Thunders Rallye Team Philippines

A big congratulations to our NESR regular competitors Vip Isada and Khalil Alquilos, and Jong King along with his Kiwi co-driver Andrew Rabbidge. The Nueva Ecija Sprint Rally Series are proud and honored to have helped in their preparation for this 50th running of the Central Machine Hire Otago Rally, a 284 km of competitive special stages rally in New Zealand which is part of the New Zealand Rally Championship, Tour European Rally Series, FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship. Vip and Khalil competed in the Allcomers Class while Jong and Andrew Rabbidge competed in the Classic 4wd class. Both finished 88th and 73rd respectively overall among 148 entrants including former WRC drivers Kris Meeke and Mads Ostberg.

With this achievement, we'll all be looking to benchmark our guys in the local rally scene again soon!

🇵🇭 **Filipino Grit Goes Global** 🇳🇿

10-Time National Rally Champion Sergio “Coach Vip” Isada and our very own Khalil Alquilos are set to take on the legendary Central Machine Hire Otago Rally 2026 on April 10–12, 2026, in Dunedin, New Zealand.

🛣 **Total Rally Stage Distance: 286.26 km**

Two driven competitors. One international stage. One mission — to raise the Philippine flag high on the fast, flowing gravel roads of Otago. 🌍🏁

Sergio "Coach Vip" Isada
🏆 **10-Time National Rally Champion**
🏆 Veteran rally driver and pillar of Philippine motorsport
🏆 Renowned mentor, shaping the next generation of rally drivers
🏆 Multiple podium finishes across both international and national rally competitions

Khalil Alquilos
🏆 Multi-awarded rally driver in the VisMin region
🏆 Multiple podium finishes in Cebu’s Time Attack scene
🏆 Consistent class podium finisher with proven comeback drives

286.26 kilometers of pure commitment.
Flat-out gravel. No room for hesitation.

From VisMin and Cebu to the demanding roads of New Zealand — this is Filipino rally on the world stage. 🇵🇭🔥

We would like to thank our valued sponsors:
Roble Shipping Inc
Beröl Lubricants Philippines
Bullyconcepts
Greasy Ape Project
VS1 Protector & Mototek
Staging LINES
POD Paintworks Bodykits & Carwash Ibabao Mandaue
JM media
N10 Visuals
Snap Drives

Not just for the drive. This is a development journey.

The official kickoff of the RallyDev Project is on Jan 31, 2026.

Join us for a day featuring live livery painting on one of our learner cars, a free-to-play racing simulator, and an interactive design workshop.

10:00 AM. Don't forget to bring your creativity with you!

It’s time to wake up in the farm! The 2025 season finale and 2026 opening round begins today after the crews did their rally surveys yesterday!