Story & photos by Ronald Rey M. de los Reyes
THE Queen City of the South was roused by a fun and electrifying vibe as it served as the venue of the action-packed second staging of the Vios Cup Season 2 held at the Toyota SRP Cebu Street Circuit at the South Road Properties in Cebu.
The historical experience drove Cebuanos into a frenzy as six upcoming Cebuano racers joined a total of 44 drivers in the one-make race event. “The fun never stops and it continues down south here in Cebu,” Toyota Motor Philippines President Michinobu Sugata enthused. “We’re in a different street race course for the very first time outside Luzon.
And we have about more than 40 drivers. So, expect more thrills,” he added. And turbocharged it was, as the race featured intense racing in two high-octane categories—the promotional and the sporting class. Cebuanos stood their ground and cheered for their local favorites from Team Toyota Cebu: multititled karter Jette Calderon, Lord Seno, Sean Velasco, Harold Ong and Oscar Suarez. Cebuanos Miranda and Sherwin Hing, meanwhile, competed for another Toyota squad.
Race one for the sporting class witnessed pole-sitter Andres Calma grab the heat with his classic 14:44.255 finish after 12 laps of blistering action. Coming in 7.921 seconds behind was local talent was the 15-year-old Miranda with 14:52.176. Completing the podium was Bobbie Domingo with 14:59.717.
In the promotional class, Paolo Rodriguez snatched first place with a time of 16:14.458, followed by Suarez with 16:40.658, and the 16.38.094 time of Arthur de Jong in third.
Heat two still belonged to Andres Calma, who evidently inherited the competitive genes of his father, basketball legend Hector Calma. He topped the sporting class with his impressive 19:24.764 finish, spiced up with the best lap time of 1:12.180. Still eagerly trailing him was Daniel Miranda with his 19:28.490, while settling in third place was last year’s title contender Allan Uy with 19:34.748.
In the promotional class, Rodriguez used his consistency to take heat two with 15:53.176, while Steve Bicknell (15:53.888), and Ferdinand Dysico (15:55.448) finished second and third, respectively.
Aside from this intense spectacle, the Cebuanos and the rest of the crowd got to see what this Waku-Doki craze had to offer.
Jaws dropped and shrieks, not just of tires, but of shrill voices that echoed throughout the complex as die-hard fans witnessed their favorite celebrities, such as Derek Ramsey, Jinno Rufino, Fabio Ide, Kylie Padilla and Jasmine Curtis-Smith compete against each other.
Besting the field of celebrity drivers were DJ-host Sam YG (male division) and lanky beauty Phoemela Baranda (female division). One of the other sidelights of the fun-filled event was the opportunity to go on a shotgun ride with Drift King Keichi Tsuchiya in the Toyota 86. The daughter of famous action star, Robin Padilla, starlet Kylie Padilla personally experienced the ride with the legendary Japanese driver. “It was such an exhilarating high in the passenger seat. This is such a great experience,” the young actress shared.” The next legs will be held in Luzon, with the possibility of holding a leg in Subic, Zambales. The race series is supported by Bridgestone and Rotam in association with Motul, TRD, Brembo, Super Shuttle, Roro Denso, AVT and OMP.
Image credits: Ronald Rey M. de los Reyes