THE 2025 EDITION of the Toyota Gazoo Racing Philippine Cup was off to a rousing start as several grids of track-ready Toyotas took the green flag last March 21 to 22 at the Clark International Speedway in Angeles, Pampanga.
As the checkered flag waved, racing veteran Maila Alivia found himself leading the Super Sporting Class, while Jesse Garcia heads the Sporting Class. Sim racer and Vios Cup Autocross Challenge graduate Luis Moreno, meanwhile, leads the standings in the Novice Class.
In the Legacy Class Sprint Race, former Vios Cup racers battled it out, with notable participants Senator JV Ejercito, who won his first Vios Cup race in 2017, and Paolo Ang, who was the 2021 and 2023 Sporting Class runner-up, seeing action on the track.
The weekend also saw GR car club members competing in sprint races for the first time in the racing series’ history. Dubbed the Club Race, the event highlighted Toyota’s philosophy of bringing thrill and joy to customers through one-of-a-kind fan experiences.
GR performance and Lexus car owners also took to the track their vehicles for the Track Day. Fans of the Toyota GR lineup (particularly the GR Yaris, whose latest iteration was just launched) and Lexus F Sport series also got to see the vehicles up close at the display area.
In the activity area, eventgoers enjoyed freebies and prizes from the sponsors’ booths and got to try their hand at remote control and sim racing. There were also diecast collectibles for sale.
The highlight of the race weekend remained the circuit races, with Sprint Race 2 applying a reverse grid rule for added excitement. The starting grid was based on the results of Sprint Race 1. For the Novice Class, only P1 to P4 were reversed, putting John Rey San Diego in pole position for Sprint Race 2.
The Legacy, Sporting, and Super Sporting classes reversed the full grid, putting Oliver Estrella in pole position for the Legacy Class, Mike Santos for the Sporting Class, and Iñigo Anton for the Super Sporting Class.
Car damage relegated Oliver Estrella to the back of the grid, allowing Paolo Ang to take the lead in the Legacy Class. In the Sporting Class, Novice Class graduate Russel Reyes made his way to the front of the pack to take his second sprint win of the fledgling season.
Maila Alivia underscored her position as a championship contender in the Super Sporting Class by winning both sprint races of the weekend, as well as a top-five finish in the endurance race.
Meanwhile, in the Novice Class, TMP President Masando Hashimoto managed to secure third place after taking advantage of a runoff by Pablo Salapantan, earning him his second podium finish of the weekend.
Intense wheel-to-wheel action also took place in the Super Sporting Class endurance race as Mikey Jordan and Alain Gabriel Alzona faced off for third place. Jordan’s strong defense proved to be a challenge for Alzona, but Alzona would pull through after relentless overtaking attempts.
“At TGR Philippines, we stay committed to our goal of growing an inclusive and exciting motorsports hub where we can all come together and celebrate our love for cars and motorsports. This year, we are celebrating 11 years of the TGR Philippine Cup, and it is our pride and honor to continue bringing you the thrill and joy that only TGR can bring,” shared Mr. Hashimoto.
Race Weekend 2 of the Toyota GR Philippine Cup happens in May, presented by official fuel and lubricants partner Petron and official tire partner GT Radial. The event is also supported by Toyota Financial Services Philippines, myToyota Wallet, Denso, AVT, 3M, Rota, Tuason Racing, OMP, and Kinto One.
For more information on the TGR Philippine Cup and other TGR events, visit https://toyota.com.ph/tgrphilippines. TMP official pages are ToyotaMotorPH on Facebook, Instagram, and X; and TMP is on Viber through Toyota PH.
