The sounds of engines in high revs and the smell of burnt rubber filled the air once more as the country’s biggest motorsports event, the Vios Cup over the weekend at the Clark International Speedway.
In attendance were Toyota bigwigs led by its president Satoru Suzuki who took matters into his own hands in a way by participating in the promotional class of the Vios Cup. “As we start the third race of the season, our mission of bringing fun and thrills to the people just went a notch higher as we launch the latest version of the Toyota 86. With its lineage coming from other Toyota sports cars, the new 86 is the perfect vehicle to partner with the OMR Vios to represent the Waku-Doki festival,” states Suzuki, during the opening remarks prior to the flag off of the race weekend.
With 61 participants vying for top honors at the grid, last weekend’s race was the biggest leg of the season. Aside from the additional number of privateers in the promotional class, fans had a field day with the celebrity drivers who gamely mingled with the crowd before and after the race.
The Vios Cup was started three years ago by former Toyota Ph President Michinobu Sugata, who fulfilled a promise made last year that he will don the racing suit once again to trade some paint with the rest of the competitors. “It feels great to be back and to once again feel the adrenaline rush of racing competitively,” he says. Both incumbent President Suzuki and Sugata raced in the Promotional class.
Toyota got game
Kicking off the festivities was the launch of the refreshed 86 a night before race day. With its DNA derived from the rich history of motorsports and iconic sports cars such as the 2000GT, Sports 800 and the AE86, the latest iteration of Toyota’s compact rear-wheel-drive sports car continues the legacy of its predecessors by way of its strong character lines, low stance, balance and superb handling.
Visible changes were made to its front fascia such as a wider front grille design; LED headlamp clusters with an “86” logo, redesigned fog lamps and new set of alloy wheels. The interiors of the 86 boasts of a more sophisticated look with a touch screen display audio with WiFi capability. The driver’s cockpit display has also been upgraded with a new multi information gauge cluster; plus additional safety features such as hill-start assist were added to prevent the car from rolling in inclined positions.
Under the hood of the 86 is the tried and tested 2.0 liter, naturally aspirated, 16-valve flat-four boxer engine pumping out 205 bhp. “Toyota is thrilled with the launching of this refreshed version of the 86 which is deeply rooted in our motorsports history. It is only fitting that we reintroduce it to you at the race track for this is where the car can truly shine,” adds Ariel Arias, SVP for Marketing of Toyota Ph.