15-year-old Luis Gono is first Toyota Vios Cup champion

MANILA, Philippines – After a grueling first season of the Toyota Vios Cup, the grid’s youngest competitor, Luis Gono, emerged as the first overall champion of the country’s most prestigious and highly publicized motorsports event.

In formal awarding ceremonies held recently at the Gramercy Residences in Makati City, the valiant efforts of the young hot shoe from San Juan was recognized by Michinobu Sugata, president of Toyota Motors Philippines by awarding the young driver with a specially designed championship trophy and a key to a brand new Vios car.

“I am very happy with the turnout of this year’s Vios Cup and to have a young driver like Luis, who best represents the future of motorsports to win this championship. It also reflects the durability and performance characteristics of the country’s bestselling car, the Toyota Vios,” states Sugata.

Luis Gono traded paint and worked his way up the points ladder during the three-leg run of the Vios Cup series. With seasoned veterans, showbiz celebrities and hardened media personalities racing alongside Gono, the young driver banked on his karting experience and driver training to clinch this year’s title.

“This season was definitely a huge learning experience for me. It is a good feeling to win the Vios Cup, which is probably the country’s biggest motoring event to date. It feels special because winning the championship is a culmination of the time and effort my Dad and I spent in practicing on weekends, even on weekdays. My Dad and I really sacrificed a lot for this event and I dedicate this win to my family, Cosco Oben, Jun Santos and Miguel Marius of Toyota North EDSA for believing in me, Mike Anton, Jody Coseteng and Edgen Dy-Liaco for training me and lastly to God for being there with me inside the cockpit,” says Gono.

Prior to becoming the first Vios Cup Champion, Luis Gono was a champion karter. He started racing at the age of 13, with businessman Ramon Ang as his first true believer which gave him a competition-ready kart to win the second quarter 2012 season championship. Gono is also the country’s youngest drift racer with consistent top finishes and even impressed Keichi Tsuchiya, the Drift King himself with his smooth performance on track driving a custom-built Nissan S13 Sylvia by Autoplus.

“For a person who has never driven on the street and does not even possess a valid driver’s license, my kid really did me proud,” adds businessman Carlos Gono, the proud father of the 15-year-old champion racer.