For one weekend, the sights and sounds of motorsport filled the SM Mall of Asia complex, as Toyota Motor Philippines held the third leg of its Vios Cup series there. On a specially built track around the MOA area, 47 Vios race cars and their drivers literally clashed to see who would stand on the podium.
For this leg, the racers were divided into three classes: Sporting, Promotional and Celebrity.
In the Sporting Class, the qualifying session was dominated by karting phenom Estefano Rivera, followed by consistent field leader Allan Uy, and then by Vios Cup Cebu leg winner Andres Calma.
In the Promotional Class, the best qualifying time was logged by Miguel Diaz, followed by Sherwin Hing and then Lord Seno. It’s worth noting that TMP president Michinobu Sugata hovered in fourth place during qualifying, showing that he was taking his pet racing program seriously.
In the Celebrity Class, Sam YG led again, with Phoem Baranda closely behind (again) and Jinno Rufino in third place.
Come race day, the sun bore down hard on the track, the heat adding to the intensity of the competition. The first heat of the Celebrity Class saw leader Sam YG retire with engine problems. Baranda wasted no time in snagging first place, with Rufino and Fabio Ide taking second and third places, respectively. By the second heat of the Celebrity Class, Sam YG had a fully functioning race car, and nothing stopped him from clinching first spot. Baranda and Rufino were relegated to second and third this time.
In the Promotional Class's first heat, Diaz finished first. Second place went to Visayan racer Seno, and bagging third and his first podium finish was JV Ejercito. For the second heat, Diaz once again emerged on top, but this time, student Alexis Salvador and TMP boss Sugata got second and third places, respectively. Like Ejercito, this was also Sugata’s first podium finish in the series.
For the Sporting Class, the winners were very consistent. Rivera of Toyota Alabang won both first and second heats, which was a bit of a surprise considering the best he had placed in the previous leg was ninth. Cebu winner Calma secured second place in the first heat, and by the second heat this honor went to Daniel Miranda. Bobby Domingo, also from Toyota Alabang like Rivera, took third place for both heats.
Adding some excitement to the race were several crashes, notably from Allan Uy and Fabio Ide. But the track was designed to be safe, and all drivers simply walked away from their incidents.
As night fell and the awarding ceremony commenced, rain began to fall. On the covered stage where the awards were given, it rained as well but with beer this time. All winners who stepped up the podium were good-naturedly drenched with San Miguel brew--even a company president and a Philippine senator were not spared.
The 2015 Toyota Vios Cup has one more leg to go. While nothing has been confirmed, the word “Subic” was heard floating around. It has been a wild, colorful ride so far, and we wouldn’t want to miss the culmination of Toyota’s fun motorsport program.
Photos by Mark Jesalva
| 2015 VIOS CUP LEG 3 (SPORTING CLASS) | ||||
| Heat 1 (Started at 11:44:31) | ||||
| Pos | Car no. | Name | Laps | Total time |
| 1 | 23 | Estefano Rivera | 14 | 14:30.841 |
| 2 | 97 | Andres Calma | 14 | 14:31.341 |
| 3 | 15 | Bobby Domingo | 14 | 14:36.565 |
| 4 | 26 | Allan Uy | 14 | 14:37.990 |
| 5 | 77 | Basti Escalante | 14 | 14:49.722 |
| 6 | 28 | Pauland Dumlao | 14 | 14:46.199 |
| 7 | 1 | Luis Gono | 14 | 14:58.654 |
| 8 | 55 | Bryan Co | 14 | 15:06.793 |
| 9 | 87 | Raymond Ronquillo | 14 | 14:58.940 |
| 10 | 33 | Tonton Ramos | 14 | 15:07.544 |
| 11 | 78 | Victor Buensuceso | 14 | 15:08.523 |
| 12 | 27 | Ramon Tanjuatco | 14 | 15:08.581 |
| 13 | 20 | Daniel Miranda | 14 | 15:08.095 |
| 14 | 11 | Carlos Loinaz | 14 | 15:09.527 |
| 15 | 99 | Charlie Cojuangco | 14 | 15:09.214 |
| 16 | 41 | Steve Bicknell | 14 | 15:18.356 |
| 17 | 67 | Arthur De Jong | 14 | 15:19.869 |
| 18 | 25 | Dominic Ochoa | 12 | 12:45.894 |
| DNF | 42 | Jette Calderon | 2 | 2:21.504 |
