Regardless of the weather, one of the biggest motorsport events in the Philippines in recent years was held last week, 2 August, at the Boardwalk of Okada Manila in Parañaque City, in cooperation with Okada Manila,
The Okada Motorsport Carnivale 2023 was headlined by the flag-off of the Tarlac Rally from the Philippine Rallycross Series, a rally event which will traverse the tarmac and gravel roads in Tarlac, and is expected to attract over 50 racers
Other notable events included a car meet dedicated to Eduardo “Mang Ed” del Rosario, the founding father of the Cavite Auto Racing Team, a legendary group of motorsports and car enthusiasts more popularly known as CART.
The gathering brought out some of the best cars on this side of Luzon.
Motul, together with the East Side Collective, also held HoonFest, a drifting exhibition in a controlled space where rear-wheel drive cars could let loose to entertain the crowds.
The 7th round of the Philippine Autocross Championship Series was also held last Sunday, 6 August, attracting many race drivers of varying experience levels vying for championship points.
The Okada Motorsports Carnivale, also honored past and present luminaries in the motorsports field, including Matteo Guidicelli, Michele Bumgarner, and Richard Gomez.
The Motorsport Carnivale 2023 is the brainchild of Parañaque City Councilor Jomari Yllana, the Automobile Association of the Philippines, through the support of AAP Motorsports director and long-time race car driver Rikki Dy-Liacco, and Okada Manila.
Yllana, a long-time racing enthusiast, aims to revive the golden era of motorsports in the Philippines, reminiscent of the period when the Philippine Grand Prix was held in Manila from 1973 to 1976. These events were renowned for their prestige and grandeur.
He mused, “It’s time to give back to the sport that has been good to us.”
Yllana’s goal is to inspire Filipinos to appreciate the rich history of Philippine motorsports by uniting all racing enthusiasts and fanatics into one community.
Yllana is no stranger to the sport and has prominently participated in several local races such as the Corolla Cup during the 1990s and karting races here and abroad.
He was a podium finisher for a karting race in South Korea’s Yeongam International Circuit in 2014. He is also the principal driver of the professional racing team, Yllana Racing.
Dy-Liacco added that this event, being the first of its kind under his stewardship, is also a way for him to give back to the local motorsport environment that honed his skills.
Having been away for the past decade to manage races in the ASEAN region and beyond (Le Mans 2023 being his most recent) he added that “I’ve been wanting to do this (Motorsports Carnivale) for me to return whatever experience I learned from outside.”
Dy-Liacco also shared that they are actively exploring the idea of expanding the Carnivale to a national level to expose and discover provincial talent.
