Exciting 2022 season of the Toyota GR Vios Cup kicks off amid live spectators

MANILA: Thrill and excitement dominated the racetracks as Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) kicked off the 2022 season of the Toyota Gazoo Racing (TGR) Vios Cup last July 2. This year, the racing event welcomed a live audience. 

The Clark International Speedway (CIS) in Pampanga roared with heart-pounding cheer as veteran racers, celebrities and influencers, and members of media welcome motorsport enthusiasts who are back in the grandstand. 

TMP President Atsuhiro Okamoto shared the excitement as he welcomed racers and fans at CIS for the 2022 TGR Vios Cup.

“The TGR Vios Cup is our way of celebrating our ever-growing racing community. We are thankful to our races and racing teams for showing the Gazoo Racing spirit, especially in this challenging times.” Okamoto expressed. “We hope this year’s season will continue to give the drive to race your ambition.”

Vios Cup celebrity veterans Troy Montero, Daniel Matsunaga, and Fabio Ide were back in the Circuit Championship using their One Make Race (OMR) Toyota Vios, perfect for the thrill and excitement of wheel-to-wheel racing. Young and fresh faces joined them in driving full-throttle in their respective classes.

The 2022 Vios Cup Circuit Championship was classified into three categories; the Super Sporting, Sporting and Promotional class, with a total of 27 racers participated across all three categories. 

Meanwhile, the Autocross Challenge made enthusiasts hearts thump with excitement when celebrities, influencers, and members of the media showcased their driving skills by navigating the specially designed obstacle course. 

In the 2022 Vios Cup Autocross tilt, Benedict Cua claimed the top spot in the podium for the Influencer Promotional Class. He was joined by Gino Quillamor as the champion in the Influencer Sporting Class.

For the media class, Autoindustriya’s Jan Lacuna won the Sporting Media Class, followed by Roy Robles of  ZIGWHEELS PHILIPPINES.  

The excitement was not limited to veteran and skilled racers. Toyota Gazoo Racing Gran Turismo (GR GT) Cup champions were also there to take their e-racing skills from the screen to the tracks. After joining the Toyota Gazoo Racing Academy, these champions participated in the Autocross event.

“I’ve always loved racing and it’s such a thrilling experience for me to finally feel the rush of racing first-hand," Russel Reyes, winner of the GT Cup Autocross Challenge, said. “And it’s an even more thrilling experience to win! This is definitely one of my best moments. Hoping to get another shot at real life racing again in the future.”

Below are the complete list of winners in the 2022 Toyota Gazoo Racing Vios Cup for the Autocross Challenge and Circuit Championships. 

Circuit Championship 

PROMOTIONAL CLASS
Rank	Name	Team
1	Alain Alzona	Alzona Racing Team – Toyota Team General Santos
2	Alan Palacios	Toyota Team Cebu
3	Ian Rosales	Toyota Team Cebu

  

SPORTING CLASS
Rank	Name	Team
1	Troy Montero	Toyota Gazoo Racing Team PH
2	Royce Sarmiento	RMS Cars Racing Team
3	Joaquin Garrido	Toyota Otis-Obengers Racing Team

  

SUPER SPORTING CLASS
Rank	Name	Team
1	John Dizon	Obengers Racing Team
2	Inigo Anton	Toyota North Edsa – Obengers Racing Team
3	Daryl Deleon	Toyota Marilao – Obengers Team

  

Autocross Challenge 

MEDIA - PROMOTIONAL CLASS
Rank	Name	Team
1	Pablo Salapantan	YugaTech/YugaAuto
2	Siegwald Go	C! Magazine
3	Mica Delos Reyes	Philippine Star

 

MEDIA – SPORTING CLASS
Rank	Name	Team
1	Jan Lacuna	Autoindustriya
2	Roy Robles	ZigWheels
3	Kevin Francisco	The Modern Creatures

 

INFLUENCERS – PROMOTIONAL CLASS
Rank	Name
1	Benedict Cua
2	Carla Lizardo
3	Miggy Romulo

  

INFLUENCERS – ADVANCED CLASS
Rank	Name
1	Gino Quillamor
2	Jules Aquino
3	Lexi Mendiola

 

GR GT CUP

PROMOTIONAL CLASS
Rank	Name
1	Christopher Tejada
2	Matthew Ang
3	Chino Asence

 

GR GT CUP

SPORTING CLASS
Rank	Name
1	Estefano Rivera
2	Russel Reyes
3	Jether Miole

 

GR GT CUP AUTOCROSS CHALLEGE

Rank	Name
1	Russel Reyes
2	Luis Moreno
3	Mark Elmar

 

Over the years, TMP has strived to elevate the motorsport industry in the country by providing a more inclusive and accessible platform to everyone. Legs 2 and 3 of the 2022 TGR Vios Cup are happening on August and November, respectively.

The 2022 Vios Cup is organized in cooperation with Bridgestone and Petron, and is supported by Brembo, Denso, OMP, Tuason Racing, AVT, 3M, ROTA, myTOYOTA Wallet, and Kinto One.

Photos from Toyota Motor Philippines and Dylan Afuang

Also read: Toyota Gazoo Racing ready for Hypercar class for 6 Hours of Monza