The second leg of the Toyota Vios Cup proved to be even more exciting as fans braved the impending NLEX traffic to watch their favorite racers battle it out on the track.
The heavy clouds that threatened a huge downpour had most if not all the cars on the grid set up for wet conditions for Race 3. The twenty-eight racers at the starting line were comprised of twenty (20) Vios Cup Class entries, five celebrity racers, and three media guest competitors. The fastest lap was clocked by the Jason Choachuy of Team Toyota Balintawak on his penultimate lap with a time of 2:26.388.
After twelve exciting laps around the full track of the Clark International Raceway, podium finishers for the first race were Choachuy, Carlos Castaneda of team Toyota Alabang, and Iñaki Araneta also from the Toyota Alabang team.
For the Celebrity category, Sam YG took the top spot; Phoemela Baranda came in second place, Jinno Rufino in third, and followed by Fabio Ide, and Rhian Ramos. Paulo Subido of Top Gear Philippines topped the media category, followed by Angel Rivero of the Philippine Star, and Miko Halili (DNF) of Slam! Magazine.
The second race (Vios Cup Race 4) almost didn’t happen when the rain finally fell with a vengeance while the cars were being arranged at the starting grid. All the drivers had to wait inside their cars for more than 30 minutes for the rain to ease up and the track be deemed safe enough to race in. The cut-off time was set for 6pm, and luckily the race was able to proceed a few minutes before the deadline.
The wet conditions certainly added to the excitement of, with one participant deciding not to run, several close calls with barriers, and a couple of DNFs. Team Toyota Quezon Avenue’s Dominic Ochoa spun out on the last turn heading to the main straight which resulted in his doing three 360-degree spins in front of the grandstand. Luckily, Ochoa was able to regain control of his car and even posted the best lap time of 2:34.651.
Race officials had to stop the race on the 7th round due to safety concerns because of the rain and failing visibility. As per Vios Cup rules, a race has to run at least 50 percent of total distance plus one lap in order to award full points.
Jason Choachuy once again took podium position, followed by Allan Uy of Toyota Quezon Avenue, and 16-year-old driver Luis Gono of team Toyota North EDSA taking the third spot.
For the celebs, Sam YG continued his dominance, while Fabio Ide placed second, and Jinno Rufino, third. Phoemela Baranda and Rhian Ramos finished fourth and fifth, respectively. Sam YG went home with a new set of Ecopia tires from sponsor Bridgestone Tires, while Paolo Subido, the sole media participant who finished Race 4, was awarded the Rota Special Award.
The 2014 Vios Cup is in cooperation with Bridgestone Tires and supported by Rota, Motul, Brembo, Denso, AVT, and OMP, and is organized by the Tuason Racing School. For more updates and information about the Vios Cup, you may visit www.toyota.com.ph or Toyota’s official Facebook page at fb.com/ToyotaMotorPhilippines.
