From just helping out in his father’s garage at fourteen to buying his first AE86, Cyrus Martinez is now a proud holder of a D1 Grand Prix US license. He is the first Filipino driver to achieve this feat and is also the first Filipino driver to actively compete in professional drifting. He visited Manila recently and we at Tuned got to have an exclusive interview with him courtesy of local Megan Racing distributor HART International.

How long have you been into cars?

I’ve been into cars ever since my dad got me working with him when we first moved to the states. I was fourteen then, basically changing tires and helping him out with whatever I could do. It was just a home-based garage for people who wanted to save money. I basically did it to earn some extra cash for myself.

What inspired you to go into drifting?

In 2003, after attending my first drifting event in Irwindale. The winner was Katsuhiro Ueo, who was driving a Toyota AE86. I was into drag racing at that time, but I saw drifting as a different form or art of drifting. It was exciting for the crowd and for the drivers at the same time. That practically got me into drifting. I bought myself a Toyota Corolla AE86 the next day and started watching videos and riding along with friends who were already into drifting at that time.

How long have you been with Megan Racing?

I’ve been with the company for three years, handling marketing, research and development, and product support. Driving was just for the last year and a half, which started when my boss saw a future for me in drifting, he decided to sponsor me.

What’s your impression of the Philippine aftermarket industry?

The local industry has a lot of marketing involved like Motul and Autoplus. At first, when I visited Banawe, it looked so disorganized and I actually thought the Philippines was really far behind. But when I got to visit high profile shops like Autoplus, who are really passionate with their cars. They also have a lot of nice parts from major brands there as well. Which brings me to conclude that the market shows a lot of promise for growth especially with the influences from the Japanese and American markets. Filipinos will always love cars, they love fixing up cars. There’s always new cars coming out and more cars to fix up.

What can you say about the Philippine drift scene?

I’m actually very impressed. I first got to see the videos of Lateral Drift online about two years ago, and I wasn’t expecting much. I was very surprised to see that its gotten far from what it was. The drifts were a lot better, and the cars also improved by influences from drifting in Japan and the States. I also saw that the Filipino drifters are actually stepping up their driving. The drivers want to learn, they want to get to the point of achievement. I’m actually impressed with the skills of the Lateral Drift drivers, especially with the level of competition they have. I’d like to thank Mr. David Feliciano for letting me drive in their series even just with a demo run.

What can you say about the cars here?

There are actually very expensive cars here. I actually had a chance to drive the Motul-Autoplus S13 in Round 2 of the Lateral Drift Championship. I was surprised when I first drove the car, it was very responsive. A lot of horsepower for such a small track, it was really easy to drive. The cars are starting to get put well together.

What about driving in the Manila?

I’ve driven, and its really crazy. Its really hard almost like you’re to crash every time, especially those crazy motorcycle riders who drive like there’s no tomorrow. The taxi drivers here are very good too, they can weave through the tight streets of Manila so easy.

What’s your best achievement so far?

That would be getting my 2009 D1 Grand Prix US license held in Anaheim. Because when I first started, I was actually watching these guys, now I’m actually a part of the action.

What are your future plans?

I’d want to be one of the top drivers for D1. I’m also aiming to get my license for Formula D in 2010. Its really hard to get in because you’re going against some of the best drivers as well. Some of the participants are actually demo drivers and stunt drivers. Not that D1 is easy, because the Japanese drivers are really good also. They started drifting after all. Its not going to be easy but you know the Pinoy way of thinking. Kung kaya nila, kaya ko din yan! (If they can do it, I can also do it!)

Any last words?

Well I’d like to thank Motul and Autoplus for letting me drive their car and for giving me a chance to show the drifting that I had to offer from the States. I’d also like to thank my mom and dad, “I’m here in the Philippines!” And last but not the least to my girlfriend, who regards herself as my number one fan.

