Team Toyota Cebu banking on young guns in Vios Cup

Team Toyota Cebu racers (from left) Lord Seno, Oscar Suarez, Sean Velasco and Jette Calderon.
(CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON)

For team captain Lord Seno, the fate of Team Toyota Cebu lies solely in the hands of its promising young racers Jette Calderon and Sean Velasco.
Just days before the start of the Vios Cup Cebu race at the South Road Properties (SRP), the team looked all pumped up for the race when Cebu Daily News met up with its members at the Kartzone racetrack in F. Cabahug Street in barangay Kasambagan, Cebu City.

Seno said the team is ready for the Cebu leg of the one-make race featuring the Toyota Vios, the no. 1 selling vehicle in the Philippines.

Seno believes the team can land a podium finish, especially with the presence of promising racers Calderon and Velasco, products of the prestigious Kartzone tracks.

“I’m confident with Jette,” Seno said. “He is very composed and he has a lot of experience in national and international karting races and that helps a lot.”

The 18-year-old Calderon, a many-time Kartzone Karter of the Year, was indeed a picture of confidence during the photo shoot for this paper.

“We’re ready,” Calderon boldly said. “I’m feeling confident and looking forward to a podium finish.”
He said he has no problem with  the racetrack at the SRP since he’s had a bit of experience there, having raced in Autocross events before.

Team Toyota Cebu.
(CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON)

The 20-year-old Velasco, meanwhile, said he’s pretty excited and can’t wait for race day to come.
Although the youngsters are the racers expected to shine for Cebu, Seno and fellow Team Toyota Cebu member Oscar Suarez shouldn’t be counted out.

After all, Seno is a legend in Cebu, having won in drag racing, karting, autocross, among others.  Suarez, on the other hand, has had stints in local drag racing and karting too.

In an earlier interview, Seno said he’s eyeing  a slot in the top 10 finishers.

“Realistically, I’ve been racing for like almost 23 years, so I’ve seen how my batch mates in karting fared in circuit racing. Most of them reached the top 10 so it’s safe to say that I can land in the top 10,” Seno said during a press conference last week.

Seno warned his wards, though, that the racetrack will be a bit challenging, thus, the need for extra caution.

“It’s not like the regular track, wherein if you make a mistake you go to the grass. Here, if you make a mistake, you hit the wall and you end your chances in the race.”

But being the great leader that he is, Seno ended his pep talk on a positive note. “We’re going to be fine,” he said before wrapping up the photo session.

Yesterday, the Cebu team was officially presented at the Cable Car Restobar at Maria Luisa Road in Banilad in the presence of other race teams.

The qualifying heats will be on May 16 while race proper is on May 17.

Team Toyota Cebu.
(CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON)