We’re already well into March this year, and while to most people it’s just another month, it means something very important to racing fans like me: the start of a whole host of motorsports series. Aside from the usual like Formula One, the World Endurance Championship, and IndyCar, there’s another important series that just kicked off today for those in the Philippines, especially for Toyota fans, including myself. That, of course, is the Toyota Gazoo Racing Philippine Cup, with the season opener making things interesting by being held at a completely new track to kick off the year.
The race was hosted at a street circuit in Riverpark, Cavite, to highlight upcoming projects by both Federal Land and Nomura Real Estate, such as the General Trias branch of the SM mall, and most notably, the Japanese-inspired 18-hectare residential enclave named Yume. The street circuit stretched 2.4 km, albeit mostly being occupied by straight sections with relatively few corners compared to other straight-heavy courses like the Baku street circuit or even the proposed Hanoi track, with the Cavite racetrack making use of road sections like the street’s roundabout for more corners to navigate.
Beyond the race itself, a host of booths showcased what the different sponsoring brands had to offer. From GT Radial, 3M, and PIAA, as well as some of Toyota’s own models like the GR86, GR Yaris, and Supra, as you’d expect, and even a race-spec dropside Tamaraw wrapped in a TGR livery with the sideboards and rear door removed, to even the latest offerings outside of the GR lineup, from the Ativ and bZ4X, Lexus offerings like the IS F Sport and GX Overtrail fitted with overlanding gear, to upcoming models like the latest RAV4 and Urban Cruiser EV.
Having said that, no one came here to look at new Toyotas, because if so, we’d all be at a launch. The 2026 opener marks the debut of the new Tamaraw class, putting Toyota’s workhorse to the test in a different world from cargo deliveries and mobile shops, which can also be found at the venue, that being the intensely gritty world of motorsports.
Being powered by the turbocharged 2.4-liter diesel 2GD-FTV 4-pot sending power to the rear wheels, meaning any driver used to the 1.5-liter gasoline engines used on the front-wheel-drive Vios will now have to contend with higher torque, oversteer, and a bit of turbo lag. Aside from a new powertrain and drivetrain, compared to the Vios cup car, in terms of aero, the Tamaraw has more to work with: a front splitter and a larger rear wing to help keep the rear tires planted, as some drivers had the tail come loose mid-corner during the race.
Along with a new race series also came a set of fresh faces getting behind the wheel. The season opener saw a whole new list of names getting behind the wheel, some showing real promise. Bern Zaragoza in the Sporting class took the top step on the podium in all three sprint races of the class, Iñigo Anton in the Tamaraw class, taking the win in the first and third races, and Alain Gabriel Alzona, who not only competed in both the Super Sporting and Tamaraw classes, but consistently finished on the podium in the former category and only missed the podium in the second race.
As for the new names entering the series, they’re showing as much grit as the teams before them. Because as I was walking down the pit lane in area 2, getting whatever photos and videos I could of the cars and drivers, as well as chatting with some of the other teams, about the cars and setup, I happened to engage in conversation with the owner of Resultado Racing, Theo Zaragoza, who’s also Bern’s father. During our short conversation, he mentioned how the team initially started in karting and how this is the team’s way of getting their feet wet in car racing, and his way of supporting his son and his motorsport career, showcasing how the GR Cup can give aspiring racers the chance to step up from series like karting to much bigger categories.
With the Philippine motorsports scene in 2026 having a plethora of different motorsports series, from the Philippine National Rally Championship, the Radical Challenge, the MSCC Miata Spec Series, the upcoming Mazda BT-50 one-make race, and now the TGR Philippine Cup having kicked off with three more weekends left on the calendar, looking at the different series in store, and the drivers and teams set to participate in each of them, it’s safe to say that Filipino motorsports fans are in for quite a treat in terms of the different local racing series in store for this year, and hopefully, there’s more to come in the upcoming years ahead.
