TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Philippine Cup to open 2026 season with street race in Riverpark, Cavite

Editor’s note: This press release is sponsored by Toyota Motor Philippines and was handled by BrandRap, the sales and marketing arm of Rappler. No member of the news and editorial team participated in the publishing of this piece.

Motorsports fans are up for another thrilling season of the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing (TGR) Philippine Cup with the debut of a new racing machine. The first race weekend, happening on March 13 to 15, will be seeing the Tamaraw OMR or one-make-race car on the streets of Riverpark, Cavite, for its first official circuit race. Admission is free.

Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) has been holding the TGR Philippine Cup, its premier one-make-race series, since 2014 as a way to bring the thrill of motorsports closer to Filipinos. Last year, more than 12,000 spectators enjoyed exciting races and driving exhibitions, musical performances by OPM rockstars, vehicle displays, and more, when the racing action was brought to the south of Manila in Bacoor, Cavite. Now in its 12^th season, the TGR Philippine Cup is officially adding the Next Generation Tamaraw OMR to its lineup of locally made racing vehicles, alongside the Vios OMR. As a one-make-race event, same-spec Tamaraw OMRs will be going wheel-to-wheel in Sprint Races, showcasing driver skill and grit.

The Tamaraw OMR was previewed to racing fans as the Tamaraw Racing Concept last year and has since been developed through continuous testing on track. In February 2026, TMP made the Tamaraw Race Car Package available to interested racers and racing teams.

The new locally made racing platform will be highlighting the event in the Sprint Race under a new racing class – the Tamaraw Racing Class. Racing for Team TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Philippines is TMP president Masando Hashimoto, along with new racers Chenee Jimenez, Alex Lim also known as Banaweboy, Justin Buzzhype, Enzo Ison and Will Lucas. They will be up against former Vios Cup champions from other top racing teams in the Philippines such as Iñigo Anton, Dominic Ochoa, Alain Alzona, and Jesse Garcia.

The Sporting Class, Super Sporting Class, and Legacy Class will also be returning to the streets with the Vios OMR in the Sprint Races. The 2026 grid will be seeing 30 racers pushing their limits for better on the tracks.

Fans can expect adrenaline-packed action as the racing vehicles take on the 2.4 kilometer street track located in Riverpark, a Federal Land Community in General Trias, Cavite, 35 minutes away from Metro Manila.

There will also be displays of TMP’s Toyota GR performance vehicles, Lexus favorites, as well as soon-to-be-launched Toyota vehicles such as the RAV4 and Urban Cruiser.

Those who want to get a feel of what it’s like to be a racer can head over to the e-Motorsports display, where they can try their hand at the sim racing rigs. Original GR merchandise will also be available for purchase at the event.

Members of Toyota car clubs can also look forward to an exclusive track day where they can experience the streets of Riverpark with their performance vehicles.

“It will be another thrilling year as we kick off a GRipping and GRitty season of the TGR Philippine Cup. By adding new playgrounds in Cavite and Batangas, it will surely make the hearts of all motorsports fans race. I recently tried out the Tamaraw OMR in a drift track in Pampanga and it really made me [say] wow! I cannot wait for more people to experience what this car can do when pushed to its limits,” shared TMP president Masando Hashimoto.

Interested event goers can get their free passes at https://www.tgrphcup.com/.

Race Weekend 1 of the 2026 TGR Philippine Cup will be broadcast live on the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Philippines Facebook and YouTube pages. The live stream will start at 9 am.

The TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Philippine Cup is brought to you by our official tire partner GT Radial and official fuel & lubricants partner Petron. In cooperation with MOMO Italy, ROTA, Toyota Financial Services Philippines, Autoplus, Sparco Philippines, and PIAA. This event is also supported by 3M, AVT, QUAD, Tuason Racing Sports Unlimited, Brakes by AutoPerformance, OMP, myToyota Wallet, Kinto One, and AutoQuix. For more information on the TGR Philippine Cup and other TGR events, follow TOYOTA GAZOO Racing on Facebook and Instagram and TMP’s official pages – Toyota Motor Philippines on Facebook and Instagram, ToyotaMotorPH on X, and join the Viber community at Toyota PH. – Rappler.com