Motorsports
Final Lap Fever
TGR Philippine Cup Gears Up for Grand Finale at Clark Speedway
The TOYOTA GAZOO Racing (TGR) Philippine Cup is headed for a high-octane finish as it returns to Clark International Speedway in Mabalacat, Pampanga on August 9 for its third and final race weekend of 2025.
Organized by Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP), this event is free for all motorsports fans and will be livestreamed via the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Philippines Facebook and YouTube pages starting at 8:30 a.m.
Standings Before the Final Showdown
In the Super Sporting Class, Russel Cabrera of TOYOTA Team Cebu – Standard Insurance leads the pack, followed by Alain Gabriel Alzona (TOYOTA General Santos – Smart Communications Racing) and Michael Bryan Co (R Garage / TOYOTA Dagupan Group).
Jesse Garcia of Obengers Racing – TOYOTA Balintawak is ahead in the Sporting Class standings, with Russel Reyes (TOYOTA Gazoo Racing Philippines) and Raymond Cudala (R Racing – MADkart) close behind.
Meanwhile, Luis Moreno of TOYOTA Gazoo Racing Philippines – Novice Team is currently topping the Novice Class, with teammates Pablo Salapantan and TMP President Masando Hashimoto in second and third.
Race Weekend 3 Highlights
The final weekend features two Sprint Races and the return of the Endurance Race — a 1.5-hour test of stamina and performance.
Making its debut is the Tamaraw Sprint Race Exhibition, starring the Tamaraw one-make race cars first teased at Villar City during Race Weekend 2. Racing these units are past Vios Cup Super Sporting champions including Allan Uy, Daniel Miranda, Estefano Rivera, John Dizon, and former test driver Tyson Sy.
The Next Generation Tamaraw will also be pushed to its limits in a special drag race exhibition.
Other events include:
- Club Race for GR Yaris, GR Supra, and GR 86 owners
- Drifting Exhibition for fans of sideways action
- Sim Racing Rigs and eSports Qualifiers for aspiring virtual racers
Off-Track Attractions
Visitors can explore booths with freebies, join games, and take part in qualifiers for the 2025 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Philippines eSports GT Championship — all free of charge.
Toyota will also display its GR and GR-S lineups, club cars, and sell original GR merchandise like caps, shirts, and umbrellas.
Capping off the day will be a live performance by local band Over October, followed by the awarding ceremony.
“It’s the final race weekend of the year, so we want to end on a high,” said Andy Ty, TMP Assistant Vice President for Marketing Services. “With the return of the Endurance Race and the new Tamaraw Sprint Race, we’ve packed in even more excitement.”
Event Support and Partners
The event is sanctioned by the Automobile Association Philippines, with support from Petron, GT Radial, Seiko, Toyota Financial Services, Tuason Racing, and more.
For more details, visit toyota.com.ph/tgrphilippines or follow TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Philippines on Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, and TikTok.
“Imagine a scooter faster than your car—160 km/h on EDSA. Would you ride it, or would you run from it?”
If this hits our roads, it’s either the coolest thing you’ll see this year… or the quickest way to trend on Facebook for all the wrong reasons.
UK-based Bo is building the Bo M Turbo, an electric scooter aiming to break the world speed record at over 160 km/h. That’s faster than most cars in Metro Manila traffic—if you can even reach full throttle before hitting a jeepney.
The Turbo packs a 24kW dual-motor system, a 1.8kWh battery, Formula 1-inspired cooling, and quad-piston disc brakes. It even has a power-to-weight ratio higher than a Bugatti Veyron.
Bo’s team includes former Formula 1 and Bloodhound Land Speed Record engineers. They’re taking the Turbo to Bonneville Speed Week in Utah to prove it’s the fastest scooter in the world.
Built for Speed, Priced for the Rich
- Top speed: 160+ km/h
- Range: Up to 241 km at cruising speed (28 km/h)
- Price: Around $29,500 (~₱1.7M)
Not exactly a GrabBike replacement—this is for someone with a Mercedes-AMG in the garage who wants a smaller toy.
The Cheaper Option
Bo also sells the Model M for about ₱94,000, with a 35 km/h top speed and 48 km range. Good for city commutes without scaring pedestrians.
Would you ride a 160 km/h scooter in Manila, or should it stay on the race track?
Spain’s Alex Palou clinched his third consecutive IndyCar season title — and fourth in five years — after finishing third at the Portland Grand Prix on Sunday. The race win went to Australia’s Will Power, with Denmark’s Christian Lundgaard in second.
Palou joins Ted Horn, Sébastien Bourdais, and Dario Franchitti as the only drivers in series history to win three straight championships. The 28-year-old now sits third on the all-time title list, behind A.J. Foyt’s 10 and Scott Dixon’s six.
“This has been an amazing season, an amazing five years with Chip Ganassi Racing,” Palou said. “I couldn’t be happier. I tried everything to overtake Lundgaard but couldn’t make it today.”
With 626 points — 151 clear of Pato O’Ward — Palou secured the title with two races left. O’Ward’s hopes ended early after an electrical failure on lap 21 left him eight laps down, forcing him to settle for 25th place, his worst finish of the season.
Palou’s 2025 campaign has delivered eight wins, including the Indianapolis 500, and he still has a chance to match the single-season record of 10 victories with Milwaukee and Nashville remaining.
Power’s triumph was his second straight and 45th career win. “It’s a big win for the team. We’ve had a rough year, but this one was hard-fought,” he said.
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team delivered a flawless performance at Rally Finland, achieving a rare top-five finish lockout led by hometown hero Kalle Rovanperä in the GR YARIS Rally1.
Rovanperä and co-driver Jonne Halttunen claimed their first home win after years of near-misses, controlling the rally from the opening stage on Friday and securing 10 stage wins, including the Power Stage. They set a new FIA WRC record for fastest average speed at 129.9 km/h, taking maximum points.
Takamoto Katsuta finished second, holding off defending champions Sébastien Ogier and Vincent Landais by 5.9 seconds. Elfyn Evans placed fourth, reclaiming the championship lead, while Sami Pajari sealed fifth in one of his strongest Rally1 drives.
The result marked only the second time in WRC history a single manufacturer claimed the top five spots, the last being Lancia in 1990.
Toyota also dominated WRC2, with Roope Korhonen winning in a GR Yaris Rally2 ahead of TGR-WRT Team Principal Jari-Matti Latvala.
Chairman Akio Toyoda praised the crews for “returning the favour” to their home base of Jyväskylä. Deputy Team Principal Juha Kankkunen called it “an unbelievable result,” noting it took him 11 years to win his home rally compared to Rovanperä’s quick triumph.
With its eighth victory in nine events this season, TGR-WRT extended its manufacturers’ lead to 87 points, setting the tone for the remaining five rallies.
