Excitement and suspense filled the racetrack as circuit and autocross racers took the wheel once again for the second leg of the 2022 Toyota GR Vios Cup that happened last August 20 at the Clark International Speedway. Spectators watching on track and on live streaming were engrossed by the action they witnessed, one of which even required the presence of a safety car. In case you missed it, here are a few race highlights from race day: several car to car collisions occurred that left a fair number of cars bruised and battered coming back into the pits after the race finish—and a cat making a shocking and unexpected appearance on the track.
Meanwhile, the autocross race, of which I’m a part, braved a longer and challenging course as the organizers created a few tweaks to spice things up. In addition to the original course that consisted of a chicane with a 540-degree turn, we now had to pass through the pit lane entrance wherein we met tighter turns — a series of chicanes, followed by a sharp hairpin turn, another chicane, then back to the original autocross course.
After several practice runs, I became more familiar with the track and I was able to anticipate the car’s reactions to my inputs. Once I developed my rhythm, the next step was finding ways to accomplish cleaner and faster runs through every obstacle (chicane, 360/540-degree turns, slaloms). Aside from the course being very technical, I believe it’s also a mental game — your main competition is yourself as you attempt to push beyond your limits and do better than your previous runs. Just don’t overdo it.
An hour before our race, weather conditions weren’t entirely in our favor—there was a major downpour to be exact. A slippery track is far from ideal since you lose traction and have less control of the car. However, to our luck, a couple of minutes before the actual race, the rain halted and skies cleared up. The track was spic and span — it was game time!
While I had high hopes to boost my ranking from 3rd place from the first leg last July to 2nd place for this leg, what held me back was my fixation on accomplishing a clean run — which I did, but at the expense of posting a competitive time. Despite not achieving favorable results this leg, the experience was still rewarding. As clichè as it sounds, it’s knowing that at the end of the day, you did your best, had fun, and enjoyed the ride.
The fun didn’t stop at the race track. While everyone was preoccupied at the CIS, Toyota stirred up something exciting that captivated members of the media—the reveal and test drive of the sleek and stunning new Toyota GR 86 that starts at PHP2.328M for the MT and PHP2.499M for the AT.
Catch even more exciting action as the 2022 Toyota GR Vios Cup approaches the cuwlminating round in November. This will determine who will finally come out on top, so don’t miss out!
