Toyota's race weekend

It was my first time to attend the recently concluded two-day second leg of the Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) 2025 Toyota Gazoo Racing Philippine Cup, held this time in Metro Manila at Villar City in Las Piñas, following the first race weekend last March at the Clark International Speedway in Clark, Pampanga.

- MARIANNE GO

Previously known as the TGR Vios Cup, the TGR Philippine Cup has held street races in Alabang, Muntinlupa City; Cebu City; McKinley, Taguig City and Pasay City.

Although the racetrack at Villar City was not really up to professional race standards, it was the only available open space left within Metro Manila that could accommodate TMP's street racing motorsport event, which can no longer be held in the more ideal but busy and congested Makati or Bonifacio Global City areas.

According to Andy Ty, TMP assistant vice president for marketing services, the Toyota Gazoo Racing event, which is already in its 11th season, is so popular that Filipino motorsports enthusiasts eagerly watch the livestream events, even though it has been held outside Metro Manila for the past couple of years.

While the Clark International Speedway venue offers a more ideal racetrack, Andy admitted that live audience engagement is constrained by the distance from Metro Manila, resulting in attendance of just between 2,000 and 3,000.

Thus, after an absence of around seven years, the event was brought to the more accessible Villar City, which is still under development, but which in a few years may become just as busy and congested as most of the major cities in Metro Manila—especially as the Villar family hopes to eventually develop a light railway infrastructure to connect with the light railway system that is already operational along the major thoroughfares of EDSA, Taft and Roxas Boulevard, all the way to Sucat in Parañaque.