THE fourth and final round of the highly anticipated third season of the Toyota Vios Cup was held on November 12 at the Clark Speedway and, as expected, it was a slam-bang affair from the start to finish, characterized by lots breathtaking maneuvers that stirred a lot of spectators to cheer wildly for their favorite driver.
The two-day event started on November 11 with qualifiers in the morning and a meet-and-greet in the afternoon at the SM Clark activity center, where fans had the chance to see their favorite celebrity racers up close.
The following day began with the ceremonial oath of sportsmanship administered by current Toyota Motors Philippines (TMP) President Satoru Suzuki, who was also a participant in one of the categories, along with former TMP CEO Michinobu Sugata—the man who started it all in 2013. Fans were again given a chance to set foot on the racetrack to take photos of the competitors before the finals, which boasted of the largest grid ever assembled with 63 cars reporting for the start.
In the celebrity class, actress Jasmine Curtis-Smith placed third, despite leaving the track, while fellow actor and model Fabio Ide took top honors in both races, while Jinno Rufino finished second. In the promotional class, Arbie Jacinto took first, while Kiko Dysico settled for second place, ahead of Oliver Matias. The sporting class saw the constantly improving Sam YG, who took pole position in the first race but had to settle for second overall when he lost in the second heat. Gerald Loy eventually emerged on top with Steve Bicknell placing second.
The super sporting class was annexed by Estefano Rivera when he emerged as the overall champion after finishing second and first in the final heats. Promising racer Aira Medrano figured in a mishap in one of the tight turns when she was bumped from behind. It was a pity as she was leading the race before the nasty incident.
The event was capped with the traditional awarding ceremony with the winners proudly taking their places on the podium to the applause of their fans. Toyota made good on its intention to make the Vios Cup a family-oriented affair by making sure that there was something for everyone, like the presence of different food trucks on the grounds of the Clark Speedway, a static display of their current offerings and restored Toyota vehicles courtesy of different the Toyota car clubs. There was also the skid carts, which were made especially for kids but also turned out to be a hit among the adults.
Toyota promised fans and supporters that they could look forward to another edition of the Vios Cup next year.
Image credits: Patrick P. Tulfo