With 2 rounds now in the bag, Toyota Team Cebu (TTC) is proving to be a serious title contender in the 2024 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing (TGR) Philippine Cup. Its drivers are in contention for the championship in all 3 categories thanks to their consistent results, which included 1 race win and 4 podium finishes at the Clark International Speedway (CIS).
Super Sporting Class
After his stellar Super Sporting Class debut in July, Russel Cabrera had to carry a 60 kg weight ballast all weekend long. This prevented him from progressing any higher than P4 during Qualifying as he struggled with pace in the #95 Vios OMR cup car. Despite the handicap, he was able to get off to a quick start in Race 3 and improve on his starting position by finishing 3rd. Likewise, his teammate Ian Rosales couldn’t quite match the front-runners and had to settle for 6th.
Race 4 could have been a dream result for TTC. Ian managed to move into the lead early on with Russel following right behind for a possible 1-2 finish. But midway through the race, Ian’s #69 machine suffered technical issues and had to retire. This left Russel vulnerable to attack and dropped back to 2nd as the chequered flag was waived.
Russel was en route to another podium finish in the 1.5 hour Endurance ’til a fuel pickup problem forced him to slow down. The 20-year-old had to nurse the car home just to make it to the finish and collect 5th. Not too far behind was Ian in 6th.
Sporting Class
TTC’s pairing in the Sporting Class experienced very contrasting race weekends. Jarond Mesina in the #24 entry battled for position in Race 3 to yield a hard-earned 5th place. His fellow Sporting Class teammate Carlo Suarez, on the other hand, was not as fortunate. He spent 12 agonizing laps just to get the #22 car to the chequered flag, eventually finishing in 11th.
Race 4 was a repeat for Jarond who was again fighting for a spot on the podium. He was within striking distance to take P3, but ran out of laps and secured another 5th place. Unfortunately for Carlo, his woes continued and could only manage 10th.
Consistency once again paid off in the Endurance race earning Jarond another 5th to bag solid points towards the Sporting Class championship. As for the TTC Team Captain, it was a weekend to forget for Carlo who vowed to bounce back at the season finale after taking 10th once more.
Promotional Class
It was a shining moment for both TTC’s Promotional Class drivers. Starting from the front row of the grid in Race 3, Rex Abrenilla took the lead on the opening lap and never looked back. Unfortunately, his win was later taken away after receiving a 5 secs penalty for exceeding track limits, but still managed to land 3rd place. Johndale Dy, on the other hand, was on the opposite end of the official results in 6th.
A slow getaway in Race 4 relegated Rex to P5. Adding insult to injury, he was spun around on lap 2 by another driver which left him dead last. He was eventually able to catch back up to the pack to salvage 4th place. But the star of the race was Johndale who started from pole. The rookie kept the lead for all 12 laps despite having several drivers hounding his back. He never set a foot wrong to enjoy a lights-to-flag victory while setting the fastest lap of the race.
Rex was looking for payback in the Enduro. Starting from P4, he wasted no time in taking the lead and held position for over half the race distance. However, a poorly-timed pitstop lost him a spot and ended up in 2nd while Johndale came home in 5th.
With the team’s strong results, Russel Cabrera currently sits 2nd in the Super Sporting Class standings with Jarond Mesina holding the same spot in the Sporting Class. Rex Abrenilla is 3rd in the Promotional Class with Toyota Team Cebu (TTC) currently tied for 1st in the Team’s Championship ahead of the season finale on November 7/9.
Lord Seno, Team Manager: “Round 2 has always been tough for Toyota Team Cebu in the 9 years that we’ve been in the Vios Cup. Nevertheless, we will have to go back to the drawing board and draft a more exact plan in winning the overall championship. Proud of our drivers particularly Johndale for calming his nerves and getting a race win. Rex Abrenilla as well for being very consistent. We’re now tied for the lead in the Team’s Standings going to leg 3, but we’ve done this before and we will bounce back in the finale.”
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]
