Obengers: The new team to beat in local motorsports

MANILA, Philippines–Even at a young age, Cosco Oben flaunted a distinct penchant for success. This is a characteristic he has carried and developed through the years, which became his ticket to climb the corporate ladder.

 

Though he employs traditional formulas in dealing with challenges, he oftentimes thinks out-of-the-box when coming up with ways to ensure success or bringing forth a “first” that will catapult him to the top of field.

 

Years of experience that resulted to several milestone achievements stamped his mark as an authority in and as one of the top leaders of the automotive industry today.

 

When Toyota Motor Philippines president Michinobu Sugata broached the idea of staging the 2014 Vios Cup as a flagship program to promote “Waku-doki Fun” and to relive the Filipinos’ long years of love and passion for Toyota cars, Oben knew he was up to a different challenge that needed his “creative juices.”

 

It had been years since Oben was involved in a car racing event and the mechanics of racing today had changed a lot. This meant getting out of the comfort zone to come up with extraordinary steps to be the best above the rest.

 

Oben decided to handle matters hands on and personally supervise the preparations—from the rigid training of mechanics and crew to the meticulous recruitment of drivers and other racing particulars—not just for one but four racing teams composed of seven drivers, with each one representing a dealership outlet.

 

Thus was born the Obengers Racing Team: Luis Gono and JV Ejercito for Toyota North Edsa; Basti Escalante and Jason Go for Toyota Otis; Robert Lilles and Paul Ang for Toyota Marilao; and Jason Choachuy for Toyota Balintawak. Of the seven drivers, only Gono, Ejercito, Escalante and Choachuy were fully-sponsored.

 

Oben’s drive for perfection and success when dealing with sticky situations, one step at a time, helped avert costly lapses. In the end, all the painstaking effort reaped the sweetest harvest when Gono and Choachuy clinched the overall Vios Cup plum and the overall third place honors, respectively.

 

“It was truly one fruitful harvest for the Obengers Racing Team that created the biggest impact after clinching the overall plum and the overall third place honors on the very first staging of the Vios Cup Series. And I’m thankful and proud of how these seven as they proved themselves worthy choices for the very first Obengers Racing Team,” said Oben.

 

The seven-man Obengers Racing Team went up against a mixed batch of new drivers and seasoned veterans in the record field of 30 cars, the biggest grid so far in Philippine motorsports history, resulting in a more exciting action and intense showdown, with the first four races staged at the Clark International Speedway and the last two races of the final leg held at the more challenging Toyota McKinley West Circuit in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City.

 

Durable, reliable and fun

 

All these competing drivers proved just how durable, reliable and fun it is to drive a Vios. The Obengers Racing Team, for one, clocked the most hours of practice but never experienced any major performance issues with the Vios engine.

 

The seven drivers were all admiration of the Vios engine’s stamina in the most extreme racing conditions, which was best witnessed at the Clark International Speedway’s Race 4. Heavy rains posed a bigger challenge to the competing drivers yet none of them took to the door from a ceased engine.

 

Even more surprising, those who figured in spin-outs or hit the wall due to the slippery track managed to get back in action right away. The competing drivers were further amazed by the superior handling of the Vios especially in tight corners, making the Vios truly a fun car to drive.

 

Winning the Vios Cup plum was another major milestone to Oben’s long line of colorful feats in a career guided by the discipline of the seven core values, which he continues to share with his employees and, lately, all the members of his four teams.

 

An ecstatic Oben could not contain his joy at winning the “Pioneer Champion Team of the Vios Cup One Make Series” award.

 

“The whole management and staff of Toyota North Edsa and the whole Obengers Racing team are very proud of Luis Gono for winning the very first Vios Cup crown for our group. Guided by our seven core values, this victory only proves that we always strive for excellence in any endeavor that our group undertakes. Driven, one of the seven core values of the Oben group, truly became our major inspiration throughout the Vios Cup series. We are very happy of this victory and we look forward to another exciting series next year,” said Oben.

