1

The morning’s scorching hot weather underscored the excitement for the start of Race 1. Leading the charge in Rota Promotional Class was Don Vic Portugal (Toyota San Pablo) who clinched 1^st place. He’s trailed in 2^nd by lady driver Evelyn Coseteng (Toyota Alabang) who made a valiant effort to climb up from 6^th. Rounding off the top 3 was Arbie Jacinto (Toyota San Fernando).

Within the Rota Promotional Class was an action-packed competition between celebrities Fabio Ide, Jasmin Curtis-Smith, and Dominic Roque. The 3 drivers would eventually complete the Rota Celebrity Class Race 1 in that order.

Up in Bridgestone Sporting Class, Tonton Ramos (Toyota San Fernando) took home 1^st, followed by Paul Lomax (Toyota Makati/GM Motorsports) in 2^nd and Mark Sy (Toyota San Pablo) in 3^rd.

Then there’s the Total Excellium Super Sporting Class with Daniel Miranda (team Obengers) claiming 1^st place. Behind him were Allan Uy (Toyota Quezon Avenue) and Gerard Loy (team Biskeg) who finished the race in 2^nd and 3^rd places, respectively.

Race 2

The action continued on to Race 2 where a reversed-grid ordered rule was put into play for the top 6 drivers on the starting grid. This meant that the finishing order of the drivers (1^st to 6^th) in Race 1 will be reversed at the start of Race 2. Moreover, each of the classes’ 1^st place winning drivers will run Race 2 with an added 30 kg of weight onto their racecars to even out the competition.

This proved to be quite a challenge for Rota Promotional Class Race 1 winner Don Vic Portugal as he not only had to start the race from 6^th, he also had to run with a heavier machine. However, this challenge was too much for Portugal as he crossed the line in 15^th.

On the bright side, Red Diwa (Toyota Isabela) became the new Promotional Class winner. He was followed by Roy Bunag (Toyota Bacoor) in 2^nd while Arbie Jacinto finished the race as he did in Race 1.

In Rota Celebrity Class, Dominic Roque finished in 1^st place, followed by Jasmin Curtis-Smith who fought hard to defend her position in 2^nd. Race 1 winner Fabio Ide, on the other hand, settled for 3^rd.

As for the Bridgestone Sporting Class, Lord Seno and Sean Velasco (both from Toyota Cebu) claimed 1^st and 2^nd place victories, respectively against the hard-charging new-comer Paul Henderson Perez (Parts Pro Racing).

Finally in Total Excellium Super Sporting Class, Race 1 winner Daniel Miranda became the star of the show. That’s because the reversed grid order and the added 30 kg of weight, plus the slightly rain-soaked slippery track condition proved nothing to stop him from winning 1^st place. Coming in 2^nd was Allan Uy, while Andres Calma (Toyota Bacoor/GM Motorsports) took 3^rd.

Start the fun again on June 10 to 11 as the Toyota Vios Cup Season 4 returns to the Clark International Speedway for Round 2.