Sunday Funday: Philippine Motorsport Expo 2023

Picture in your mind the perfect weekend. First, the activity you’d like to be doing – be it barbequing outdoors, camping, or even just driving through sun-kissed roads up a mountain or round a coastline. Now, the people around you – just average folk enjoying the exact same activity as you are. These people share your passion, your enthusiasm, your motivation for getting through the week.

For 60 seconds, close your eyes and imagine that scene.

Now, imagine if that scene were to come true. That’s what the Philippine Motorsport Expo is, or at least it is for us car enthusiasts.

Small as it may be starting only in late 2022, PMX brings together the best things about cars and car nuts alike. And they’re able to do this without that many cars.

Unlike most other carshows that dot the Philippine events calendar, the Philippine Motorsport Expo is a celebration of things that go fast – there really is no other way of putting it. You won’t find too many exotic cars here, but what you will find are cars that are battle-hardened, and have several thousand kilometers of track use under their belt. Why?

Because it wouldn’t be a Motorsport Expo if the cars were mere garage queens, tucked away until curtain call. No, these are true race cars, with the pedigree, reputation, and accolades to back it up. And yet, in their own way, the cars displayed are (mostly) from humble origins, and even in their modified state look discreet and unassuming. “Put your money where your mouth is” is a phrase that these cars take very seriously.

Much like their cars, the drivers and owners are also battle-hardened with many trackdays and accolades to their name. And just like their cars, you wouldn’t guess these people would have the capability, capacity, and courage to go all out on the track, chasing down their personal best in a never-ending quest of self-improvement.

And yet, here they all were. Some with friends, others with family. People from different walks of life, all mingling together and enjoying each other’s company.

There’s no discrimination here, nor rivalry or hatred – there’s no room here for that. Instead, what you find are drivers and racers alike, swapping stories, sharing advice, and trading jokes, as if the world of motorsport wasn’t a world of rivalry and secrecy. And even when it comes to women in motorsport, the Philippine Motorsport Expo has given them a prime place of celebration.

The panel of women racers, all from different backgrounds and disciplines, have said multiple times what it meant to break the stigma. Slowly, babae kasi, kaya mabagal (No wonder she’s slow, she’s a woman.) became babae pala, kaya magaling (No wonder she’s so good, she’s a woman). The success they’ve had in their careers – track racing, drifting, drag racing and even off-road racing – prove that being a good racer isn’t down to your gender, but your determination to become the best version of yourself, regardless of what other people may say or think of you.

Motorsport in the Philippines isn’t just about who’s the fastest or the smoothest around the track. Motorsport here is all about sharing a common passion with friends both current and future. When we come together, we become stronger together as well, and in a world where there’s so few of us enthusiasts, it pays to have that kind of camaraderie.

Win or lose doesn’t matter when the name of the game is the cathartic enjoyment that racing with your friends and peers brings, and that’s exactly what this event felt like.

I can’t say for certain if this event was a financial or statistical success – I simply don’t have access to that kind of information. But without a doubt, it was a resounding success for us enthusiasts. You see, success isn’t only measured in pesos or the quantity of participants. Rather, it’s measured in the quality of the participation that happens, both in the limelight and on the sidelines. Yes, showcasing the best that motorsport has to offer is the main goal. But what’s more important, I think, is the motivation given to those who’ve only ever thought “what if?” “What if I try to join a motorsport event?” “What if I try to build my car like this?” “What if, just once, I let my son, or daughter try getting behind the wheel?”

If the answer to those questions during the weekend was “Yes,” then the Philippine Motorsport Expo has done its job. And here’s hoping it will continue to do so in the future.