A closer look at Toyota Tamaraw OMR Prototype

What changes did Toyota do to make the Tamaraw race-worthy?

Toyota Motor Philippines has confirmed that the all-new Tamaraw is joining the Toyota Gazoo Racing Philippine Cup next year, marking the first time in the country that a pickup truck will be used in an official one-make race championship.

Yes, pickups are not exactly the first choice when it comes to track weapons. But after seeing the exhibition race during the final race weekend of this season’s Philippine Cup, the all-new Tamaraw showed that it is indeed a raceable truck. But what exactly did Toyota do to make it race-worthy? Well, read on to find out.

The Tamaraws that raced in Clark last weekend are still in prototype phase, but were based on the 2.4 Dropside DSL M/T variants, with their planks removed so as not to catch air during high speeds and cause drag. Speaking of which, the OMR Prototypes were also fitted with a front chin splitter to cut through the air more smoothly. There’s also a carbon fiber hood to further bring down the Tamaraw’s weight.

As for the tires, the OMR Prototypes were wearing GT Radial Champiro SXRs – the same tire compound that the Vios Super Sporting class race cars have for maximum grip. They were fitted to 17-inch wheels from Rota for those added style points and lower unsprung weight.

Underneath, the Tamaraw OMR Prototype also had a rear LSD and a lowered suspension for a lower center of gravity and better handling. The truck still ran on its stock disc brakes, but the pads were upgraded to racing-spec for better stopping power.

Inside, the Tamaraw OMR Prototype has a bespoke rollcage, a fire extinguisher, a killswitch, and bucket seats with six-point harnesses for safety. A Momo steering wheel was also added for a better feel of the track.

Our sources say the Tamaraw OMR Prototype’s 2GD-FTV engine is still in factory tune, making 150 PS and 343 Nm of torque. But it does get racing reinforcements like an aftermarket exhaust and a custom front mount intercooler to further make the truck more reliable. The transmission is still the 5-speed version found on the production-spec variants.

Despite still being ECU-limited to have a top speed of 160 km/h, the Tamaraw OMR Prototypes were able to lap the Clark International Speedway in less than 2 minutes, 30 seconds. For reference, the Vios OMR race cars can do lap times under 2 minutes 22 seconds in the Super Sporting spec versions, but the CVT-equipped Vios race cars in the Novice class can be matched by the Tamaraw in terms of pace.

Toyota targets a grid of 30 cars with the Tamaraw next year, which will be raced along with the current-gen Vios for the 2026 Philippine Cup. The brand’s aim is to price the Tamaraw OMR at around PHP 1.5 million, which is basically the price tag of the Vios OMR when it came out a few years ago.

What do you think should be added more to the Tamaraw OMR Prototype? Let us know in the comments.