Toyota Vios Cup diary: The journey from grandstand to P1
From the grandstands to the top step of the podium
The five red lights illuminate.
My hands are shaking.
My legs are trembling.
My mind and left foot’s anxiously waiting for the final light to go off.
The very first race of the 2024 Toyota Gazoo Racing Philippine Cup is about to get underway, and I’m in pole position for the Novice Class. The feeling – and the pressure - is nothing like what I ever imagined.
10 years ago, I only dreamed of doing this while sitting on the grandstands of the McKinley Hill West Street Circuit, sipping a cold drink on a hot afternoon as the inaugural season of the Vios Cup’s final race started.
Back then, I was just a 19-year old kid struggling in college. I was taking up an engineering course, and working on the motoring beat wasn’t even on my radar yet. Our family doesn’t have the means to fund me into having a racing career. But as a big fan of motorsport, I was perhaps its most passionate student. I channeled all the things I was learning about racing in the next closest thing - the virtual world of sim racing.
When the Vios Cup came around, I was a young sim racing vet – just like the guys who were winning at the recent GT Cup. I racked up victories against sim racing veterans and even a professional racing driver. That happened at a Gran Turismo challenge hosted by Autoindustriya.com – yes, the very same company I’d eventually find myself working for. However, as fast as I was virtual, the circumstances I have meant the road to the real thing had to wait – and one that I had to work hard for.
I almost did it at the GT Academy back in 2016. I made it as far as Silverstone for the grand finals, but an uncharacteristic lapse in focus knocked me out of contention. That unfortunate error may have taken me out of racing. But it turns out, racing was never truly taken out from me.
Years after, I remained active in motorsports as much as I could. Becoming a working-class adult meant I could pay for track days, do endurance races, and share my experiences through driver coaching. Then when I started to work for AI, I won the TGR Vios Cup Autocross Challenge in the Media Class.
I thought that was the closest thing I’d get to the level of where I was back at GT Academy. Making it to the big league still seemed to be far-fetched - until Toyota Motor Philippines gave me one of the most unforgettable phone calls of my life.
“Hi, Jamil. We would like to invite you to drive for us in the circuit class in the upcoming TGR Philippine Cup season.” Of course, the answer was a resounding YES.
This was finally it. The dream finally came true. I’m being asked to drive for what’s basically Toyota’s factory team for a full season. Complete with everything. Training, equipment, coaching, the full package. It felt like I just won a gold medal.
After going through TGR Academy’s Level 1, Level 2, and the practice sessions, I finally lined up the #2 Vios race car on the grid on pole. All those years of kakakompyuter had brought me into this.
The lights went off, and I made a great getaway; my CVT Vios was able to out-drag a manual on the run-up to turn 1. As I’ve watched countless times before, the opening uphill left-hander of Clark will feel like EDSA Guadalupe at rush hour – the grid gets tightly bunched up. I was forced to take the outside line, and I found myself surrounded by Promotional Class race cars.
After a couple of close calls, I was able to come out of the first three turns unscathed. I was immediately trading places with a Promotional Class driver so I could somehow build a gap - or a barrier - to the rest of the guys in the Novice Class. A lap and a half later, I managed to pull it off. A sizeable gap was established, but there are 10 more laps to go.
As I’ve learned from my sim racing days, the race can feel like an eternity when you’re leading. With the real thing, it’s even worse. There’s the exhaustion from the heat and G-Forces, and there’s the mechanical bits to worry about with the car.
Unlike the manual transmission Vios race cars that were proven to run forever on the track, the CVT Vios that I was driving was still an understudy. These race cars used to be driven hard in short bursts in the Autocross Class, but not repeatedly over the course of a 12-lap race.
I must admit, that factor repeatedly crossed my mind as I was counting down the laps going towards the end. The last thing I want is a malfunction that would effectively end my race, and it wasn’t helping either that another black Vios with a GR livery was starting to appear larger on my mirrors – it was Russel Reyes trying to catch up, and he’s a serious threat as we’re basically dead even in terms of pace in the previous practices.
The pressure was mounting in the searing afternoon heat. As the race wore on, the choice went down between playing it safe, or “don’t think, just do”. But I already made it this far - it’s time to try and deliver the W.
Throwing caution to the wind, I decided to go for the latter. Foot down, brain off, eyes focused on the road ahead. It was hammer time.
After around three or four flat-out laps later, I finally exited the final corner. The CVT Vios was still in one piece and running like a dream with the checkered flag now being waved. I switched my brain back on and thought to myself I’m finally sure this was the end of the race, unlike that mistake I made 8 years ago in Silverstone.
That was it. Race 1 was finally over, and what a relief. First race in the TGR Philippine Cup, and the victory was in the bag. If only we had a team radio like in F1, you’d probably hear me screaming out of pure joy. I was punching the air as I made my way back to the pits to celebrate. The 10-year journey from the grandstands to the top step of the podium was complete.
I would have wanted to repeat the victory for Race 2 and the Endurance Race, but the reverse grid for Race 2 and a broken seat railing in the endurance didn’t help my chances. In a series where everyone drives identical cars, every little edge you can get counts. Luckily, I still finished 2nd on both occasions, so the big picture tells me I’m not too far behind in points.
That’s just the way it is in racing. Sometimes luck plays in your favor, and sometimes it swings to the other side. That’s what I’ve learned in this 10-year journey, and what I continue to learn in life. A lot of unfortunate things can happen, but what’s important is to keep on pushing, and stay focused on your goal, whatever that may be. I’ve reached one of my goals, and I hope you guys are on your way to reach yours, too. Believe me when I tell you, it’s worth the wait.
On my end, achieving a goal means there’s a new one ahead - to be the champion at the end of the season. The journey there is not going to be easy, especially when you see a younger version of yourself as your closest competitor so far. When you’re young, you’re hungry. But as they say, the older you get, the wiser you become, the more tricks you learn.
The next leg is coming up in a week's time. Let’s go for that sweep. See you guys there!
