{{Infobox television , image = MotoringToday.jpg , image_upright = , image_size = 260 , image_alt = , caption = , alt_name = , native_name = , genre =

Driving Driving is the controlled operation and movement of a vehicle, including cars, motorcycles, trucks, buses, and bicycles. Permission to drive on public highways is granted based on a set of conditions being met and drivers are required to ...

Motorsports Motorsport, motorsports or motor sport is a global term used to encompass the group of competitive sporting events which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles. The terminology can also be used to describe forms of competition of tw ...

, creator = Ray Butch Gamboa , based_on = , developer = , writer = , screenplay = , story = , director = , creative_director = , presenter = Ray Butch Gamboa (1987–2019)

Pocholo Ramirez José "Pocholo" del Rosario Ramírez de Arellano (January 19, 1933 – March 18, 2009), better known as Pocholo Ramírez, was a Filipino race car driver and television host. Also known as "Tito Poch", Ramirez was hailed as a racing legend in the ...

Ray Louis Gamboa
Suzy Gamboa , starring = , judges = , voices = , narrated = , theme_music_composer = , opentheme = , endtheme = , composer = , country = Philippines , language = English , num_seasons = , num_episodes = , list_episodes = , executive_producer = , producer = Ray Butch Gamboa
Jenny Bleza , news_editor = , location = , cinematography = , editor = , camera = , runtime = 60 minutes , company = Sunshine Television Ventures, Inc. , distributor = , budget = , network = PTV/NBN
(1987–2006; 2008–2009)

Solar Sports Solar may refer to: Astronomy * Of or relating to the Sun ** Solar telescope, a special purpose telescope used to observe the Sun ** A device that utilizes solar energy (e.g. "solar panels") ** Solar calendar, a calendar whose dates indicate ...

(2009–present) , picture_format = , audio_format = , released = , first_aired = {{Start date, 1987, 6, 7 , last_aired = present , preceded_by = , followed_by = , related = ''Motoring Today'' is a Philippine

motoring Motoring may refer to: * ''Motoring'' (film), a 1927 British comedy film * Motoring (TV series), a Canadian automotive television program (1988 to present) * 310 Motoring, an automotive customization garage based in Los Angeles, California * Moto ...

and

motorsports Motorsport, motorsports or motor sport is a global term used to encompass the group of competitive sporting events which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles. The terminology can also be used to describe forms of competition of tw ...

television program and the longest-running motoring and motorsports program on Philippine television. The program debuted on 7 June 1987 hosted by its creator Ray Butch Gamboa and race car driver

. and later in 2019, Ray Louis Gamboa and Suzy Gamboa replaced their father as the hosts. The program reports about the latest news and recent developments in the local and global motoring industry as well as current events in the local and international motorsports. It also showcases the latest cars available in the Philippine market and tackles various issues affecting the Philippine motoring public. The program has a counterpart weekly column, penned by Gamboa, in the daily newspaper ''

The Philippine STAR ''The Philippine Star'' (self-styled ''The Philippine STAR'') is an English-language newspaper in the Philippines and the flagship brand of the Philstar Media Group. First published on July 28, 1986, by veteran journalists Betty Go-Belmonte, ...

''. Since its inception, ''Motoring Today'' has been produced by Sunshine Television Ventures, Inc. and has been aired on PTV 4 from 1987 to 2006, and again, from 2008 until 2009, when it transferred to

. It currently airs every

Sunday Sunday is the day of the week between Saturday and Monday. In most Western countries, Sunday is a day of rest and a part of the weekend. It is often considered the first day of the week. For most observant adherents of Christianity, Sunday ...

at 8:30 am.

History

Early years

''Motoring Today'' was conceived in 1987 by former

radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transm ...

disc jockey A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music f ...

Ray Butch Gamboa, who wanted to bring all facets of Philippine motoring closer to Filipino television viewers. Prior to the program’s debut, Gamboa already has experience covering motorsports events such as the

Philippines Grand Prix The Philippines Grand Prix was an open-wheel racing car auto racing, motor race, held during the 1970s. The race was first held in 1973 as Formula Atlantic expanded across the region, becoming Formula Pacific as it did so. The race was held on a ...

in the 1970s and racing events of the Automobile Racing Association of the Philippines. A few years back, he had established Sunshine Television Ventures together with his long-time friend and marketing executive Tony Sulit for the purpose of acquiring exclusive contracts for the airing of movie trailers on commercial breaks during the television broadcast of

Philippine Basketball Association The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of twelve company-branded franchised teams. Founded in 1975, it is the first professional basketball league in Asia and is the se ...

