Point of Vios

Soong (extreme left) with the rest of the drivers of the Obengers

The roar of the engines of the souped-up, race-readied Toyota Vios sedans were not the only sounds dominating the first leg of the 2017 Vios Cup at the Clark International Speedway on April 29.

There were also the hyperactive voices of commentator-celebrities Gaby dela Merced and James Deakin. The two dished out their own turn-by-turn commentaries on the unfolding heats.

Dela Merced and Deakin described how it felt when wheel-to-wheel races stressed out each driver, especially “when someone is breathing down one’s neck.”

At one stretch of the promotional class heat, the cars of Don Vic Portugal of Toyota San Pablo, Evelyn Coseteng of Toyota Alabang, and Arbie Jacinto of Toyota San Fernando were onto each other like joined triplets.

The aggressive Coseteng almost overtook Portugal, while Dela Merced barked, “this happens to every single car out there. If you don’t find a good exit, you’ll pay for it.”

Portugal, Coseteng and Jacinto ended up after 12 laps being first, second and third, respectively, at the first round of the promotional class.

Red Diwa (Toyota Isabela), Roy Bunag (Toyota Bacoor), and Jacinto placed first, second and third at the second round later in the afternoon.

My eyes weren’t always trained on the tracks. From the media room, I walked to the view deck to look at the audience, from where I saw the diversity of the spectators.

Indeed, the waku-doki theme attracted all walks of life, from company presidents to TV celebrities, to politicians and showbiz fans.

Now, how much more popular and far-reaching would this event be if it aired in the major TV networks?

Certainly, the shrieking youngsters comprising the fan club of actress, product endorser, host, and Viva contract artist Ella Cruz would want to see themselves on TV, waving their big “Ellamazing” banner every time Vios Car #7 passed in front of them.

Obengers bossman Cosco Oben (second from left) celebrates their big first leg showing with Soong and support crew.

Ella, a first-time racer, placed 4th on the first and second round among six celebrity racers, which included Dominique Roque, Fabio Ide, Jasmine Curtis-Smith, Gretchen Ho and Aubrey Miles.

Another rowdy group were cheering for Canadian Brian Currie in the sporting class Car 91.

A fan, Will Avellana, 37, said: “Because of Brian, we became interested in racing. I am a driver myself, and I want to join this race someday.

“This is just one of his sports. This is our first time to watch the Vios Cup,” Will added.

Jason Ruiz, 29, said that his company, AUTS Racing, is one of the sponsors of the Vios Cup. “We are enjoying it here even if Brian is not leading. We were inspired by his fighting spirit,” said Jason.

Celeste Chavez, 23, an employee of Frohlich, said: “After watching Brian, I wanted to drive and join a race like this. Brian’s a nice person, and a cool racer.”

Their idol Brian placed 13th out of the 16 promotional class racers on the first round, then 12th in the second round.

Visibly happy, first-time racer Marc Soong (executive director of Autostrada Motore Inc., the official dealer of Ferrari and Maserati cars in the Philippines) was grinning from ear to ear as he walked back to his paddock, still half-wearing his racing suit.

I knew we were in his paddock when an impromptu display of a yellow Ferrari, a Maserati Levante, a Land Rover Discovery, Defender, and a Range Rover greeted us.

It was Marc’s first time to join the Vios Cup, preparing himself for an eventual stint in the Ferrari Cup. Marc raced under the Obengers team in the promotional class.

“I recently bought a Ferrari race car (in a whole racing package) because I wanted to learn how to drive on the track, but I realized I didn’t know anything (about racing). I had zero training before this.”

“How much did the Ferrari racing package cost?” I asked.

“Secret!” Marc laughed.

“I just realized if I raced and damaged a Ferrari, I wouldn’t learn from it. My friend said, ‘If you want to learn how to race, join the Vios Cup.’”

And so, Marc did. In his first stint in the Vios Cup, Marc placed 7th and 5th on the morning and afternoon runs, respectively.

“The best advice I got? Just have fun,” Marc chuckled.

Over at the sporting class, Ferdinand Raquelsantos, a veteran Vios Cup racer, joked that he was “getting too old for this.”

Raquelsantos, who almost always ran with Toyota Makati, started off rusty, placing 15th in the morning, but shook off the cobwebs and ended up 9th out of 16 racers in the afternoon.

“Is there anything that you learned from these four years of racing in the Vios Cup that you can apply in your daily drives?” I asked.

“Yes, how to gracefully slide in the highway when the pavement is slippery,” he laughed.

Well, at least the man shows one can never be too old to dispense of some dry wit.

The Vios Cup is a grassroots-level racing competition spearheaded by Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP).

Catering to car enthusiasts 15 years and up, the Vios Cup has been designed for nonprofessionals, making it a platform for first-time racers.

The Vios Cup showcases the waku-doki (heart-racing fun) and QDR (quality, durability and reliability) delivered by the Toyota Vios.

The Vios OMR (one-make race) racing car is a 1.5 G M/T variant with several TRD modifications on the intake, exhaust, suspension and race standard safety equipment inside.

This will only be available for sale to those who will participate in the race, and is not an additional variant to the Vios’ current lineup.

The following parts were installed/replaced: clutch cover, clutch disk, limited slip differential, sport brake pad, muffler set, upper mount (front), suspension set, roll cage, intake system, TRD aero kits, hood lock pin, bucket seats, seat bracket, 6-point seatbelt, steering wheel and hub, circuit breaker and mounting, tow hook (front and rear), roll cage, fire extinguisher, heel plate/flooring, modification labor, consumption parts/items, pedal pads, wheel nut, body decals, alloy wheel, and tires.

The entire Vios OMR racing car is priced at P1.195 million.