TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Academy Philippines reopens

Leading mobility company and motorsport supporter Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) kicked off this year’s racing season with the reopening of the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Academy Philippines (TGR Academy). With the goal of promoting the love for motorsport and continuously developing globally competitive Filipino racers, the academy welcomed a new set of drivers along with familiar faces in the racing industry.

Formerly known as the Toyota Racing School, the TGR Academy brings together motorsports enthusiasts in the country to jumpstart their journey in the exciting world of motorsports. The team of mentors and instructors is comprised of tenured racing trainers from the country with at least 10 years of experience on the track and former champions of the Toyota Vios Cup in the Philippines.

After a hiatus last year in compliance with public safety regulations, classes reopened starting with the Level 1: Basic Circuit Car Class, where future racers learn the basic skills and essential safety rules needed to properly drive a race car around the track. This class also tackles threshold braking, downshifting, racing line, and track lapping.

The theory lecture was conducted through a virtual webinar and supplemented by on-ground training at the Clark International Speedway (CIS). The Level 2: Advance Circuit Class teaches racers eyeing a position on the podium of the upcoming Toyota Vios Cup 2021.

“We’ve had a year of break because of the pandemic, but we’re back and it’s going to be a very exciting season this year. We’ve got new drivers training already with us. So, we’re looking at about 30 cars on the grid at the season this year,” shared JP Tuason, TGR Academy instructor.

Reformatted racing school program
Unlike previous racing school classes, this year’s class no longer allows students to share the vehicle with other participants to ensure the health and safety of each racer. Registrations were done online and some parts of the race class were conducted through video conferencing. Students and staff were tested upon entering the circuit at CIS.

A dedicated time slot for each batch of students was strictly followed and driving instructions were conducted through two-way radios. All equipment and vehicles were disinfected before every use.

“We’re really interested and we looked forward to this day when we can return to the track once again,” shares racing phenomenon Iñigo Anton, who participated in the Level 1 and Level 2 classes.

Working with the official One-Make-Race build of the Toyota Vios, the Level 2 students will be armed with advanced techniques and skills to make their way to the finish line. Students got the chance to have the feel of the competition through a mock race in the Level 2 race class.

Anton added, “Even though I’ve been racing for a long time, I still learn here. The classes and learnings made me a smoother and faster driver. It’s such a good program and hopefully, those people who are interested to join in racing, in general, would explore the program and start their journey here. It really teaches one all the things to know from being a beginner racer and as one progresses to the next level in racing.”

Aleksa Meily, a racing neophyte also shared, “I enrolled in the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Academy because I want to put my foot in the door in the world of racing. I was very inspired after watching Formula 1, and I thought why don’t I try it, instead of just watching in front of the screen.”

The TGR Academy is a great stepping stone for anyone interested in joining the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Vios Cup, which is slated to be back this July. This season, TMP will introduce a new batch of racers as well and is bringing back the Super Sporting class, which will be joined by the country’s seasoned racers.

This year’s TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Vios Cup will be held in cooperation with Bridgestone, official fuel partner Petron, and supported by Motul. Other sponsors are ROTA, Brembo, Denso, AVT, 3M, Tuason Racing, and OMP.

The TGR Academy will continue to serve as a starting point for Filipinos who wish to follow their racing ambitions or those who simply want to improve their driving and handling skills on the tracks. Watch out for TMP’s announcements on the next sessions of the TGR Academy.

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realme 11: Style and speed (specs, pros, and cons)

11/17/2023

In the span of a few years, realme has become a household name when it comes to affordable but reliable smartphones in the Philippines. Boasting attractive specs at just as attractive prices, realme continues this streak with its newest 4G offering, the realme 11.

A 4G smartphone in this price segment may be questionable to some but I’ve found that when a smartphone limits itself to 4G it makes up for it somewhere else.

So with that thought, what does the realme 11 have that makes it a worthwhile pick?

Key specs and need-to-knows

As always, we’ll first lay down the specs. The realme 11 is a MediaTek Helio G99-powered mid-range device offered in a single configuration boasting 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. Virtual RAM expansion is present as well as storage expansion via microSD card.

For its display, the realme 11 offers a 6.4-inch Full HD+ AMOLED panel with a 90Hz refresh rate. We only have a single speaker but you do get a 3.5mm headphone jack if you’re looking for better audio output quality.

Despite a rather large camera module on its back, the realme 11 only offers a dual camera setup comprised of a 108-megapixel main camera and a secondary 2-megapixel camera. For selfies, you have a 16-megapixel front-facing camera.

Rounding out the whole experience is a 5000mAh battery and, its hero feature, 67W SUPERVOOC fast charging.

