After a long wait with an almost foregone conclusion–the new A90 Supra is officially available in the Philippines! Ranging from P4.99 to P5.09 million depending on your paint of choice, let’s just call it a P5 million car to make things simple. It also comes solely with the top-tier 3.0L straight six that puts out 335hp and 500Nm of torque–again making things simpler.

The dilemma comes when deciding what shade to get it in though. The classic Prominence Red is sure to be a hit, but we think it looks equally good with every color option available–even that Lightning Yellow! If you were grabbing a Mark V for yourself, which would you pick?

The 2019 Giti-Formula V1 Challenge marks the Queen of Philippine Racing’s first full season of since her hiatus began. Suiting up for her former team means Dela Merced is mixing familiarity with the new challenge of driving the V1 car. We’d tell you more, but it’s probably better to listen to her say it herself in this quick edit!

Catch Gaby in action this July 2o-21 at Clark International Speedway as Round 2 kicks off!

Phoenix Pulse together with Tuason Racing presents the Giti-Formula V1 Challenge
Sponsored by: West Race Cars Japan, OMP, AEG Powertools, Phoenix Accelerate, Rota
Media Partners: Philippine Daily Inquirer, Autocar, Wheels PH, James Deakin, C! Mag, AutoIndustriya, ESPN5

If you’re thinking about hitting the track for the first time, the major question would be BRC or CIS? Tuason Racing’s founder and CEO breaks down the key considerations when choosing your course of battle!

And if you want to preview a track before committing, to see some other drivers to tackle the curves for research, then the perfect time to visit CIS would be for Round 2 of the Giti-Formula V1 Challenge this July 20-21!

Raymond Ronquillo, or Mr. R33, is one of the most recognizable faces on the Giti-Formula V1 Challenge grid–and he tells us that it drives him to do his best!

“There’s a lot of pressure, especially knowing that my sponsors Sam Versoza and Frontrow Racing Team is giving full support to my racing. [Sam] even got me a British race engineer to check all my faults and to get faster lap times.”

Ronquillo started with kart racing back in 1997, then circuit racing, drifting in 2009 and racing in the Vios Cup until last year, which was a challenge according to him, “Vios was a bit hard for me because there were a lot of competitive and young drivers.”

Moving up to Formula V1, “it’s very different from the Vios cars because it’s rear-wheel drive and very light!” Comparing it to all the supercars in his garage, he views the V1 favorably: “very light and competitive. It has the exact amount of power and is even a little bit dangerous because it’s open-wheel.”

It’s been an eventful season for Ronquillo so far. Before Round 1, “I was nervous because I got into an accident during practice–a racing incident when my car hydroplaned in the main straight [during heavy rain] and spun out before another driver collided with me! JP rushed us to the hospital to check everything and thank God we were fine! God is good!”

With a best finish of 3rd at BRC, Ronquillo is looking forward to topping the standings once again. “Hopefully we can reach the podium again at Clark. We are preparing well and have two practice sessions before the race–the goal is to already lower our lap times before race day!”

Phoenix Pulse together with Tuason Racing presents the Giti-Formula V1 Challenge
Sponsored by: West Race Cars Japan, OMP, AEG Powertools, Phoenix Accelerate, Rota
Media Partners: Philippine Daily Inquirer, Autocar, Wheels PH, James Deakin, C! Mag, AutoIndustriya, ESPN5

It’s got space for days for your race gear in the back, and we really love the sporty red accents on the seats. Can you think of a non-sports car with seating design as aggressive as these?

While driving race cars is fun, it’s probably not that fun to have to traverse the entire NLEX in something loud and harsh–so that’s where a daily driver like the BR-V comes in. We won’t be taking any racing lines with its 1.5-liter i-VTEC engine and CVT combo but don’t underestimate the need to relax before a big race!

After narrowly missing out on the first-ever Giti-Formula V1 championship–and a trip to Fuji Speedway–it seems second-placed Daniel Miranda was destined to a race in Japan. Handpicked to join the Vita of Asia race at the Suzuka International Circuit on June 22-23 as the sole Filipino representative in a 54-strong grid, Miranda showed that FV1’s goal to prepare local talent for international competition is coming along nicely.

A two-round event, Miranda took home first place in both heats in the foreigner class, as well as clinching third-place overall in race two.

“The Philippine series has taught me a lot. I started with the Vios cup back in 2016-2018 and then Formula V1 just last year. My learning from every race has helped me to become who I am today, especially in the series that I am racing this year: the Asian TCR with champion drivers around the world.”

“It was my first time In Suzuka circuit and I haven’t driven the V1 car in almost a year so I didn’t really expect much since I know the Japanese drivers are very fast. I’m thankful to win both races in the foreigners class and 3rd overall in race 2. I have definitely learned a lot in japan and I would want to thank JP Tuason, TRS and west racing japan for giving me the opportunity to race in everyone’s dream circuit.

Last year, FV1 champion Luis Gono also finished strong at Fuji and with two excellent performances by our champion drivers abroad so far, we’re sure that the 2019 Giti-Formula V1 winner will be raring to top their feats when we send him to Suzuka in December!

At the recent launch of the all-new Range Rover Evoque, someone wondered: what’s the difference between a Land Rover and a Range Rover? Well, it’s pretty simple actually. Land Rover is the manufacturer, and Range Rover is a model they make. The differentiation is there to highlight the more luxurious nature of the RR’s, in this case, the premium, coupe-like Evoque SUV.

Based on a new Premium Transverse Architecture platform, the award-winning model is now wider and longer for more interior space and also taller for better wading and ground clearing capability. But the big innovation is that the Evoque is the first in its class to offer a Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicle option–or in simpler terms, an electrified drivetrain.

