The Brickyard founder Ferdie Kahn hosts 2025 Mini 4WD Philippine Cup at Circuit Makati. Photo by Josh Mercado

MANILA -- Ferdie Kahn, the owner of The Brickyard, has always wanted to highlight Pinoy Tamiya racers, hobbyists, and collectors who share a passion for the '90s blockbuster toy, which was founded by the renowned entrepreneur Yoshio Tamiya.

“You can see that it’s still alive. And you know, this is only a subset of people, because there are a lot of hobbyists who don’t just enjoy racing but also socializing,” Kahn told ABS-CBN News.

He recently hosted one of the country's largest Tamiya racing events, the 2025 Mini 4WD Philippine Cup, at Circuit Makati, which drew hundreds of racers from numerous provinces, including Laguna, Quezon, Nueva Ecija, and Cebu.

Lanes are all set for the two-day Tamiya racing event. Photo by Josh Mercado

The xStock category had 300 participants, while the other two categories, TRF Max and Box Stock, each had about 100 racers. The huge Tamiya event also marked the first time a five-lane track was opened to accommodate more enthusiasts and collectors, in addition to professional Tamiya racers.

Andre Javinez won the Box Stock category, Jaime Lorenzo Cabana won the TRF Max category, Llanwin James Visleño won the Stock Class, Rafael Angelo Villamayor won the Stock Pro category, Norbie Naguit won the Stock Advance category, and Herminio Salimbacod won the Open Class category.

According to The Brickyard founder, the winners will compete in Taiwan and Japan, reassuring Tamiya fans in the Philippines that the country has skilled racers who can finish the lanes abroad.

“For Taiwan, we’re supposed to bring at least 10 racers. So after the races, we will pick the champion. After that, we have a playoff to determine the remaining seats,” Kahn said, explaining the international qualifications. 

“We probably have six races. The first three go to Taiwan, and the next three go to Japan,” he added.

His remarks about the winners, whether they require additional training or exposure: “They are actually very good. We expose them to different setups of the track, and then hopefully that builds up their confidence when we go international,” he told ABS-CBN News.

Tamiya racers, hobbyists, and collectors gather at 2025 Mini 4WD Philippine Cup. Photo by Josh Mercado

Kahn also expressed pride in the growing number of Tamiya racers, hobbyists, and collectors in the Philippines, citing their previous event in Daet, Camarines Norte, which was well-attended and drew new Tamiya users.

“You’ll have people that are seniors, my age, and then the much younger ones, even kids. So it really goes through all generations. There is an appeal,” he shared.

“Everywhere we go, we have races in regional cities. We just had one in Daet, where we had more than 100 racers. We’re going to have one this coming weekend in Iloilo, and right now we already have about 70 racers signed up — with a week to go. Then, we have one in Pangasinan in about two weeks. So there’s a big, good following.”

“Last year, every two days, we were averaging about 700. But now, based on how things are looking, maybe about 900 racers for the two days. So it’s still growing, and a lot more people are coming in,” he added.

While discussing his proudest moments as the founder of The Brickyard, Tamiya's official Philippine distributor, he also told ABS-CBN News about the latest developments on his Philippine eagle version of the Tamiya car, which was initially revealed last year. 

“We’re working on a Philippine car. Right now, we’re still in the design process. Philippine eagle, some animals, and maybe just a special kind of car. We’re looking at other options. Hopefully, before the end of the year, we will be able to release it,” he shared with ABS-CBN News.

Kahn also plans to conduct Tamiya racing competitions in Iloilo and Pangasinan. His Tamiya jeepney version is also on exhibit in the brand’s official store in Japan.