 

Oben admitted that winning the championship was far from his mind, with pressure and anxiety creeping in as the team entered the championship leg. As the man on top, Oben opted to stay composed and would tell his team not to give up and do their usual best and to let things happen as they may be.

 

“Going into the last leg of the series, I was a bit worried about our chances of winning the championship because of the double-point system and a totally new racetrack compared to the first two legs. Being consistently in the top three in points for the first two legs did not assure victory for us as the double points and new racetrack opened doors to all the other drivers in clinching the title crown.

 

Staying firm and positive

 

“However, staying firm and positive beyond great odds do have its advantages. I always just tell our drivers to have fun and enjoy each race. This is what the Vios Cup and ‘Waku-doki’ is all about. Fortunately for us, Luis used his head, drove tactically and delivered for the team,” Oben said.

 

On the side, there were other incidents that could have compounded his woes and sent the whole team down on its knees.

 

“I am personally not a big fan of conflicts. It is actually my role in the team to prevent such incidents from happening as much as possible. In some cases, there would be some issues from our drivers, team managers and staff on some rulings, calls and decisions of the officials. I guess it really happens in racing. But I always tell them to respect the decision of the officials whatever it may be and I remind them that we are here to have fun,” he said.

“With other teams, there may have been some conflicts along the way but we all know that it is part of racing. And at the end of the day, we all just want to have fun and promote ‘fun’ in the Vios Cup. We’re all good.”

 

Despite his age and stature, Oben remains humble in admitting there were a lot of lessons learned, which had become part of his valuable weaponry for future endeavors.

 

“We learned that we need to give our best in everything that we do, whether small or big tasks, in the office or in the racetrack. We are accountable and responsible for all our actions. What was evident in the series is the sportsmanship that everyone showed. No matter how rough and tough the practice and racing days went, friendship and camaraderie still prevailed at the end of the season. This is what the Vios Cup and Waku-doki should be all about,” Oben said.

 

But if there is one big lesson that Oben learned in the series it is the training experienced by our racing crew in working hard under immense pressure from which their customers in dealerships will benefit from.

 

“I’m really very proud of our racing crew,” he added.

 

Oben admitted they could not have survived all the nerve-wracking pressure and the intensity of competition without the support of friends who unexpectedly came to extend a helping hand and ease the tension.

 

“My big thanks and appreciation to our Obengers racing crew headed by our racing engineer and vice president of Toyota North Edsa, Marius Miguel. They were all very passionate about our racing teams and really practiced our core value of teamwork and unity throughout the series. Their hard work during the whole series served as an inspiration to all our team members back in the office. They were our heroes during the series and I am very proud that they are part of not only our racing team but most importantly our company,” Oben said.

 

He said: “I would also like to thank Jun Santos, the team manager of Obengers Racing and president of Toyota Marilao for his full support to our racing teams. He is the one who inspired everyone to be positive and confident in the team during the series.

 

“Our thanks, too, to Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) headed by Mr. Michinobu Sugata for starting the fun once again to Philippine motorsports. Of course, thanks to Sen. JV Ejercito for driving for the Obengers team and finishing strong despite joining late in the last leg and with only barely two months of practice. I won’t be surprised if he gets a podium finish in the next season.

 

“I am also truly proud of our young drivers’ fathers: Carlos Gono (Luis’ father) and Tonyboy Escalante (Basti’s father) for being behind their boys all the way throughout the series and giving their 100-percent support to the Obengers. Their father-and-son tandems reminded me of the precious moments with my father playing golf back when I was of Luis’ and Basti’s age.

 

“Thank you to our chairman, Mr. Reginaldo Oben, for his undying support to Philippine sports, this time car racing in particular. He is the one who gave me the confidence to give an all-out support to our racing teams. Of course, [thank you to] all the team members of the Oben Group (Toyota Balintawak, Toyota Otis, Toyota North Edsa and Toyota Marilao) for cheering strongly for the Obengers especially during the last leg of the race in McKinley West. And last but not the least, our team sponsors: Peoples General Insurance, AVT, Wheelers Club International, Toyota Financial Services, Eastwest Bank, Sikkens Paint, Speed Metal and Standard Insurance.”