Toyota GR PH Cup leg 3 scheduled for August, heads back to CIS with Tamaraw Sprint Race

MANILA: The third and final leg of the 2025 Toyota Gazoo Racing (GR) Philippine Cup is set to take place in August 9 and will see the country’s premier one-make race series return to the Clark International Speedway in Pampanga. 

Further, Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) noted that attendees will not only enjoy a weekend of thrilling races, but will also get to see souped-up versions of the marque’s iconic light-duty commercial vehicle duke it out in a sprint race. 

“It’s the final race weekend of the year, so we want to end on a high with new activities such as the Tamaraw Sprint Race, and the return of the Endurance Race. We invite everyone who got a taste of the thrill of motorsports last Race Weekend 2 to join us for Race Weekend 3, where we’ve packed even more exciting activities,” Toyota Motor Philippines Assistant Vice President for Marketing Services Andy Ty said in a press release. 

Tamaraw Sprint Race 

To recall, Zigwheels Philippines reported not too long ago that TMP is studying the competitive capabilities of the next-generation Toyota Tamaraw, which during the race series’ second leg (held at the streets of Villar City in Baccor, Cavite) was still in its early development phase. 

During Race Weekend 2, TMP fielded two modified next-generation Toyota Tamaraws, which had the following upgrades. 

• Intake from aFe
• Intercooler from BRD
• Exhaust from HKS
• Coilovers from Tein 
• Shock absorbers (with slight fitting modifications) taken from Toyota Innova 
• Locally-sourced carbon hood 
• Bucket seats from Recaro 
• Safety harness from OMP 
• Limited slip differential from Toyota Racing Development

The above components were fitted by Autoplus, which also shared that the race-oriented workhorses  have undergone some tuning. Remapping of the electronic control unit was done by Constant Racing. 

Per Luis Gono of Autoplus, the modded units generated the following numbers: 

Maximum power output (in horsepower)	180
Maximum torque (in Newton-meters)	460

It is not clear if these next-generation Toyota Tamaraws have received additional updates and modifications since their outing in Villar City, but it will be revealed — along with their actual performance figures — come race day.  

Driving the next-generation Toyota Tamaraws will be former Vios Cup Super Sporting Class champions Allan Uy, Daniel Miranda, Estefano Rivera, and John Dizon, as well as previous Vios OMR Test Driver Tyson Sy.

The next-generation Tamaraw will also be showcased in an exhibition drag race to further test its capabilities as a racing vehicle.

Race standings 

Leading the standings in the Super Sporting Class is Russel Cabrera of Toyota Team Cebu – Standard Insurance. He is followed by Alain Gabriel Alzona of Toyota General Santos – Smart Communications Racing, with Michael Bryan Co of R Garage / Toyota Dagupan Group trailing at third. 

As for those competing in the Sporting Class, Jesse Garcia of Obengers Racing – Toyota Balintawak leads the scoreboards with Russel Reyes of Toyota Gazoo Racing Philippines and Raymond Cudala of R Racing – MADkart following behind. 

Luis Moreno of Toyota Gazoo Racing Philippines – Novice Team, meanwhile, leads the Novice Class standings, with teammates Pablo Salapantan and TMP President Masando Hashimoto in second and third place, respectively.

Other activities 

As with the Toyota GR Philippine Cup races, the event can cater not only to motorsport enthusiasts but also their family members and friends. 

Visitors can check out sim rigs, exciting games by race sponsors, snack booths, and a concert by local pop and alternative rock band Over October. 

There will also be car club displays and showcased nameplates from TMP’s GR and GR-S lineups. 

Also read: 

Here are the winners of the 2024 Toyota Gazoo Racing PH Cup

Toyota returns to F1 with Haas

Hyundai, Toyota to stage GR Festival in Korea

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