If you’re interested in adding one to your garage, here are your options:

SE 2.0 Diesel – Php 5,090,000
R-Dynamic HSE 2.0 Diesel – Php 5,490,000
R-Dynamic HSE 2.0 Petrol – Php 5,590,000
R-Dynamic HSE MHEV 2.0 Petrol – Php 6,190,000

After winning the Phoenix Young Drivers’ Program, FlatOut Race Series and Touge Battle class winner Raffy Rabe is now gearing up to represent the Phoenix team at Round 2 of the 2019 Giti-Formula V1 Challenge at the Clark International Speedway (CIS) on July 20 to 21.

Rabe bested almost 300 hopefuls who applied during the two-week search and impressed the panel of judges during the rigorous driving skill, personality, and media proficiency tests.

“After a battery of tests and interviews, Raffy emerged as the best among the crop of young drivers as he possesses a good balance of excellent racing skills and the ideal attitude,” Phoenix Petroleum Philippines AVP for Brand & Marketing Celina Matias said.

Still feeling the excitement of being named Phoenix’s first-ever Young Drivers’ Program winner, Rabe said, “It is an absolute honor to be working with Phoenixas their driver for the 2019 Giti-Formula V1 Challenge because without Phoenix and Tuason Racing, I wouldn’t be where I am right now—for me this is a very amazing experience.”

Just three days after the program’s awarding, Rabe was sent to compete to Round 1 of the 2019 Giti-Formula V1 Challenge at the Batangas Racing Circuit (BRC) on May 18. Despite the short preparation and practice period, Rabe proved his huge potential despite a setback.

“I was disappointed in myself at first, because before race 1 and QTT, my times in practice were pretty good—around 1:52 minutes. But when it came to the qualifiers, it went really high to 1:54 minutes. It gave me a bad spot on the grid. This resulted in me having to try and climb the ladder and get to at least 6th place, but unfortunately I spun out on the last lap and I wasn’t able to finish the race,” Rabe said.

“Afterwards, I made a lot of adjustments—with the car, but mostly on myself. I had to become more patient and more focused on what I really had to do, which was to finish the race first,” he added.

Rabe showed good fortitude and pushed beyond his initial goal of simply finishing and getting valuable race experience–he triumphantly crossed the finish line in races 2 and 3 ahead of several other competitors in the AM Class.

“It felt really good since I saw my improvement. I was able to finish both race 2 and race 3 without any damage which made me feel good and confident. I’m now hoping that I continue improving all the way up to the end of the season.”

Rabe is now looking forward to further improve his standing in the series at Round 2 of the competition. “I’m feeling really excited about racing in CIS because compared to BRC, Clark is more spacious and offers more overtaking spots, so I guess it would be easier and safer to overtake in Clark rather than Batangas,” he said.

Along with Rabe, runner-ups Tara Laconico, a young karting talent, and GT racing champion Patrichk Dela Rosa will be forming the Phoenix Racing Team’s endurance lineup in November.

The Vios Cup just got revamped as the much more action-packed Vios Racing Festival for more waku-doki this 2019. It’s an all-encompassing experience of the fun of driving that Toyota wants to push, and to ensure the quality of the racing on show, they’re also requiring future drivers in the one-make series to undergo formal training at a key addition for 2019: the Toyota Racing School.

Separated into Level 1 and Level 2 classes, basically all you need is a license and the ability to drive a manual transmission. So while racers need to take the lessons, it doesn’t mean it’s exclusive for would-be competitors only. And we were there as part of the (eager) public to try it out!

Held at Clark International Speedway in early June, the Level 1 course began with a simple test: braking.

Accelerate to 80kmh, then slam the brakes to stop within a braking zone of cones. Emphasis on slam from the instructors. If you’ve ever tried those license tests in Gran Turismo then that’s pretty much how it played out on our first attempts: failure. Braking hard (and releasing just enough not to lock up) isn’t as simple as it seems–as well as not coming in too hot or too slow. But this is a venue where failure is okay, because knowing the feeling of doing it wrong is just as valuable as learning to do it right! Besides, there was no timing or grading to worry about. That was for the next exercise.

The classic slalom with a tight u-turn at the end was next. And after three practice runs, you get three attempts to set a best time for bragging rights. It’s another fun exercise where you learn to push your limits for a good time, but not too hard that you run over cones and get docked two seconds each. Like celebrity racer Klea Pineda who joined us that day!

The two events were also more tiring than you think, as your adrenaline surges and ebbs every time you go out and line-up for the next attempt.

The highlight of the experience is getting to do five laps around the entire CIS. It was surprisingly unsupervised–unlike a babied driving school experience at all. There were braking, turn-in, and apex cones for guidance, but no instructor in the car. The participants played follow-the-leader–no overtaking–behind a safety car that showed the proper racing line and picked up the pace each lap until everyone was flying down the home straight in high gear.

Afterwards, you get a certificate of completion, and you’re one step closer to becoming a Vios racer if that’s the goal–otherwise, it’s an excellent way to spend the weekend and improving your driver skill too!

Fresh off his podium finish in the first round of the Giti-Formula V1 Challenge, Red Diwa returns to Clark International Speedway again this June 8-9–this time behind the wheel of an all-new 2019 Vios Racing Festival car!

Suiting up for Growl-Thule Racing, Diwa will be competing in the Circuit Championship–the highlight event of Toyota’s newly revamped competition. He’s ready to go because he thinks that “V1 and Vios is practically the same [kind of competition], it’s a one-make series and both of them focus more on driver skill and development.”

After receiving the recommendation of his OTR Team, Diwa quickly began preparation for the upcoming race, “a lot of practice to mentally prepare me, and Crossfit to prepare me physically.”

We wish him luck this weekend at CIS!

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