It’s always a special moment whenever a father and his son are able to share their passion for motorsport. Espeically if they’re able to enjoy it by racing on the same grid. This is the case with Manasseh ‘Jun’ Manuel Caceres and his son Manuel Rafael ‘Rafa’ Caceres who are competing in the TSS The Super Series by B-Quik (formerly known as the Thailand Super Series) this 2023.
Jun always had a love for the sport. He got into drifting about a decade ago was an avid competitor up until the pandemic put everything on hold. That’s when focus shifted to his son who then got into sim racing while the entire world grounded to a halt. Rafa spent an entire year playing GT Sport on the PlayStation where he would hone his skill. And by the time restrictions started to loosen up, he was already itching to get into the real thing.
Karting was the obvious choice and fittingly, an opportunity to race in the national series opened up in late 2021. Rafa would compete full-time in 2022 entering both the local Rotax Max and Rok GP championships. With a series of strong results, he was aiming for a Top 3 finish in the Senior Class championship on his rookie year. That was until an injury sidelined him for half of the season.
While the younger Caceres hasn’t given up on karting just yet, the family’s focus now shifts to TSS in 2023. What’s more interesting is that the father-and-son duo from the Philippines are racing on separate machinery in the Super Car GTC category.
Under the team C&C Motorsports by KS Racing, Jun is running a 3.0L inline-6 2JZ-powered Toyota Supra Mk 4. His son Rafa, on the other hand, is piloting a Nissan GT-R R35 throughout the 2023 championship and both are set to make their track debut during the season opener this April 22/23 at the Chang International Circuit.
The weekend consists of Qualifying on Friday, a 12-lap Race on Saturday, followed by a much longer 1-hour Race on Sunday. Their competition may be a mishmash of GT4 and TA2 machinery, but are surprisingly closely-matched in terms of performance. They’ll then follow the entire 2023 calendar and enter all 6 events including the Bangsaen Grand Prix, Sepang International Circuit, and Singapore Grand Prix invitational.
TSS The Super Series by B-Quik 2023 Race Calendar
Round 1 | April 20-23 (Chang International Circuit)
Round 2 | May 25-28 (Chang International Circuit)
Round 3 | June 27-July 2 (Bangsaen Grand Prix)
Round 4 | August 25-27 (Sepang International Circuit)
Invitational | September 15-17 (Singapore Grand Prix)
Round 5 | December 14-17 (Chang International Circuit)
This, however, won’t be their first outing around the Chang International Circuit. Jun and Rafa both got a lot of seat time when they entered the Idemitsu 25 Hour Super Endurance Race last December. Driving the KS Racing Honda CR-Z, they each spent about 5 hours behind the wheel and finished 40th overall out of 64 starters. The father-and-son pairing were also able to stretch the legs of their Toyota Supra Mk 4 and Nissan GT-R R35 around the 4.554 km circuit during the official Hankook Test Day last month.
Rafa Caceres: “To represent my country internationally is a true gift from God. I am excited for the challenges that lie ahead and I hope that I encourage my fellow Filipinos to join me here and compete in the best racing series in Southeast Asia.
Jun Caceres: “I thank God for the gift of racing. All glory and honor for Him. In our race here in the Thailand Super Series, we hope we encourage more Filipinos to race overseas so that we can gauge and improve our potential to be the best internationally. I would also like to thank Narin for helping us to be able to compete at the level of TSS. I am looking forward to racing in the coming races in Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.”
Jun and Rafa Caceres are supported by by C&C Motorsports, KS Racing, Lucas Oils, Bonum Timing Belts, Mosos Performance Brake Pads, Cusco Thailand, and Ladybelle Spa.
