IMAGE Chira dela Cruz

Mirroring his Leg 1 results, Miranda placed first on the Super Sporting class podium in both races of Leg Two. The pair of victories builds further on what has so far been a standout performance for the young Vios Cup veteran. Former champion Andres Calma finished in second, while Gerard Loy placed third in Race 1. Meanwhile, Race 2 saw Gerard Loy and Ramon Tanjuatco in second and third place, respectively.
For Race 1 of the sporting class, Paul Agregado, Mark Sy, and Aira Medranofinished in first, second and third, respectively. One highlight from Leg 2 was Senator JV Ejercito driving off with his first-ever Vios Cup win in Race 2. He was followed by Tonton Ramos in second and Mark Sy in third.
Wet roads led to a couple of chaotic instances, but thankfully no serious incidents occurred. Noticeably absent from the competition though was 2016 Vios Cup champion Allan Uy. You can check out the full list of the winners from Leg 2, including those from the celebrity and promotional divisions, below:
Can Daniel Miranda keep up his sensational driving all the way up until season's end? Will Allan Uy return in dramatic fashion for the next leg? We'll find out soon enough. We'll keep you posted when Toyota Motor Philippinesfinalizes a date for Leg 3. See you there.
FROM TOPGEAR PHILIPPINES
The 2017 Toyota Vios Cup is now officially at the halfway mark. Leg 2 came to a close over the recently concluded Independence Day weekend, and it looks like Daniel Miranda will be the racer to beat heading into the final half of the season.

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Two legs down, two more to go.

The first half of the 2017 Toyota Vios Cup

was recently concluded at the Clark International Speedway this past holiday weekend,

which means that there's nowhere for the level of competition to go but up.

Daniel Miranda continued to carry his dominant driving into Leg 2, nabbing first place Super Sporting class honors in both races, Senator JV Ejercitofinally took home his first-ever Vios Cup win in the Sporting Class, and Dominique Roque is beginning to set himself apart from this latest batch of celebrity drivers. It was a pretty eventful weekend, even during a race day which saw less than ideal weather conditions.

It might seem like being a celebrity is easy, but it really isn't. It requires a lot of hard work and sacrifice to reach the level of stardom where everyone wants a selfie with you. You need to put in the long hours to hone your craft, whether it's acting, modeling, dancing, or whatever else.
Oh, and because all eyes are on you, the pressure is on to stay thin and fit for the cameras. It's no wonder celebrities are usually some of the busiest people you'll ever meet.
Aubrey Miles and Ella Cruz are two such celebs who have reached that pinnacle of selfie-worthy stardom. We know that for a fact because we've taken photos with them.
One is a veteran TV host, model, and actress who has graced the big screen and magazine covers many times throughout her career. The other is a young star, famous for appearing in TV dramas and for her vivacious dancing skills.
This year, both have entered a new field: motorsports. Or to be more specific, the Toyota Vios Cup. They'll be looking to apply on the racetrack that same celebrity discipline that has led them to success and fame.
To watch the two celebs in action behind the wheel of a race car, click play on the video above. https://youtu.be/MLlQkOVgh7M








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You win some, you lose some. It's a fact of life. Senator JV Ejercito has done a lot of the former throughout his life, going from San Juan mayor all the way to his current position in our government's upper house.

One victory that he didn't achieve for some time, however, was finishing first in a Vios Cup race. With a few seasons under his belt, he's finally done it. At this past weekend's leg at the Clark International Speedway, the racing politician took the top spot in the second race of the Sporting class.


When we asked what his victory felt like, the senator was elated. "Unbelievable, it's surreal," he says.

"I have to be honest, I never expected that I will ever get to win first place," he adds. "In fact, while I was driving, sabi ko 'Siguro it will be very hard na with the current crop, with the current lineup of drivers in the Sporting class.' Ang daming new drivers that are really good, that have experience already. I never thought that I will be able to win a podium [position] again."

This time around, some added prep time helped the senator to perform better. He explains: "Luckily [the Senate is] on break already. During the first race, I was only able to practice once because we were closing already the first regular session, we were rushing so many bills, so I didn't have time, really. Luckily this time around, we were on break two weeks ago, so I was able to practice twice. I think yun ang big factor in my victory."

For aspiring racers who have yet to finish first, the senator offers the following advice: "Just push hard, practice hard, and perfect those racing lines. Drive aggressively but defensively as well."

Congratulations, senator!














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The 2017 season of the Toyota Vios Cup got off to an ideal start thanks to clear skies and a long four-day weekend courtesy of the recently-held 2017 ASEAN Summit in Manila. With a free schedule and a bottle of sunblock or two, we headed out to Clark International Speedway to watch the competition live.

As usual, the fast-paced racing action didn't disappoint. This year saw an overhaul of the Vios Cup celebrity roster, as well as a handful of familiar faces in the higher divisions looking to nab a spot on the podium. Needless to say, the heat of leg one's competition was enough to make spectators disregard the unrelenting temperature, and we can only expect it to get hotter as the season progresses.

If you weren't able to drive out to Clark for the first leg of 2017, don't fret as there are three more on the way. You can check out some of the photos from the first two races below. Hopefully they're enough to convince you not to miss out for the rest of the season.













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The time has nearly come for us to celebrate our nation's independence. That means lots of patriotic festivities and, for most people, a well-deserved long weekend break. What better way to spend the free time than by watching some motorsport action?
Now in its fourth season, Toyota Motor Philippines' (TMP) annual racing event the Toyota Vios Cup returns on June 10 at the Clark International Speedway.
A total of 52 racers across 46 individual teams, plus six celebrities, will be sharing the track for some fast-paced action and fun. This leg's roster of famous faces includes Jake Cuenca, Gretchen Ho, Aubrey Miles, Jasmine Curtis-Smith, Ella Cruz, and Dominic Roque.
TMP president Satoru Suzuki said: “Coming from a successful Race 1 this season, the Vios Cup continues to prove that this racing program is bigger and bolder since it was first launched in 2014. This coming long weekend, we look forward to Race 2 wherein we expect more action to pan out both on and off the track.”
Don't forget to make your way to Clark this Saturday for what promises to be an exciting Independence Day weekend!

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In August last year, Toyota Motor Philippines introduced the updated Vios subcompact sedan. It came with Toyota's much-anticipated NR-series Dual VVT-I engines. It was big news, yes, but anyone hoping for substantial changes in terms of looks were going to have to wait a wee bit longer. 

If you're one of the many still waiting for aesthetic improvements in the Vios, you'll be excited to know that the recently-launched refresh in Thailand features a drastic makeover. Most notable is the vehicle's new-look front-end, which features sleeker headlights, an overhauled grille design, and new front fascia with daytime running lights. The Thai update runs on nicer-looking wheels, too.

   Despite the darker atmosphere, the interior update isn't as drastic. Inside you'll see a good amount of new red accents on the dashboard and seats, as well as a few new dials and an electronic climate control display. Everything else can already be found in currently available Philippine-spec units.

Visually, the new car is akin to the 2017 Altis. It's an edgier design which ensures the Vios won't look outdated compared to the rest of Toyota's lineup anytime soon.

Of course, everything regarding an update to the Philippine-spec Vios is still speculative. We wouldn't be too surprised though if Toyota Motor Philippines were to bring in a nip and tuck to go along with more efficient engines and performance. Do you think it's time the subcompact sedan got another refresh?

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