Philippine Aluminum Wheels Incorporated, the pioneer wheel manufacturer in the country, more popularly known as Rota Wheels, has been making wheels for more than thirty years now. The company initially started as a joint venture between the Romeo Rojas and FPS Italy, which was a wheel supplier for Rojas’ already successful auto accessory distribution business. The joint-venture company was known as Rota-Italia.

The new company was formed in 1976 with its factory for making alloy wheels. The Rota brand name was launched a year later and was chosen as OEM supplier to then Chrysler-Mitsubishi, its first OEM client. Other automakers followed suit making Rota Wheels their official wheel supplier.

In 1983, the company became a 100% Filipino owned as the Italians pulled out during the Asian crisis, it was later renamed the company to Philippine Aluminum Wheels, Inc. (PAWI). New wheel manufacturing and testing equipment with state-of-the-art technologies were invested into the company to fast track wheel production and competitiveness in the export market. From a 4,000 wheels per month capacity when it first started, PAWI now produces about 50,000 alloy wheels a month. Carving a name for itself in the world wheel market, Rota Wheels are being used by car enthusiasts in 18 countries across the world.

AI: What made you get into the wheel making business?

MSR: My family always had a fondness for cars, which started with my grandfather, and influenced my father as well. Our family was into the importation of car accessories and performance parts from well-known brands in the seventies, one of which was wheels. We actually had a speed shop before called Trackside, which specialized in high performance tuning. In fact, I think we were the first to install an aftermarket turbocharger in a car in 1976.

The wheel making business started when our Italian wheels supplier FPS asked my father if he was interested in putting up an alloy wheel factory in Asia. At that time, the only Asian country manufacturing wheels was Japan.

AI: What’s the market of your wheels?

MSR: If you take a look at our product line, its more performance oriented cars. Even in the US, where we export our wheels to, our wheels are actually used in motorsport activities by our customers.

AI: Do you make your wheels extra strong for the harsh roads in the Philippines?

MSR: All our wheels are manufactured the same way; they all go through rigorous testing methods that are actually beyond the standards set by the JWL and VIA of Japan, which are requirements for wheels exported to Japan and some countries as well.

AI: Do you think you have influenced the wheel manufacturing industry?

MSR: Yes. We started as the second wheel manufacturer in Asia and were the first manufacturer in Southeast Asia. We were 10 years ahead of Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia, who are now major players in the Asian wheel market. Locally, four other manufacturers followed after us. In terms of design, some foreign manufacturers have actually models, which were inspired by our original designs.

AI: What your take on our local aftermarket industry?

MSR: From the time we started, the market has grown considerably. Compared to other markets, our local industry is quite good, as Filipinos like to dress up their cars. However, the market tends to be very dynamic and advanced, that’s why lifecycles for designs tend to be short.

AI: What about the export market?

For commodity wheels made for private labels, our market share has been quite stagnant due to the dumping of wheels by nosedive of prices by Chinese manufacturers. However, in the performance sector, where we have an edge, our market share continues to grow. Especially in the US market, where they are starting to introduces performance-oriented vehicles from Japanese manufacturers.

AI: What’s in store for Rota Wheels in the near future?

MSR: We are actually planning to come out with forged wheels soon. As far as designs are concerned, we come out with 12 to 36 designs a year, so that there is always something new to look out for. We are coming out with more light truck wheel applications, some retro designs and 2 ultra lightweight wheel models for motorsport enthusiasts to support our popular Slipstream model.

AI: What is you most popular wheel to date?

MSR: I would say, the Quake, since it has been in production for several years already. It is an in-house design for our “tuner” wheel variants. And manufacturers from Taiwan to China have copied it. We have produced around 40,000 wheels for this design.

AI: What can you advice potential wheel buyers?

MSR: It is best to look for manufacturing standards of a wheel before buying it. The popular one is the JWL (Japan Wheel License) and VIA (Vehicle Inspection Authority), both standards coming from Japan, which have been accepted worldwide as well. But of course, some unscrupulous sellers might just put these marks on their wheels. So it is best to research about the brand before buying it.