| DQ | 70 | Harold Ong/Sean Velasco | 8 | 8:32.934 |
| Heat 2 (Started at 14:48:37) | ||||
| Pos | Car no. | Name | Laps | Total time |
| 1 | 23 | Estefano Rivera | 14 | 21:56.413 |
| 2 | 20 | Daniel Miranda | 14 | 21:57.904 |
| 3 | 15 | Bobby Domingo | 14 | 21:58.672 |
| 4 | 87 | Raymond Ronquillo | 14 | 21:59.074 |
| 5 | 97 | Andres Calma | 14 | 21:59.549 |
| 6 | 1 | Luis Gono | 14 | 22:01.577 |
| 7 | 77 | Basti Escalante | 14 | 22:03.929 |
| 8 | 33 | Tonton Ramos | 14 | 22:09.988 |
| 9 | 11 | Carlos Loinaz | 14 | 22:10.835 |
| 10 | 70 | Harold Ong/Sean Velasco | 14 | 22:10.835 |
| 11 | 78 | Victor Buensuceso | 14 | 22:12.257 |
| 12 | 27 | Ramon Tanjuatco | 14 | 22:13.452 |
| 13 | 41 | Steve Bicknell | 14 | 22:14.429 |
| 14 | 67 | Arthur De Jong | 14 | 22:15.644 |
| 15 | 99 | Charlie Cojuangco | 14 | 5:35.326 |
| DNF | 28 | Pauland Dumlao | 4 | 1:09.810 |
| DNF | 26 | Allan Uy | 1 | 6.647 |
| DNF | 55 | Bryan Co | 0 | 0 |
| DNS | 25 | Dominic Ochoa | 0 | 0 |
| DNS | 42 | Jette Calderon | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 VIOS CUP LEG 3 (CELEBRITY CLASS) |
||||
| Heat 1 (Started at 13:46:22) | ||||
| Pos | Car no. | Name | Laps | Total time |
| 1 | 12 | Phoemela Baranda | 8 | 9:02.966 |
| 2 | 10 | Jinno Rufino | 8 | 9:11.092 |
| 3 | 5 | Fabio Ide | 8 | 9:28.074 |
| 4 | 7 | Princess Joyce Pring | 8 | 9:41.273 |
| DNF | 4 | Kylie Nicole Padilla | 7 | 8:35.006 |
| DNF | 2 | Jasmine Curtis-Smith | 4 | 4:59.484 |
| DNF | 6 | Sam YG | 0 | 3.173 |
| Heat 2 (Started at 16:12:17) | ||||
| Pos | Car no. | Name | Laps | Total time |
| 1 | 6 | Sam YG | 14 | 13:23.116 |
| 2 | 12 | Phoemela Baranda | 14 | 13:43.372 |
| 3 | 10 | Jinno Rufino | 14 | X |
| 4 | 7 | Princess Joyce Pring | 14 | X |
| DNF | 5 | Fabio Ide | 3 | X |
| DNF | 4 | Kylie Nicole Padilla | 0 | X |
| DNF | 2 | Jasmine Curtis-Smith | 0 | X |
*Note: The race report of the Celebrity Class's second heat was ineligible, thus the X marks. As of press time, we have not received the verified race report from Toyota Motor Philippines.
| 2015 VIOS CUP LEG 3 (PROMOTIONAL CLASS) |
||||
| Heat 1 (Started at 12:58:29) | ||||
| Pos | Car no. | Name | Laps | Total time |
| 1 | 96 | Miguel Diaz | 14 | 15:24.881 |
| 2 | 43 | Lord Seno | 14 | 15:27.503 |
| 3 | 63 | Edwin Yu Lee | 14 | 15:58.786 |
| 4 | 85 | Paolo Rodriguez | 14 | 15:58.148 |
| 5 | 24 | JV Ejercito | 14 | 16:02.484 |
| 6 | 35 | Sherwin Hing | 14 | 16:04.754 |
| 7 | 80 | Oscar Suarez | 14 | 16:04.814 |
| 8 | 3 | Michinobu Sugata | 14 | 16:11.133 |
| 9 | 21 | Jeje Villena | 14 | 16:25.183 |
| 10 | 98 | Bobby Pangilinan | 14 | 16:25.245 |
| 11 | 88 | Robert Lilles | 14 | 16:25.835 |
| 12 | 44 | Ferdinand Dysico/Alfonso Concepcion | 14 | 16:29.270 |
| 13 | 22 | Tomohiro Iwamoto | 14 | 16:32.862 |
| 14 | 69 | Roy Bunag/Rudy Bunag | 13 | 15:42.863 |
| 15 | 84 | Rene Sta. Romana | 13 | 15:43.422 |
| 16 | 94 | Alexis Salvador | 13 | 16:11.240 |
| DNF | 31 | Miko Maristela | 4 | 4:56.205 |
| DNF | 16 | Dimple Napat | 7 | 9:01.597 |
| DNF | 68 | Bombi Palilio | 4 | 5:19.309 |
| DNF | 19 | Juan Nolasco/Oscar Nuke | 2 | 5:46.583 |
| Heat 2 (Started at 15:34:59) | ||||
| Pos | Car no. | Name | Laps | Total time |
| 1 | 96 | Miguel Diaz | 14 | 15:15.055 |
| 2 | 94 | Alexis Salvador | 14 | 15:16.206 |
| 3 | 3 | Michinobu Sugata | 14 | 15:48.795 |
| 4 | 24 | JV Ejercito | 14 | 15:49.790 |
| 5 | 85 | Paolo Rodriguez | 14 | 15:52.578 |
| 6 | 43 | Lord Seno | 14 | 15:53.923 |
| 7 | 80 | Oscar Suarez | 14 | 15:56.045 |
| 8 | 63 | Edwin Yu Lee | 14 | 15:57.395 |
| 9 | 98 | Bobby Pangilinan | 14 | 16:02.167 |
| 10 | 35 | Sherwin Hing | 14 | 16:05.723 |
| 11 | 21 | Jeje Villena | 14 | 16:06.659 |
| 12 | 22 | Tomohiro Iwamoto | 14 | 16:14.576 |
| 13 | 88 | Robert Lilles | 14 | 16:15.801 |
| 14 | 84 | Rene Sta. Romana | 14 | 16:16.442 |
| 15 | 16 | Dimple Napat | 13 | 15:28.119 |
| 16 | 69 | Roy Bunag/Rudy Bunag | 13 | 16:01.376 |
| DNF | 19 | Juan Nolasco/Oscar Nuke | 8 | 10:00.443 |
| DNF | 44 | Ferdinand Dysico/Alfonso Concepcion | 0 | 8.67 |
| DNS | 31 | Miko Maristela | 0 | 0 |
| DNS | 68 | Bombi Palilio | 0 | 0 |
