Musings on the eve of the Toyota Vios Cup race

MANILA, Philippines - By the time this issue hits the newsstands, it’ll be exactly three days from D-Day. And a mere two days from D-Day qualifying.

D-Day, of course, is Toyota’s Vios Cup—an ambitious new one-make racing series involving Toyota’s (and the country’s) bestselling car and whose first leg of the series happens this Saturday, May 24. 

I use the word “ambitious” not to describe the series. Toyota, of course, has the clout and the wherewithal to do pretty much whatever it wants with its cars and with its marketing campaigns.

I use the word “ambitious” on me—a hack who, depending on whose perspective, happened to be in the right place at the right time (or the wrong place at the wrong time). 

Remember Anne Curtis’s concerts? They were both referred to as “Anne-bisyosa” and “Anne-kapal.” In many ways, that’s how I feel now.

Sure I’ve had my share of “racing exploits.” But those were all mostly media races held more for fun and camaraderie than all-out serious racing. So while my team and I (from the now-defunct Automotion magazine to Manila Bulletin to The Philippine STAR) almost always finished on the podium or won outright, it was always against colleagues who were also friends and whom I knew well and could trust on the race track. Most of the media races, too, were time trial events, which means that we drive the cars one at a time on the track or on a rally special stage. It was never wheel-to-wheel racing—unless we were in go-karts. And that usually ended up with lots of relatively low-speed crashes and wheel-banging (with no damage)—punctuated with laughter and good-natured heckling. 

But the Vios Cup is on a way different level. The exhibition race held last January in Clark International Speedway involved seven journalists and five celebrities—12 cars on Clark’s 2.5-kilometer short track. The one on Saturday that will kick off the whole 3-leg series involves no less than 30 cars—all of which will be racing on Clark’s daunting 4.5-kilometer full track. And it will be a mix of five media drivers, five celebrities (four of which competed in the January exhibition race—Rhian Ramos, Phoemela Baranda, Jinno Rufino, and Fabio Ide—Sam YG is the new celebrity racer) and 22 other drivers composed of seasoned circuit racers, club racers, and a couple of teenage racing phenoms from drifting and karting.  

Thirty cars lining up on the starting line happens to be the biggest ever grid in Philippine motorsports history. That’s a lot of cars. Now factor in very diverse levels of skill and experience between racers who hardly know each other—and it’s no surprise that pundits are predicting carnage on the first corner. 

And it’s a downright terrifying corner. Turn 1 is approached as 30 cars hurtle toward it at close to top speed—175 kph for most, 180+ kph for the truly brave and skillful ones. They’re the ones who can leave their braking that split-second longer and can still maneuver the car through the sweeping uphill left-hand turn with the car still doing anywhere from 110 to 140 kph (again, depending on the driver’s skill level). It’s what will separate the men from the boys—and the girls. In this race, some men will drive like girls and some girls will beat the crap out of some of the men (and I’m fervently hoping I’m not one of them).

I’ve never beaten my colleague Anjo Perez of Bulletin in more than 10 years of media challenges. But in our first practice day where we were released onto the track in 10-second intervals, Phoemela Baranda quickly overhauled Anjo’s 10-second head start and was glued to his rear bumper in two short laps. Rhian Ramos is not much slower. I shudder.

I also happen to be the sixth oldest driver on the grid—with no current sport or cardio activity. And it’s going to be a long, hot race. A fast lap of Clark’s full track in the Vios is about 2 minutes 30 seconds. Multiply that by 12 laps and you’ve got 30 full minutes of all-out racing with windows closed (for aerodynamic efficiency) and no aircon (for more power).

And we’re racing twice. Race 1 is at 1pm and Race 2 is at 3pm. We’ll be baking under the intense heat—if the pressure doesn’t get to us first.

But the gauntlet has been raised. And by the time you read this, I should be holding my first-ever racing license (I still have to undergo the medical—and fit the official Vios Cup racing suit and helmet—as I write this).  

Will I be ready for my first-ever circuit race? Will I remember all the apexes and all the braking points? Will I flub the start and stall the engine when the light turns green? (I have nightmares about that.) Come to Clark International Speedway on Saturday and let’s find out. Just promise one thing: Try not to laugh.