For its Philippine pricing, the realme 11 launched with a PhP 13,999 price tag. While appealing, the segment is quite saturated and you’re rather spoilt for choice. So what will make you pick the realme 11 out of the crowd?

Embracing the Positives

Almost every gadget reviewer I’ve talked to shares this same sentiment: it’s hard to find a bad phone these days.

In this price range specifically, you’re given a wide range of choices, and narrowing down the device for you normally boils down to your lifestyle and tastes.

 

If you’re after an instantly recognizable device, that’s something the realme 11 can help you with. The company sent us the Glory Gold colorway and it’s rather stunning in person. With a slight S-curve highlight on the back, it offers a lot more personality than the usual gradient or solid slate back.

The camera module is just a little too big for my taste especially since you only have two cameras there but it’s easily dismissible.

Moving on from its looks, what realme heroizes with its latest smartphone is its fast charging capabilities. With 67W SUPERVOOC fast charging, topping up your phone takes a little less than an hour.

And again, as I’ve said in many many reviews: I love a phone that can charge fast.

Having charging speeds faster than 33W is a little less common in this segment. Even with 5G devices. It’s funny really, I’ve observed that fast charging isn’t on a lot of people’s checklist but once you’ve experienced it, it’s hard to go back. Paired with a 5000mAh battery that was able to last a little over one day with light to medium use, it’s easier to live life untethered with the realme 11.

And finally, we have its display. It’s not a perfect display but I’m an AMOLED fan and the realme 11 delivers on this front. 90Hz is respectable as well and I don’t see the need to complain about not having a higher refresh rate.

In my time with the realme 11, I’ve found it’s these features that stood out the most and what made using this device more enjoyable. Apart from fast charging, a respectable main camera, and a vibrant AMOLED display, performance is quite commendable as well though (unexpectedly) not the snappiest around. But being a gaming processor, it runs a number of titles rather impressively including the resource-heavy Genshin Impact.

A Few Quirks to note

Let’s get this out of the way. The first thing that most users may complain about is the lack of 5G – especially since you can consider this a mid-range device.

Interestingly, a 5G variant does exist but it’s unavailable locally. So to make up for that, realme equips this 4G variant with a capable gaming processor among other improvements.

But if 5G is a need, you’ll have to shell out for the Pro members of the Realme 11 family which are available here in the Philippines.

Now, I earlier talked about its display and how I enjoyed the punchyness of the colors but there is one thing I don’t like about it – its bezels. More specifically, its bottom bezel. It just feels a tad bit dated and makes the device look like it should be on the lower end of the price spectrum – at least when looking at it from the front.

 

A couple of other quirks, which may or may not be a negative thing, are its plastic build, single-firing speaker which produces so-so quality, and the presence of bloatware.

What about its cameras

I purposely separated this section because I find that the realme 11’s cameras classify both as a pro and as a con.

How so? Well, its main 108-megapixel camera is rather impressive and very capable when given a good amount of light.

Colors are well-balanced with saturation leveled for most colors. That 108-megapixel shooter is well-tuned to give you enough details in textures, more so in ideal lighting. The level of detail and natural bokeh it’s able to produce is also rather impressive and does well even in indoor light.

It also has Street mode which is something we’ve come to love about realme cameras. Switching to this mode provides you with a more contrasty look that still very much works. Processing is more evident in this mode but we find the photos still look great. I’m also pleasantly surprised that its digital zoom performs rather well in bright light.

So why also a con? Well, the fact that you will solely depend on that main camera lessens its versatility. The 2-megapixel secondary camera comes out as just a filler with no real purpose and the 16-megapixel selfie camera’s performance is also quite unpredictable with its finicky focus and just-ok low light performance.

Another aspect of its camera that leaves me wanting is on the video side. Because of its chipset, we aren’t given access to 4K recording. And in the age of short-form video content, this is a want for most. I also couldn’t find any info on its stabilization (or lack of) but you will notice the shakiness when using handheld.

Final thoughts

A quick summary will show that the realme 11 is a well-designed, lightweight smartphone, built to withstand a little more than the usual dailies. Its 108-megapixel shooter is a welcome upgrade and quite capable save for video. And that AMOLED panel makes watching and consuming content a treat for the eyes.

There are a few compromises including the lack of 5G (which may be a deal breaker for some) and camera versatility but the device does try to make up for it by offering faster-than-usual 67W charging, large expandable storage, and other features that offer quality-of-life improvements.

Where to get the realme 11

The realme 11 is now available in the Philippines for PhP 13,999 and can be purchased online through realme’s official accounts on Shopee PH and Lazada PH. The realme 11 is also available in store at realme’s authorized dealers nationwide.

This review was made in partnership with realme Philippines. Thoughts and opinions are the author’s own.

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