Hashimoto bids high-octane farewell to Manila
By now, the talk of the automotive town is the appointment of Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) president Masando Hashimoto as the incoming chief executive officer of Toyota Motor Asia, effective on the very first day of 2027.
Only recently, during an Oct. 24 press conference at Clark International Speedway marking the close of the Toyota Gazoo Racing Philippine Cup 2026 season, Hashimoto spoke eagerly about competing in a GR86 in 2027. But, like in all races, the future is ultimately unpredictable.
Hashimoto, who made history almost three years ago as the youngest president in TMP’s 38-year history when he assumed office at age 46, will soon turn over the domestic reins to lead regional operations, as announced in Toyota Motor Corp’s global leadership updates dated Nov. 5, 2026.
Hashimoto has frequently been seen as walking in the footsteps of Toyota Motor Corp chairman Akio Toyoda. Having once served as Toyoda’s secretary, Hashimoto internalized both the corporate acumen and the motorsport conviction of his mentor. Just as Toyoda created the master-driver alter ego “Morizo” to test cars on grueling tracks and ensure Toyota vehicles would never be boring, Hashimoto suited up in race livery to battle on Philippine tarmac, bringing that exact manufacturer-racer ethos to local shores.
The thing is, Hashimoto never did assume a moniker like Toyoda did as “Morizo.” But my cellphone has always attempted to autocorrect “Hashimoto” into “Hashimotors.” So, maybe for once, and just for this occasion, I’ll call Hashimoto-san “Hashimotorsport” in his Toyota Gazoo Racing uniform.
For as long as I’ve known Hashimoto-san, I’ve always associated him as uber-competitive. The TMP chief famously walked away from a car-totaling crash during a 2025 TGR Philippine Cup leg in Villar City, Cavite, only to bounce back and tackle the season’s grueling final endurance challenge. Most recently, he wheeled a race-prepped Tamaraw on the circuit.
Hashimoto is not signing off from the country without seeing through a defining milestone. On Dec. 16, Rookie Racing Garage Manila will be previewed in Pasay City—marking the first time the storied Rookie Racing brand has established a home outside Japan.
While Hashimoto would certainly love to be remembered as the TMP president whose tenure served as the launching pad for Rookie Racing Garage Manila, establishing a multidisciplinary motorsport cathedral of this scale is by no means a one-man show. It represents a massive synergy among key automotive pillars. TMP serves as overall owner and operator; Toyota Manila Bay, led by President Keita Inoue, handles dealer and showroom operations; and Autoplus Sports, steered by veteran tuner Carlos Gono, anchors the high-performance tuning, maintenance bays, and technical wizardry.
As TMP chairman Alfred V. Ty eloquently reflected during the facility’s preview: “Welcome to the future home of Rookie Racing Garage Manila, the first ever outside of Japan. The team embraces a simple but powerful philosophy: Learning by doing. Every car tested by Morizo, every car raced by him, leads to innovations and tweaks in the development of every Toyota car. This is literally what we refer to as the ‘rolling laboratories.’ Together with Toyota Manila Bay and Autoplus, we want to build a community where everyone feels welcome, from rookies discovering their passion to seasoned drivers refining their craft.”
For Hashimoto, setting up this 1,750-sqm facility with its 1,200-sqm paddock, complete with six air-conditioned service bays, a chassis dyno, karting facilities, and a community hub, is about building a lasting human foundation.
“Motorsports develop people as much as it develops cars,” Hashimoto pointed out. “Many people ask me, what is the difference between GR and RR? GR, Gazoo Racing, is Toyota’s brand for sports and performance cars. Rookie Racing is Morizo’s racing team brand, a group of automotive professionals who develop cars and people through competitions. Simply put, GR is a car we sell, and RR is a team that tests and improves on the track.”
He added, “Making the foundation of the car industry or motorsports culture is one of our biggest objectives of this garage project. If we can start this motorsports hub, then those novice drivers or kids can shift up to the next level of racing. Eventually, we hope that we could connect the industry movement of the Philippines to the Japan racing scene. That’s my dream.”
When I asked the group behind RR Garage Manila whether this endeavor could eventually mirror Rookie Racing’s work in Japan with carbon-neutral propulsion, they confirmed that alternative energies remain firmly in their sightline, saying, “there will always be an opportunity for Rookie Racing to develop biofuels and support our GR Philippine Cup, as it has already started in testing and doing experiments in increasing the blend in biofuel and ethanol.”
In a past column, I likened TMC chairman Toyoda to Tony Stark, balancing boardrooms by day and high-speed circuits by weekend. Hashimoto, with his boundless stamina as a marathoner, swimmer, and cyclist who still squeezed in golf between corporate meetings, seemed cut from a similar superhero mold. Against fierce market competition and the aggressive influx of new automotive players, it undoubtedly takes visionary leadership and relentless endurance to keep the world’s leading automaker ahead of the pack.
Masando Hashimoto may be shifting gears to helm Toyota Motor Asia, but in Rookie Racing Garage Manila, he leaves behind an indelible, high-octane footprint that will nurture Filipino drivers for generations to come.
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