Jomari Yllana hopes to bring new life to Philippine motorsports

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Actor Jomari Yllana, who is also a professional race car driver with decades of experience, spearheads the Motorsport Carnivale

MANILA, Philippines – Jomari Yllana still remembers the time he got apprehended by former San Juan Mayor Jinggoy Estrada for using an illegal license plate back when he still competed in underground drag races in the 1990s.

Yllana eventually turned professional and has advocated for road safety ever since.

So the actor-politician vowed a secure environment in the second staging of the Okada Manila Motorsport Carnivale starting on Sunday, May 4, as he hopes to bring new energy to the Filipino car culture.

“He told me not to do it again,” said Yllana of his conversation with Estrada. “For me, it was a learning experience that you need to follow rules. It was a big impact in my life as a driver on the streets and as a competitor.”

Yllana, who gained prominence in the 1990s as part of the boy group Gwapings which included fellow matinee idols Mark Anthony Fernandez, Eric Fructuoso, and Jao Mapa, has been into cars even before he entered show business.

From building Tamiya toy cars as a child, Yllana moved on to the real thing.

As a professional race car driver and president of Yllana Racing, the 48-year-old has competed both locally and internationally, seeing action in the Philippine Touring Car Championships and the Superrace Championship in Korea.

Yllana said the Motorsport Carnivale is his way of giving back to the sport.

The May 4 event will start with the third round of Super Sprint, which is a series of slalom races, and end with a grand car meet featuring the “Legends of the ’90s.”

Motorsport Carnivale will continue on May 31 for the Jom’s Cup, a 1/8 mile drag racing challenge to be competed in vintage car, muscle car, and super car categories at the seaside boardwalk of Okada Manila.

“You’ll be surprised. There is a really, really big Filipino car culture that is there waiting for a venue,” said Yllana. “Filipino car culture is alive. They’re just waiting for an event and we’re giving it to them.”

“It is going to be very, very safe. Everyone that will join, we gather, we will take care of them. We conduct briefings before races. All the races will be designed to be safe,” added Yllana, who’s ending his third term as councilor of Parañaque City soon, opting to turn his attention again to sports.

Ylanna said the goal is to find the next Filipino racing champion.

“We’ll guide them every step of the way. Let us build an army of racers so we can promote [the sport] and [discover] future champions who we can send abroad to compete,” he said.

Motorsport Carnivale, which was first held in 2023, is co-led by Rikki Dy-Liacco, a veteran race car driver who is now the head of motorsports of the Automobile Association of the Philippines.

“We believe that the timing is right,” said Dy-Liacco. “It is our turn to give back to Philippine motorsports and that is exactly what we’re going to be doing.” – Rappler.com