DRIVING THOUGHTS
Those who watch motorsports on television, or online sites, but have never sat in a grandstand to view a race should make time to feel the experience. The noise of the car engines, the crowd cheering, and of course, the sight of cars speeding by, taking a turn on a racing line, will make you forget the heat (most races are held in the hot months), or even the rain, or the physical conditions that come with sitting there for hours.
The first time I watched a full race was at a race track in Detroit decades ago. That was for the CART (Championship Auto Racing Teams). I was there with a small group of motoring editors who were invited by Honda. Even before we found our seats at the grandstand, all conversation stopped. The noise from the engines did not allow a conversation, so we followed the leader who showed us our seats through hand signals. (I still remember that race weekend because I brought homes a jacket fashioned after the jacket of Jimmy Vasser, the reigning champion.)
The most memorable races I’ve watched were the F1 Grand Prix races in Australia, Malaysia and Singapore. Each experience made me more of a motorsports fan, following the racing careers of F1 drivers and World Rally Championship (WRC) drivers. For a long time, I would wear on every race weekend – no matter where it is held – a faded Ferrari shirt I had bought at the Sepang Speedway in Malaysia where I had met Michael and Ralf Schumacher. I was henceforth, a Michael Schumacher fan, shifting my fan-attention to Kimi Raikkonen, Filipe Massa, Lewis Hamilton, and Max Verstappen in the later years.
(Am I dating myself? What if I tell you that I interviewed Jacques Villeneuve and Jarno Trulli? That’s really revealing how long I had been in the motoring beat.)
Some of the better stories I share with friends are about the times I watched the races and wrote about the men who drove those fast cars. During my time, when there were only a few women covering motorsports, the drivers were not charming, perhaps thinking that a female journalist didn’t really understand the the race.
Covering the WRC was a different experience. Since the legs moved around the mountainous area, drivers, staff and media sat together for meals and talked like it’s an ordinary day. The fun part was when they allowed media to ride with a rally car driver to experience a leg of the race. Donning the navigator’s helmet, I heard the driver telling me about the terrain and asking – are you scared?
Watching a race at a speedway is another kind of experience – even if you are not a motorsports fan.
You’ll have a chance to experience a real race weekend on March 22. That will be the first weekend of Toyota Gazoo Racing Philippine Cup at the Clark International Speedway in Malalacat, Pampanga, presenting racers in the Novice Class, Sporting Class and Super Sporting Class in the Sprint and Endurance Races.
A new race class will be introduced – the Legacy Class. This will be composed of former Vios Cup car racers and owners of the third generation Vios who will be competing in their own race class.
The TGR Philippine Cup is also introducing a new race format. Car clubs of Toyota’s performance cars – the GR Yaris, GR Supra and GR 86 – will get to push their performance cars to the limits in the Club Race, a five-lap circuit race.
“For car club members who will not be participating in the Club Race, they will still get to enjoy driving around the track during Track Day, where fans can also enjoy seeing their favorite GR performance cars zipping through,” a TGR announcement said.
“Fans will also get to see the New GR Yaris in action during its racetrack debut. The GR Supra, the GR 86, and various car club’s collections will also be on display at the event. Fans can also check out the official GR merchandise store for shirts, caps, umbrellas, tumblers, and other fan items.”
The festive spirit of a race weekend will be sweetened by game booths, including the e-motorsports racing rigs where e-racing fans can put their skills to the test. Fans can also get their hands on freebies and prizes at the sponsors’ booths, and watch drifting and gymkhana exhibitions by professional drivers.
If you can, be there for the opening of the 11th season of the TGR Philippine Cup, previously known as the TGR Vios Cup. This is Toyota’s premier racing series which aims to bring the thrill of motorsports closer to Filipinos. (Race weekend 2 will be in May, and Race weekend 3 in August 2025.)