It was about a year ago when we broke the news that there was a Filipino driver competing in the World Rally Championship (WRC). Now, we’ve learned that our very own Department of Tourism (DOT) has jumped on the rally bandwagon with a ‘Love The Philippines’ liveried Toyota GR Yaris Rally 2 racing the stages in WRC2.
The rainbow-colored GR Yaris Rally 2 is entered by the PH.Ph WRC Team and serves to promote the DOT’s ‘Love The Philippines’ campaign across some of the most iconic rally stages in the world. It’s run by Teo Martín Motorsport with Spanish driver Jan Solans at the wheel with fellow countryman Rodrigo San Juan in charge of pace notes. If the name rings a bell, that’s because Rodrigo also served as co-driver for Filipino WRC2 driver Miguel Diaz in 2023.
Jan, on the other hand, is a 26-year-old driver with about a decade’s worth of rally experience under his belt. His most notable achievement is winning the Junior World Rally Championship in 2019 in a Ford Fiesta R2.
With a brand new machinery underneath them, their first official outing was at Rally Monte-Carlo a few weeks ago where the pair finished in a Top 3 position in class. But the ‘Love The Philippines’ livery didn’t make its debut until Rally Sweden.
While promoting the Philippine’s tourism brand as the premier holiday destination in Southeast Asia, Jan and Rodrigo enjoyed a successful run in the extremely fast and demanding snow stages of this historic event. Electrical issues prevented the PH.Ph WRC Team entry from completing a stage on Friday evening, but the pair quickly recovered and went on to win SS11 and SS13 on Saturday demonstrating their ability to adapt to the demanding Scandinavian conditions.
After 18 stages and 4 days of competition, Jan and Rodrigo would complete Rally Sweden in 8th place while showcasing the Philippines’ Department of Tourism sponsorship.
This, however, is not simply a one-off outing for the ‘Love The Philippines’ Toyota GR Yaris Rally 2. Their 2024 calendar consists of 6 events in Europe (Monte-Carlo, Sweden, Portugal, Italy, Greece, and Czech Republic/Germany) and 1 more in South America (Chile) where Jan and Rodrigo will continue to carry the Philippines’ DOT livery.
Follow the ‘Love The Philippines’ Toyota GR Yaris Rally 2 as it takes on the stages of Rally Portugal on the 9th/12th of May.
