Jomari Yllana gets back into high gear as he roars anew into the racing circuit as the top gun behind rally/race event, the Paeng Nodalo Memorial Rally.
Slated on November 5-6 at Subic Bay Freeport, the race pays tribute to Paeng Nodalo, one of the country’s pillars of motorsports, who was behind the legendary Mabuhay Rally.
Jomari, currently a three-term councilor in Paranaque City, is the first Filipino to score podium finish at Yeongam International F-1 circuit in South Korea in 2014. He was one of the top three winners in the Super Race Round 8 Championship, Accent One category that gathered top racers from all over the world. His racing team Yllana GTR is also the first Filipino racing team to win in the said event.
Upon winning, the veteran actor declared on Instagram: “Mabuhay ang Philippine Motorsport! Mabuhay ang Pilipinas! Para sa bawat Pilipino, saan man sa mundo.”
Jomari recalls having trained for an entire year before entering the Super Race championship.
“Joining it was a dream come true for me, winning in my event was a bonus,” he looks back.
Jomari was also Philippine National Touring Car champion driver, 1996 rookie of the year (1st runner-up, Toyota Corolla Cup) in 1996, runner-up and champion driver, Philippine National Touring Car Championship for Toyota Team Toms, 1997-2001,and runner-up at the Philippine Grand Touring Car Championship, 2014-2015 (Yllana Racing Team).
Jomari’s exploits on the racetrack started when he joined Toyota Team Tom’s in the late ’90s. The stint led to a thousand and one thrills as he maneuvered high-speed drives at Batangas Racing Circuit and Clark International Speedway.
The actor’s own motorsports outfit, Yllana Racing, with himself as team principal, took part in Philippine Grand Touring Car Championship also in 2013.
His eldest son, Andre, has similarly shown interest in the sport. “Hilig din ní½a. But, I tell him racing isn’t just a hobby. You have to be a professional to make it work.”
Jomari, whose full name is José María Garchitorena Yllana, rose to fame as one third of the 1990s teen group “Gwapings” together with Mark Anthony Fernandez, Eric Fructuoso, and later with Jao Mapa.
In December, he’s set to stage an acting comeback, playing the part of a politician, in an Erik Matti series, set for international release.
