Toyota GR Vios Cup coming up to final race of ’21 season

After a bit of a delay, the Toyota Gazoo Racing Vios Cup finally got the green light. Originally scheduled last September, the 2nd leg was held on 16th October to prioritize the health and safety of partners and participants alike. Once the chequered flags stopped waving, the dust gave way to the day’s podium finishers.

All three classes in the Circuit Championship saw a lot of action. With rookies and veterans joining the Promotional, Sporting, and Super Sporting categories, there was a lot of excitement to go around. At the end of the day, Julia Delos Angeles took home 2 out of 3 first-place awards in Promotional Class, while Royce Sarmiento took the top spot for the last race.

For the Sporting class, the podium was dominated by familiar names Inigo Anton and Julian Tang. Jacob Ang was also part of the class’ top finishers but later relinquished a win to Joaquin Garrido come Race 6. As for the Super Sporting class, it was a nip-and-tuck engagement in all races with only Estefano Rivera a consistent placer on the podium. Other racers who jostled for a top-spot finish were Bryan Co, Gerard Loy, Red Diwa, and Pauland Dumlao.

Not to be outdone, Autocross challengers from the Celebrity/Influencer and Media class gave no shortage of grit on the tarmac. At the end of the day, the top spot and Championship trophy for the Celebrity/Influencer podium was earned by Jules Aquino, with newcomer Enzo Pineda and Gino Quillamor coming in 2nd and 3rd, respectively. In the Media division, AutoIndustriya.com’s own Jose Altoveros took the top step with Brian Dacanay and Paolo De Borja filling the steps.

“Thousands of motorsports fans like you joined us online last July, making the return of the Vios Cup a safe and successful one. With more than 48 racers, we challenged the roadblocks of this pandemic. And now we are back, ready for more thrilling track action,” said TMP President Atsuhiro Okamoto during the opening ceremonies. “We are so glad to race again at the Clark International Speedway with the reliable Filipino-made Vios.” he continued.

A total of 49 racers competed in the race, with 25 and 24 in Circuit Championship and Autocross Challenge, respectively. With the last leg set to flag off on November 6, expect every racer to put on a great show to get to the top step of the podium, and to bring home the coveted Champion’s trophy as we cap off this year’s season of the Toyota Gazoo Racing Vios Cup.