Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) recently held the Toyota Gazoo Racing Academy Philippines (TGRA) at the Clark International Speedway, where aspiring racers got to experience the thrill of the racetracks for themselves.
During the first half of the program, participants were oriented on the basics of racing, proper racing etiquette, car control techniques, and braking points on the track.
In the second half of the program, students got to apply what they had learned during the orientation through guided track activities. The slalom activity tested the participants’ agility, while the “follow the leader” activity allowed them to get a feel of the racetrack’s straights and corners by following the racing line.
The TGRA was met with enthusiasm by first timers, who composed a majority of the participants:
“I race go karts, so I wanted to try driving a car—to see their differences. It’s almost the same, but also different because the car is bigger. For me, I feel like (car racing) is more fun,” shared Karis Alexandra Santos.
“Since I was young, I was already into cars and car racing. I’m also fascinated by the mechanical aspects of cars. That’s why I took the opportunity to sign up when I saw there was a slot available at the TGRA,” shared Nemuel Obas.
“The TGRA makes it more accessible to get into this sport. It was beyond my expectations. I thought we were only going through the first few exercises—avoiding the cones and braking. But then we also got to get around the track a few times and at a good speed,” shared Miguel Corrales.
“My dream was to drive on the speedway, on the track—to experience this type of driving environment and enhance my skills, so my kids encouraged me to enroll in TGRA,” shared Javi Rios.
“As a woman in motorsports, I’m excited to promote diversity and break down barriers in a traditionally male-dominated sport. I think the TGRA is the perfect place to bring this passion of mine to life,” shared Ella Nicole Bornilla.
“The TGRA is our way of making motorsports more accessible to racing fans,” shared TMP assistant vice president for marketing services Andy Ty. “We’ll have more batches of the TGRA this year, so we invite those who missed this first batch to join us in the next ones.”
The TGRA was launched in 2014 as a training ground for hopefuls looking to kick start their racing career. Some graduates of the program have gone on to pursue professional racing careers, with some participating in the TGR Philippine Cup, TMP’s premier racing series.
Racing fans can continue to join in the fun at Race Weekend 1 of the TGR Philippine Cup, which will be happening this Saturday, March 22, 2025 at the Clark International Speedway. Admission is free.
The TGRA Philippines is accredited by the Automobile Association Philippines (AAP) and brought to you by official fuel and lubricants partner Petron, and official tire partner GT Radial.
This event is also supported by Toyota Financial Services Philippines, myToyota Wallet, Denso, AVT, 3M, ROTA, Tuason Racing, OMP, and Kinto One.
For more information on the TGRA and other TGRA events, log on to the official TMP website (toyota.com.ph). Follow Toyota Gazoo Racing on Facebook and Instagram and TMP’s official pages—Toyota Motor Philippines on Facebook and Instagram, ToyotaMotorPH on Twitter, and join the Viber community at Toyota PH for updates.