Bigger, tougher Vios Cup season up

MANILA, Philippines – The Vios Cup revs up for a bigger, faster-paced third season with close to 60 drivers racing for honors in three categories, including the series’ newest offering, the Super Sporting Class, beginning March 18-19 in Clark.

Last year’s champion Andres Calma leads the field for this year’s Vios Cup, competing in the new Super Sporting Class, where the Top 20 racers from all categories based on overall scores from previous races are bunched together.

Calma contends with B-License holders such as Keith Bryan Haw and Paul Lomax in a high-octane battle for supremacy in the race considered as the biggest motorsports event in the country.

Also expected to deliver live-wire action on the tracks are participants in the Rota Promotional Class and the Bridgestone Sporting Class.

TV and movie personalities like Jasmine Curtis-Smith, Joyce Pring, Fabio Ide, Derek Ramsay, Arci Muñoz, Megan Young, Jinno Rufino and Jericho Rosales showcase their driving skills in the Celebrity sub-category of the Promotional Class, which also features drivers in the Executive and Ladies sub-classes.

C-License drivers, meanwhile, race for glory in the Sporting Class, where celebrities Phoemela Baranda and Sam YG are competing after their promotion from the celebrity competitions.

The 2016 Vios Cup kicks off March 18-19 at Clark Speedway then shifts to Filinvest for the second round on May 21-22, and later flies to Bacolod for the third round on Sept. 9-11. The fourth and final round is set Nov. 4-6 in a yet-to-be-decided venue.

According to Toyota Motor Philippines president Satoru Suzuki, the introduction of a new race category is intended “not only to even out the playing field but also to highlight the continuously improving driving skills of the racers, making a more challenging and ‘waku-dori’ experience.”

“For Toyota, nothing communicates ‘waku-doki’ or the fun in driving more than the exciting world of motorsports. This was realized in the first two seasons that started in 2014. From heart-stopping legs to having the largest grid in Philippine racing, we believe that Toyota has created an impact in local motorsports,” Suzuki said during the launch at Le Parc Event Hall in Pasay yesterday.

“With new celebrities and some familiar faces that will make up the third season, a possible new venue outside Luzon, and more competitive drives, I’m confident that this racing program will further boost the popularity of local motorsports,” he added.