Mazda makes Philippine motorsports history
Mazda is no stranger to motorsports greatness.
The brand has a long undisputed history of motorsports excellence, with the most esteemed being its historic 24 Hours of Le Mans victory in 1991, cementing its legacy of unconventional engineering, most notably through its relentless use of the rotary engine. Here, Mazda particularly became the first Japanese manufacturer and the only one to win using a non-reciprocating engine.
Aside from this, it captured countless victories in the IMSA GT Championship, World Rally Championship, Super Taikyu Series, and many others.
Just recently, Mazda has added another feather in its cap–this time–right here on our very own soil.
Last year, it dominated the Petron Makabayan Cup, sweeping all three legs of the country’s most grueling endurance race competition. With the remarkable feat, Mazda became the first brand to ever do so in the Philippines.
The specific vehicle used here was #55 Team MSCC (Manila Sports Car Club) Mazda Miata race car–once again proving the prowess of the marque’s most iconic sports car.
The Makabayan Cup usually consists of three legs: the four-hour Kagitingan Cup, the 12-hour Kalayaan Cup, and the eight-hour Bonifacio Cup. These were held at either the Clark International Speedway or the Batangas Racing Circuit.
Aside from dominating opponents at the endurance race series, the #55 Team MSCC Mazda Miata likewise set new lap records across the three legs, including an impressive 2:06.6 lap at the 4.189-kilometer Clark International Speedway.
The Mazda-backed team is headed by technical guru Edgen Dy-Liacco, who mentored and guided the elite race car driver roster composed of Angie King, Windy Imperial, Tyson Sy, Juha Turalba, Matt Solomon and Milo Rivera.
The recognition was formally held at the Manila Polo Club in Makati City, coinciding with the awarding ceremony of the 2025 Manila Sports Car Club Spec (MSCC) Miata season.
“The 2025 MSCC Miata Endurance Race Series marks a historic milestone for Mazda Philippines,” said Mazda Philippines president, Steven Tan during the event.
“Our success this year isn’t just about winning a season. It is a culmination of seven years of commitment, refinement, and belief in the MX-5 platform.”
Several years in the making
The victory was no easy feat. It took the MX-5 seven years before they were able to sweep the 2025 season.
In 2017, Team Mazda Miata competed in a single, one-off race. Its official entry beginning in the 2019 season marked the evolution of the MX-5’s racing concept, making the car stronger every year.
In 2022, #55 of Team MSCC Mazda Miata raced in the eye-catching “Imagine” livery, giving way to the sizeable full carbon-fiber body transformation two years later. This eventually led to what is now known as its “ultimate form”, with its quick-shifting sequential gearbox introduced in 2025.
During this duration, the race car kept its 2.0-liter Skyactiv-G engine completely stock, producing 182 hp and 205 N-m of torque.
Just imagine this car beating other more powerful cars on the grid.
2025 MSCCS Miata season winners honored
Together with celebrating Mazda’s unprecedented endurance racing milestone, the venue likewise served to give recognition to the winners of the 2025 MSCC Spec Miata season.
Three drivers of each class were given trophies and cash prizes for winning.
First off, the GT Radial Sportsman Class championship trophy was awarded to Jeff Balao. Balao was emotional as he took the stage as he described his ‘hairline’ wins against ruthless rivals on the track. In this class, fighting tooth and nail to tail him were Luis Azcona in second place and Enzo Celestino in third.
Meanwhile, in the Concept One Masters Class, Toti Turalba outclassed his opponents, followed by Bong Brobio, while Michael Jordan took third.
Toti, if you remember correctly, is the father of the 2023 season overall champion and country’s karting prodigy, Juha.
For the top Shell Pro Class, on the other hand, veteran elite race car driver, Tyson Sy, was able to defend his title and was likewise hailed the overall champion for the season.
Dicing and trailing closely behind were Matt Solomon and Angie King, finishing second and third places, respectively.
According to Tan and the rest of the organizers, this year’s season promises to be more exciting with quite a few essential car spec changes and upgrades.
For one, the vehicles will have a new Cusco limited slip differential. They will also use Cusco Pillow Ball type bushes for the suspension and new Cusco Sport TN-R Competition Dampers.
Lastly, for aesthetics, Concept One will change the design of the Forged Flow wheels for the cars. Though they will still keep the GT Radial Champiro SX-R tires, the engine support and brake ducts will also see upgrades.
Plus, to add more to the drama, the Miata Spec Series will return to Batangas Racing Circuit this year due to popular demand.
The following is the schedule for 2026 season: May 16 (Mazda Fan Festa) – Clark International Speedway; July 18 – Batangas Racing Circuit; September 19 – Batangas Racing Circuit and November 14 (Mazda Fan Festa) – Clark International Speedway.
