Filipino racer Milo Rivera once had dreams of joining Formula One. He has long been fascinated by cars, but only started liking the thrill of being on the race track later. He was, after all, a bigger basketball fan than a racing enthusiast, he admitted.
Rivera’s love for the racing track started when he was only 12. When asked what it was about racing that drew him in, Rivera tells Rolling Stone Philippines that it was both the intimacy of being behind the wheel and the visceral rush of speed. “And I guess at some point when I grew up a little bit more, translating my love for cars to actually operating them in extreme conditions was subconsciously planted in me,” he says.
This almost instinctive drive developed a mindset that is deeply instilled in him. Now, 31 years old and two decades into the sport, Rivera has come to understand that racing is as much a mental game as a physical one. Settling oneself down and trying to find the right groove in order to perform well are somehow prerequisites he learned through racing, and that now also apply to life outside of sports.
Rivera knows that there is no fixed formula for getting into the zone. There’s a relative sweet spot that ultimately depends on the driver’s mind and the specific moment. “Sometimes, you perform better when you’re really tense. Sometimes, you perform better when you’re really calm or sluggish.” He adds that finding the right headspace in a sport so stimulating is vital.
“Sometimes, the winner or the guy who finishes ahead of everybody else is not the guy who’s actually better than everybody; it’s the guy who’s actually in the zone or 100 percent calm when it matters most,” he says. It’s a definite lesson that Rivera has carried far beyond the driver’s seat. He’s also a coach and team manager. Having come close to his Formula One ambitions before, he made it his goal to help new drivers chase their dreams.
RIVERA IN THE PADDOCKS
But taking on these new roles does not simply mean passing on the things you know, especially when the sport requires more than just technical knowledge. It’s harder than it looks, as driving is not a one-size-fits-all sport, as he describes it — because people have different personalities, as well as approaches. Still, Rivera remains determined to find that sweet spot and push the drivers toward it. “At the end of the day, I can say so much, I can teach so much, but when they’re behind the wheel, it’s them na talaga. So I just try to squeeze whatever I can squeeze out of them,” he says.
Rivera admits that his role as a team manager was the most challenging out of all motorsport-related roles he has donned, having been a coach, a racer, and even a motoring editor. People will see the driver on a race day, but what really gets him to the finish line is also the team behind him. “Being able to manage these people in order to achieve the goal is a challenge for me that’s, yes, quite new, but it was something I was so excited to tackle.”
Rivera has been dedicating most of his time to mentoring racers now, only occasionally entering the race tracks himself. One of his recent major victories came at the 2025 Petron Makabayan Cup after Team MSCC Mazda swept all three legs of the tournament, which he said was a new chapter for him after getting used to racing by himself. If the cup proved anything to Rivera, it’s that Filipino drivers have the talent to compete at the highest level. He’s very confident that Filipinos have the talent for the sport ever since. What’s been missing, he says, is the opportunity to put that talent on display.
“It’s nice to see that we’ve got Filipinos making it big in Europe and the world of racing more than before. And our goal is to obviously grow that Filipino community out there even more, send more Filipinos out, and give them the right opportunities. But yeah, skill level-wise, we can match for the best of them.”
Many would say that the Philippine motorsports industry has been gaining momentum, and Rivera agrees. However, he says more support is needed for it to go even further; whether from the private sector or the government, more lucrative opportunities, programs, and better infrastructure are crucial. At the very least, he hopes that the country hones our Filipino drivers and gives them proper support.
“If Filipinos can appreciate Formula One and the rest of what happens around global motorsports, then of course it goes without saying that they can support local motorsports.”
SEEKING OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE SPORT
Growing support for the community requires not only the people within the industry, but also those outside of it. Rivera has dedicated most of his time to the community, even becoming a motoring editor to obtain another avenue to show his dedication to the sport. He believes that the media can do more to make motorsports more accessible to the people who don’t already follow the sport, adding that there are races far more accessible than the big ones in Clark, Batangas, and Tarlac.
“Like slalom races, autocross races, which are held in enclosed public areas or mall parking lots. That’s also another way to start before heading to the big racetracks themselves. And yeah, it’s really just giving more information to everybody,” he says.
“Let the word out that motorsports in the Philippines is bigger than what people actually see.”
LIVING IN THE MOMENT
Both in life and on the track, Rivera believes that it’s important to not get ahead of oneself despite the speed. The process of getting there is as vital as the goal of winning.
“I’ve since learned to take everything one step at a time: one turn, one sector, one lap, and one race at a time, letting each step naturally lead to the next. While we anticipate the road ahead to aid our decision-making, none of it matters if we don’t get the “now” right,” he says.
“For me, living in the moment as a competitor is no different from maximizing the moment.”
Although he no longer has as many driving opportunities as he did when he was younger, his hunger for the race remains. “I stay prepared for the next opening. Although those moments are never guaranteed, I focus on capitalizing on the present. That way, when the ‘opportunity’ does come, I’m more than ready to rockRockA guitar-driven genre that grew from rhythm and blues in the 1950s and splintered into countless styles, from punk and metal to alternative. With a long history of rebellion andGo to Rock Glossary and roll.”
Rivera applies this same philosophy to mentorship. Talent and skills matter, but so does being completely present and having the guts to seize an opportunity. To him, that’s what gets one to the breakthrough. Ultimately, having been involved in the sport through various roles, Rivera has found that his place in motorsports is no longer defined by just a single role. Whether he’s Milo Rivera the racer, or the coach, or the manager, or the editor, all of these positions retain his connection to the sport he dearly loves.
And perhaps, that is the most fitting way for him to give back to the sport that, as he said, has given him so much. According to Rivera, it is his utmost pleasure to contribute to someone’s success even from behind the scenes. “I hope that today’s and tomorrow’s athletes appreciate every moment they’re in and translate that appreciation into performance.”
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Milo Rivera is an award-winning Filipino racer. Beyond being on track, he is actively involved in the automotive scene as a coach, team manager, and motoring editor.
Milo Rivera started racing when he was only 12 years old. He has spent almost two decades in the sport.
One of his recent victories came at the 2025 Petron Makabayan Cup after his team, Team MSCC Mazda, swept all three legs of the tournament. Rivera said it was a new chapter for him after getting used to racing by himself.
Filipino racer Milo Rivera said there are local slalom races, autocross races, which are held in enclosed public areas or mall parking lots, that people can go to.
According to Milo Rivera, more lucrative opportunities, programs, and better infrastructure are needed to push the industry forward. At the very least, he hopes that the country hones our Filipino drivers and gives them proper support.
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