(PBA) games on PTV 4. The company became the vehicle for the inception of ''Motoring Today''. The program's first episode was aired on 7 June 1987 on PTV 4. It was taped inside the Playboy Club of the Silahis Hotel (later renamed as Grand Boulevard Hotel) in

Malate Malic acid is an organic compound with the molecular formula . It is a dicarboxylic acid that is made by all living organisms, contributes to the sour taste of fruits, and is used as a food additive. Malic acid has two stereoisomeric forms ...

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital city, capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is Cities of the Philippines#Independent cities, highly urbanize ...

; and was hosted by Gamboa and race car driver Pocholo Ramirez, who Gamboa met previously in various racing events. The hour-long episode featured interviews with then- race car rally driver Gus Lagman and Billy Martinez, one of the co-founders of Cam Wreckers, then a major motor sports club in the Philippines. The second episode had rally officials Gus Lagman, Boy Saycon and Robert Aventajado as guests and Aventajado’s rally car became the first-ever vehicle featured on the show. The program aired at 3:00 p.m. every Sunday before the PBA game and had very few sponsors, including

Marlboro Marlboro (, ) is an American brand of cigarettes, currently owned and manufactured by Philip Morris USA (a branch of Altria) within the United States and by Philip Morris International (now separate from Altria) outside the US. The largest Ma ...

, STP and

Shell Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses ** Thin-shell structure Science Biology * Seashell, a hard o ...

. After the first two episodes, Gamboa transferred production to the Card Room of the Valle Verde Country Club in

Pasig Pasig, officially the City of Pasig ( fil, Lungsod ng Pasig), is a 1st class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Metro Manila, National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, i ...

, where the program is taped and edited until 2019.

Motoring events

Since its inception, ''Motoring Today'' has provided live coverage of some of the most prestigious motorsports events in the Philippines and abroad. On 26 November 1989, it provided the first Philippine television coverage of the

Macau Grand Prix The Macau Grand Prix ( pt, Grande Prémio de Macau; ) is a motorsport road race for automobiles and motorcycles held annually in Macau. It is the only street circuit racing event in which both cars and motorcycles participate, and one of onl ...

. In 1990, it covered that Marlboro Mabuhay International Rally in Greenhills, San Juan City and the Marlboro 100 Hills Rally. The following year, on 3 November, Gamboa and his crew went to

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater A ...

, Australia for the live coverage of the

Australian Grand Prix The Australian Grand Prix is an annual motor racing event which is under contract to host Formula One until 2035. One of the oldest surviving motorsport competitions held in Australia, the Grand Prix has moved frequently with 23 different venu ...

. On 15 May 1992, the show reported live from

Speedway, Indiana Speedway is a town in Wayne Township, Marion County, Indiana, United States. The population was 11,812 at the 2010 U.S. Census. Speedway, which is an enclave of Indianapolis, is the home of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. History Speedway was ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

about the tragic death of 27-year-old

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

race car driver Jovy Marcelo during qualifications for the

Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of India ...

. Marcelo was the first driver fatality at the

Indianapolis Motor Speedway The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is an automobile racing circuit located in Speedway, Indiana, an enclave suburb of Indianapolis, Indiana. It is the home of the Indianapolis 500 and the Verizon 200, and and formerly the home of the United St ...

since

Gordon Smiley Gordon Eugene Smiley (April 20, 1946 – May 15, 1982) was an American race car driver who was killed in a single-car crash at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He was inducted into the Nebraska Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 2000. SCCA and road ra ...

in 1982. After the incident, the program aired a special tribute to Marcelo, chronicling his career. In 1997, the show went to Japan to cover the 37th Tokyo Motor Show as guests of

Toyota Motor Philippines Toyota Motor Philippines Corporation (TMP) is a subsidiary of Toyota, based in Santa Rosa, Laguna, Philippines, responsible for the assembly and distribution of Toyota vehicles in the Philippines since 1988. The company was established on Augus ...

. It also returned to Australia to report about the

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a me ...

on 12 March 2000.

External links

Official Website
Automotive television series 1987 Philippine television series debuts 2009 Philippine television series endings 1980s Philippine television series People's Television Network original programming Philippine sports television series English-language television shows Motorsport mass media