This ambitious project comes directly from the directive of the Chairman of Toyota Motor Corporation himself, Akio Toyoda, to establish and operate a Rookie Racing Garage in the Philippines — a country where car culture remains incredibly strong despite the ongoing economic slowdown.

The idea for Rookie Racing Garage Manila came about when Chairman Akio Toyoda himself invited Toyota Motor Philippines Chairman Alfred Ty and Toyota Motor Philippines President Masando Hashimoto to Taiwan to witness the opening of the Gazoo Racing Garage in Taiwan last year. Toyoda-san then mandated Mr Ty to open a similar one in the Philippines. Toyoda had visited the Philippines back in August of 2023 for Toyota Motor Philippines’ 35th Anniversary and also drove exhibiution runs in GR prepared cars at the first Gazoo Racing Festival in the country. He witnessed first hadn car culture and car enthusiasm in the Philippines, establishing his faith in the country that a hub for car culture spear-headed by Toyota would be a fantastic and sustainable idea.

Rookie Racing Garage Manila is envisioned as more than just a garage or workshop: It will be a destination for car enthusiasts, bringing together car culture, automotive events, a café, and a dedicated hangout space. Rookie Racing will be selling the latest Gazoo Racing parts, accessories and merchandise as well. There wioll even be a racing sim-rig setup, a TAMIYA Mini 4WD race track and more. Crucially, it will feature a full-fledged workshop specializing in tuning and modifications — not just for Toyotas, but for other vehicle brands as well.

There will be a total six work bays that focus solely on tuning and modifications. There will be no traditional repairs or maintenance work done. An all-wheel drive rolling road dyno will also be installed and utilized for engine / ECU tuning. And it will be massive: the total lot area is 1750 square meters, of which the two-story building itself will sit on 1200 square meters. Adjacent to the building will be a separate 1200 square meter paved surface area that can double as a karting track / RC car track, or even a drift track or skidpad.

Rookie Racing differentiates itself from Gazoo Racing in that it operates primarily outside of the Toyota umbrella: Rookie Racing races in Super Taikyu, Super GT, Super Formula and ADAC Nurburgring 24 Hour Racing Series in Germany. Their facility will welcome cars from other brands as well, which if they stayed within the Toyota umbrella, would have given Rookie Racing more restrictions. Operating outside gives them more freedom.

The project is a collaboration between Toyota Motor Philippines, Toyota Gazoo Racing Philippines, Toyota Manila Bay, GT Capital Holdings, Inc., and Autoplus Sports Center.

Each partner will play a key role in bringing this vision to life: Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) will own and operate the venue, as well as organize and run its events through its subsidiary Toyota Gazoo Racing Philippines. TMP are after all, the country’s market leader in automotive sales with a market share of roughly 47-49% of the total industry. They have held the number one spot for almost four decades.

Toyota Manila Bay will handle new Gazoo Racing Toyota vehicle sales, which include the GR Yaris, GR Corolla and GR 86. Toyota Manila Bay is owned and operated by GT Capital Inc through its subsidiary, GT Auto Capital Inc. GT Capital is the primary investment holding vehicle for the Ty family’s very diverse business interests, which include banking and finance, real-estate, infrastructure and automotive interests.

Autoplus Sports Center will operate the dyno facility and performance workshop. Autoplus Sports has been a pillar in local automotive custom car culture and motorsports for over three decades. It is led by visionary car enthusiast Carlos Gono, now catering to the next generation of enthusiasts through his son Luis Gono, himself an accomplished drifter and racer plus an equally avid enthusiast.

This is more than just another automotive facility. It’s a major step forward for the local automotive scene and a testament to the strength and passion of Filipino car culture.