Toyota goes street racing

More than 12,000 attend action-packed Toyota Gazoo Racing PH Cup in Villar City

Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) wrapped up last weekend the second of three legs of the 2025 Toyota Gazoo Racing (TGR) Philippine Cup. The premier motorsports event saw more than 12,000 attendees experience the thrill of racing, test driving, and entertainment activities on the streets from May 23 to 25 just south of Manila in Villar City.

Four classes — Novice, Sporting, Super Sporting, and Legacy — went wheel-to-wheel in three circuit races over the weekend in the 2.4-km street circuit. The makeshift circuit had 14 turns, including two hairpins and six chicanes, providing exciting track action for spectators.

TMP President Masando Hashimoto, who races for the TGR Philippines Novice Team, shook the crowd in the last laps of the Novice Class circuit race when he hit the barriers and overturned. He was able to exit his Vios racecar promptly and came out of the incident without any injuries.

“My car flipped upside down and became immobilized. While the tires and engine sustained significant damage from the impact, the cabin remained intact and completely clear, allowing me to escape without even a scratch. I lost my beloved Vios #4, but it saved my life. We racers experience crashes all the time, many times, which is part of racing, but I have seen first-hand the wonderful fact that Toyota cars are safe, robust and keep the drivers protected,” President Hashimoto shared.

TMP has been utilizing the Vios OMR especially converted for the TGR Philippine Cup (previously Vios Cup) for 11 years now, where it has been subjected to various racing conditions both in permanent and street circuits. It has been modified to fit racing standards, which includes the installation of a roll cage and racing seat with 5-point seat belts to ensure the safety of the racer. Racers are also equipped with fireproof racing suits, gloves and helmets with Head and Neck Support (HANS) devices.

Toyota also applies the same safety standards to its road cars with safety features such as Toyota Safety Sense, airbags and various control systems.

TGR, TMP’s motorsports arm, has been committed to ‘pushing the limits for better’ through vehicle development in controlled environments. The TGR Philippine Cup, moreover, is conducted under the supervision of the Automobile Association Philippines to ensure the racetrack is compliant with safety standards.

President Hashimoto continues, “Toyota Global Chairman Akio Toyoda always emphasizes the importance of ‘driving, breaking, and fixing’ in vehicle development. By repeatedly driving and breaking cars in the race environment, he discovers further areas for improvement and strengthens the cars as a master driver. Based on this corporate mantra, Toyota will continue to pursue safer vehicle manufacturing and accessible racing in the future.”

The Tamaraw Racing Concept, a modified Tamaraw Dropside, also made its debut during the race weekend as the showcase vehicle during the Drag Race Exhibition. The concept vehicle underlines Toyota’s dedication to creating exciting cars through continuous testing on the track.

Eventgoers were also treated to free musical performances by OPM rock stars Rico Blanco and Parokya ni Edgar on May 24, and Ely Buendia and Bamboo on May 25.

Below is the full list of official winners of Race Weekend 2:

RACE 1: SPRINT RACE 3

NOVICE CLASS
Rank	Name	Team
1	Pablo Salapantan	TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Philippines Novice Team
2	Ian Magbanua	TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Philippines Novice Team
3	John Rey San Diego	TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Philippines Novice Team

SPORTING CLASS
Rank	Name	Team
1	Russel Reyes	TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Philippines
2	Jesse Garcia	Obengers Racing – Toyota Balintawak
3	Bernardus Corpino	Jordan Racing

SUPER SPORTING CLASS
Rank	Name	Team
1	Joaquin Garrido	Obengers Racing – Toyota Balintawak
2	Russel Cabrera	Toyota Team Cebu
3	Red Diwa	Toyota Isabela

LEGACY CLASS
Rank	Name	Team
1	Oliver Aquino	Oyi Racing: A Tech 7 Project
2	Paolo Ang	Madkart – R Racing
3	Julian Colvin	TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Philippines

RACE 2: SPRINT RACE 4

NOVICE CLASS
Rank	Name	Team
1	Reph Bangsil	TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Philippines Novice Team
2	Luis Moreno	TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Philippines Novice Team
3	Masando Hashimoto	TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Philippines Novice Team

SPORTING CLASS
Rank	Name	Team
1	Raymond Cudala	R Racing Team
2	Bernardus Corpino	Jordan Racing
3	Mike Santos	R Racing Team

SUPER SPORTING CLASS
Rank	Name	Team
1	Jarond Mesina	Dash Racing x Era Autosport
2	Alain Gabriel Alzona	Toyota General Santos – Smart Communications Racing
3	Michael Brayan Co	R Garage/Toyota Dagupan Group

LEGACY CLASS
Rank	Name	Team
1	Luigi Agustin Co	Gel Napat Racing – R Racing
2	JV Ejercito	Obengers Racing – Toyota Balintawak
3	Andre Rodrigues	Oyi Racing

RACE 3: SPRINT RACE 5

NOVICE CLASS
Rank	Name	Team
1	Pablo Salapantan	TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Philippines Novice Team
2	Ian Magbanua	TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Philippines Novice Team
3	Masando Hashimoto	TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Philippines Novice Team

SPORTING CLASS
Rank	Name	Team
1	Jesse Garcia	Obengers Racing – Toyota Balintawak
2	Bernardus Corpino	Jordan Racing
3	Miguel Hernandez Abano	DrQ.Motorsports/Era Autosport

SUPER SPORTING CLASS
Rank	Name	Team
1	Russel Cabrera	Toyota Team Cebu
2	Joaquin Garrido	Obengers Racing – Toyota Balintawak
3	Michael Brayan Co	R Garage/Toyota Dagupan Group

LEGACY CLASS
Rank	Name	Team
1	Oliver Aquino	Oyi Racing: A Tech 7 Project
2	Julian Colvin	TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Philippines
3	Paolo Ang	Madkart – R Racing

Toyota also showcased its lineup of vehicles through the Toyota Drive Fest with test drives; vehicle displays of its GR and GR-S, Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV), Tamaraw, and Lexus F SPORT lineups; and event-exclusive promos on new vehicles. Customers were able to get discount coupons, which they used to purchase new vehicles.

T-SURE, Toyota’s pre-owned vehicles program, also displayed certified pre-owned cars for sale for those considering secondhand vehicles.

Fans can look forward to Race Weekend 3 of the 2025 TGR Philippine Cup in August at the Clark International Speedway. Tune in to TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Philippines on Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube and TikTok for updates.

The TGR Philippine Cup is sanctioned by the Automobile Association Philippines and is brought to you by Official Fuel & Lubricants Partner Petron and Official Tire Partner GT Radial, in cooperation with Official Venue Partners Villar City and Brittany.

This event is also supported by Official Timekeeper Seiko, Toyota Financial Services Philippines, Tuason Racing, AVT, 3M, Denso, ROTA, PIAA, Autoplus, OMP, Bebang Halo-Halo, AutoQuix, and Kinto One.

For more information on the TGR Philippine Cup and other TGR events, visit https://toyota.com.ph/tgrphilippines. Follow TMP’s official pages—ToyotaMotorPH on Facebook, Instagram, and X, and join the Viber community at Toyota PH for updates.