And they also have to remember that not because a wheel is imported it is a better alternative. Some imported wheels may be good, but some may not. My advice is for them to stick with the well-known brands, which have strict quality control measures applied to the production of their wheels.

From its humble beginnings in 1996 as a small paint shop to becoming a major player in the Philippine aftermarket industry, A-toy Bodykits has truly come a long way and achieved a level of success not common in the automotive aftermarket industry. It all began with Victor “Atoy” Llave’s vision of making cars look good. The idea of getting into custom body kits came after observing the different cars that were winning shows ten years ago. It was also this budding fascination that drove him to start the business now known as A-toy Bodykits.

Llave first took time to learn the basics of fiberglass manufacturing by researching and attending seminars. However, as he was a new player in the industry, the market didn’t really accept his creations immediately. It even came to a point where thought about giving up the whole thing at the end of 1998. But in 1999, he decided to give one last shot as he participated at the Trans Sport Show. Needless to say his entry was able to win a major award. This was the major turning point for the business, as his products garnered recognition and new customers began to come to him.

The year 2000 was his first recognition as a bodykit maker through winning the Best Bodykit award in the Trans Sport Show. It would not be the only one as he would win more and more awards in the next few years. It was after this that Llave decided to diversify and look into making wide-body modifications in 2001. And thereafter, Llave introduced several trends to the country like vertical doors, suicide doors, and full body modifications.

AI: Since when were you into cars?

VL: Ever since high school I was interested in cars already. But during college, I got more into it that I planned to start the shop during my last year of college.

AI: How long have you been in the aftermarket industry?

VL: Technically, it would be 10 years now for the shop which started in 1996. But I started with bodykits in 1997.

AI: What inspired you to get into this business?

VL: It started out as just a hobby for painting cars. But the idea of body kits came when I was inspired by Andy Cheng of Starbright Bodykits, who was quite successful already at that time despite his young age.

AI: Do you think the industry has gone a long way since you started?

VL: Yes it has, especially now, consumers are more demanding. Their needs have become more dynamic that car manufacturers actually consider additional body styling to sell cars. Even the media has been paying attention to the aftermarket industry.

AI: Do you see our industry growing still in the years to come?

VL: Yes. We have many good players and I want everybody, even my competitors to grow. I don’t want to monopolize things because the market is so vast.

AI: Would you consider yourself as a prominent part of the industry?

VL: I would not like to put it that way, as people have different opinions on that. I can say that I am a trendsetter in the car styling business.

AI: What’s your take on the carshows we have today?

VL: We have too many carshows already as of now, but we still do participate in the major ones. I have begged off joining the minor shows to give chance to small players and amateurs who might be discouraged if professionals came and overshadowed them.

AI: What do you classify as your best work so far?

VL: I would have to say, that my Japanese car customized to look like a European car. With it came many criticisms as well. I even got a complaint letter from the German car manufacturer and much more slack on the various Internet forums. But for me, it’s just the thought of making this a reality that mattered. It was more of a business card to show what A-toy Bodykits can do.

AI: What would you consider as your best achievement?

VL: Modesty aside, I would have to say that I am partly responsible for putting the Philippines in the aftermarket map right now. My designs are now well accepted by major Japanese car manufacturers, some of which are even approved by their principals in Japan.

AI: What are your future plans?

VL: I’m planning to diversify into mass production and investing in plastic forming to achieve this.

AI: Do you have any last words?

VL: With regards to competition, I don’t really take it personally that some of them copy my designs. But I would like to encourage them to make their own designs, because they might even turn out to be better. That way they can really feel their achievement. I really hope all of us can continue to grow, whether small or big shops, so that we can all better cater to the consumers.

I would also like to give credit to Andy Cheng of Starbright Bodykits who helped me out a lot back when I was starting. Even though we have this kind of competition between us, I think it’s all just about business.

And lastly, with the criticisms I have been receiving, good or bad, I just accept these as suggestions on how to better my products. Sometimes I even learn from these criticisms. I don’t claim to know everything just because I am part of the industry. I actually thank my critics for their contribution to my work.