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Refreshed livery and driver lineup for Toyota Team Cebu in '24 TGR Philippine Cup

Reigning team champions Toyota Team Cebu (TTC) will have its hands full in the upcoming season of the ‘Vios Cup. There are new drivers, new tires, new race format, and heck even the event name is new after it was renamed as the TGR Philippine Cup. But their goal remains unchanged, which is to fight for wins, driver class championships, and defend their team title.

Aside from having to adapt to 3 different tire compounds – one for each class, TTC will also have to contend with an endurance race EVERY SINGLE ROUND. Whereas only the 2023 finale featured an enduro, the first 2 events of 2024 will have a 1.5 hour race on Saturday afternoon and a 2.0 hour race at the season ender. Each round, however, will still have 2x 30-minute Sprint Races – 1 on Friday then another on Saturday.

Super Sporting Class
Ian Rosales now leads the pack on his 3rd season with TTC. The Iloilo native finished 3rd in the Super Sporting Class championship last year and will surely be gunning for the title in 2024. Joining him in the top category is reigning Sporting Class champion Russel Cabrera. The 18-year-old secured 4 wins and 2 podiums last year and is expected to take TTC to the front of the pack with Ian.

Sporting Class
Jarond Mesina took 5 wins and 8 podiums last year, earning him the Promotional Class runner-up spot. Given his strong performance, the team thought that he deserved a seat in the Sporting Class. He’ll share the grid with Carlo Suarez who will make his TGR Philippine Cup debut this weekend.

Carlo began his motorsports journey more than 2 decades ago in karting, but went on a long hiatus for personal reasons. He then got back in the racing seat last year and achieved some degree of success. He was GT100 vice champion in the 2023 Philippine GT Championship and even entered several endurance races along the way.

Promotional Class
Though newcomers to the TGR Philippine Cup, Rex Abrenilla and Johndale Dy are familiar faces in the motorsports community. Rex has been drag racing since 2005 before switching to circuit racing just a few years back. Then in 2023 he landed several wins and podium finishes in the Philippine GT100 and both the 4- and 8-hour Makabayan Endurance Cup.

Johndale, on the other hand, only started racing competitively in 2022 through the help of his mentor and TTC Team Manager Lord Seno. Despite his short tenure, he has already won 4-and 8-hour endurance races over the last 2 years.

The 2024 TGR Philippine Cup kicks off this weekend, July 12/13 at the Clark International Speedway (CIS). It then resumes on September 27/28 for Round 2 then finally on November 8/9 for Round 3.

Lord Seno, Team Manager: β€œIt’s going to be an interesting season with new drivers, new tires, new race format, and new set of challenges. But our goal remains the same. With our Visayan roots, Toyota Team Cebu is out to defend its team title in 2024. Our new recruits will have to learn quickly this weekend especially with the forecasted rain. The team strategy is to score as much points as possible and not take too much risks during the opening round.”

Toyota Team Cebu is sponsored by Toyota Mandaue South, Standard Insurance, MMF Glass, 3M Protrade Industrial Corporation, Power Stroke Motor Products Corp., X1R, Viansons Auto Repair, Nature Spring Water, DEH Packaging, Marina Seafood, Marina Lechon, Solane LPG, Ubec Mags, AC Delco Batteries, Staging Lines Performance Shop, Suarez and Sons, Viboplace, Daily Driven Transport, Suarez Sterling, RDAK Transport, Salt+Fin Shirts, EZ Pavers, and MR Autoshop.

[Photos by James Morales Jr]

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Time Attack Manila

Time Attack Manila

Founded in late 2013, Time Attack Manila (TAM) is the only dedicated online magazine in the Philippines that focuses on local and international motorsports.
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Time Attack Manila

Time Attack Manila

Founded in late 2013, Time Attack Manila (TAM) is the only dedicated online magazine in the Philippines that focuses on local and international motorsports.
View All Posts
Time Attack Manila