Racing for Toyota has taught me that the Vios is more than just transportation – Feature
The Toyota Vios is the undeniable king of the Philippine roads, ever since the first generation came out decades ago it became an instant hit. This hit has remained the very top sales model of Toyota and has also outsold almost all other models in the market.
In my case, though the Vios has more sentimental value, it’s not just something I drove, but it became a true road and track companion.
The Toyota Vios not just a ‘normal’ car
My relationship with the Toyota Vios started with the 2nd generation in 2007 my family got a mid-variant 1.3 E in black, and I remember thinking how simple and straightforward it was as a mode of transportation, with no frills and just enough creature comforts. I also remember though how much my dad loved driving it, how he reveled at the peppiness of the engine, the light steering, and the general fun factor it had despite the basic nature.
As the years went by it became a family workhorse used and somewhat abused by multiple family members and by the time I inherited it as my first car it had well over 100,000 kilometers. It was my college car, the car I drove on a daily basis until it was replaced by… yet another Vios this time a 2008 1.5 G automatic, and that was also replaced eventually by a 2017 Vios 1.5 G in Pearl White (yes we joined the pre excise tax price boom). That’s right, my family has owned 3 Vios’ so you could say I’m somewhat of an expert (or connoisseur?) of the model.
In May 2019 I saw Toyota PH’s Facebook post online contest, where the best answer to a question would be chosen to participate in the Autocross challenge held in SM MOA Concert Grounds. As fate would have it, I won the contest and was given my very first opportunity to try the Vios as a race car, It was a manual variant of the 1.5 G, complete with lower stiffer suspension, a full roll cage, and a manual transmission.
Up until then my only impression of the Vios was pure simple reliable transportation, but in race car guise it took on a form I didn’t expect it to be good at, it didn’t feel forced.
Little did I know that my first experience in 2019 in a cobbled and uneven parking lot in SM MOA would just be the start of my half-decade journey of being a Toyota Vios Racer.
In the following few months, I joined the automotive media scene, and lo and behold got invited as a media participant in the Autocross challenge that would be taking place during the Vios Cup races in Clark. During the 2019 season, I stumbled but learned a lot, faltering to the more experienced drivers. I was invited back in 2022 after the pandemic, and I by some miracle drove wonderfully on the way to a full-season sweep and the overall champion of the Autocross Promotional class.
From cones to track
After winning in 2022, I thought as a racer this was the best I could do, with no way into the circuit class I was content and felt blessed that I could compete at a racer level. In 2024 I got a call and an invite that I would say changed my life in a big way, Toyota felt it just to invite me to join the new Novice class team that would be racing on the track, it was the real deal and by God, I couldn’t have said yes more enthusiastically.
The autocross experience is unlike the track in every single way, being part of a team and preparing for a real circuit race gives a full in-depth 360-degree view of everything. My fellow racers and I were subjected to hours upon hours and laps upon laps of hardcore training, no more coddling, tough love came after every session from our coaches who expected us to extract the most out of ourselves and the Vios race cars we were given.
As the season progressed, with multiple laps and sessions under my belt I was able to settle down and appreciate just how damn good the Vios model is. I couldn’t fathom the abuse it took on a constant basis and didn’t ever let me down, no matter how hard I pushed, how aggressive I was, or how careless in some cases, it kept on taking the punches and seemingly said “Is that all you got?”.
For reference, the Novice class runs the most stock version of the Vios compared to the higher classes. We had the CVT instead of manuals, our air-conditioning units were still attached, we ran stock brakes, and the only differences were TRD springs and dampers, a full roll cage, and a muffler for added “noise”.
So this was the very essence of One Make Racing, where the drivers were meant to settle it with skill, bravery, and craft out on track. This of course meant we pushed our cars to the limit, every single time we took them out on track in extreme heat or even in a few cases torrential rain. Once we end sessions on track, the cars are wheeled back into the garage and checked, but never have there been any major issues after a track session, the cars are cooled down and in a few minutes, the abuse on track starts all over again.
I kid you not, before every race weekend or pre-race week practice session I would ask my mechanic what work was done, and I’d be told that only changes of fluids like oil, and CVT fluid were done, with the occasional spark plug change. That’s all the Vios needs in preparation for a hard race weekend.
Greater appreciation of simplicity
As a fan of racing, I’m used to imagining myself blasting through the tracks of the world in the most powerful and advanced race cars out there, but my Toyota Vios racing journey has humbled me in more ways than one.
The amount of skill, precision, and dedication it takes to get the most out of a Vios Race car is insane, truly is the most challenging thing I’ve ever done, but has given me an appreciation for the simple recipe the Vios race car provides. It’s impressive how Toyota has put its money where its mouth is, and took this mundane model and made it a true racing machine, succeeding in showing that they have the spirit of racing no matter what model it is.
Yes it’s not the fastest car nor is it the most impressive to look at or the rarest, but the Toyota Vios OMR (One Make Race) spec is the blue-collar no-nonsense race car that’ll never let you down, carrying over what makes it a great road car onto the track, what Toyota has done locally with the Vios Cup (now Philippine Cup) embodies the racing mantra of “To finish first, you must first finish”.
