9tro

05/12/2024

(Original Date Published: 13 Mar 2018)
[Part 2]
2018 FlatOut Race Series - Round 1

Clark, Philippines – It was the perfect start to the FlatOut Race Series' (FORS) 2018 season when 109-entries took to the Clark International Speedway (CIS) last third of March.

Sanctioned by the Automobile Association Philippines (AAP), the field was filled with familiar faces and veteran racers who competed in the day's Time Attack and Grid races. But as the country's premier grassroots motorsports event, it also welcomed several first timers who came with their daily-driven cars. These new drivers filled up 29 slots in Bracket F and G where they learned how to race properly on the track.

Time Attack
Rafael la O' was able to shave several tenths off his previous lap record around the 4.189km circuit with a 2 minutes and 10.477 seconds best. This was enough to earn the driver of the GT Radial SX2-equipped #1 Honda Civic EK first place in Bracket A and R. Team Nawna Racing's Gabby Sohu was second with a 2 minutes 11.420 seconds, while last year's champ Eduardo Suiza still managed to bag third in a borrowed W-Autosport / Staging Lanes Honda Civic EG.

A newly-built engine helped Andrew De Asis in the Blanche Racing Honda Civic secure the win in Bracket B by almost a full second. Gabby's younger brother Raffy ended up in second, while MSDP graduate Paolo Santos claimed third.

Fellow Blanche Racing driver Christopher Pimentel enjoyed first place, this time in Bracket C. Behind him was Vios Cup ace Tonton Ramos who clocked a 2 minutes 20.925 seconds in the Forcedspeed Honda Civic, followed by Carmudi Racing's Polo Bautista in third.

Only 0.524 seconds separated the top drivers in Bracket D. The fastest was 17-year-old Julian Paul Neri of Cebu Racing Group (CRG) who beat 10 other cars to take first place. Impressively, this was his very first time in a race car, on his first track experience. His teammate Jojo Lloren was in a close second and Carlos Marzo was third. Avin Villaseñor, Paul Ongcuangco, and Darrel Ceña rounded up podium spots in Bracket E.

FORS first-timer Mark Anton David showed good performance in his Toyota Yaris to win in Bracket F, fending off the Ford Focus of Raymond Ryan Cudala in second and the Ford Fiesta of Peter Amiel Del Mundo in third. Coming all the way from Baguio, Gilbert Orpilla and his Honda Civic EF set the best time amongst 18 drivers in Bracket G to take first place.

Grid Race
A huge 18-car field took to the starting line of the combined Grid A, B, and C race. With his pace, Rafael la O' was unstoppable and won with a comfortable 13.681 seconds lead in Grid A. Despite having about half the amount of power, Eduardo Suiza did his best hold onto second and finished second. Gaby Sohu was a long way behind in third.

It was a 4-way battle between Paolo Santos in the Mitsubishi Evolution 6 and the Honda Civics of Andrew De Asis, Jun Cabrera, and Raffy Sohu. They were nose-to-tail throughout the 9-lap race with Santos crossing the finish line first by a small 0.205 seconds advantage. De Asis attempted to take the lead but was unsuccessful. He ended the race in second, while Cabrera was third.

Francis Roger Telan finished first in Bracket C, followed by Tonton Ramos in second and Paul Santos in third.

Carporn Racing's Errol Panganiban jumped to an early lead in Grid D. However, he and the Mazda MX-5 ND dropped back when the group of Bernard Michael Santos, Carlos Marzo, and Andre Makkina Tan barged their way through as they battled for the lead. Tan would end up with first, followed by Marzo in second, and MDSP graduate Santos in third.

In Grid E, it looked as if Felix Chua won by a mile, but a post-race inspection showed that he broke out of the bracket time and was penalised. This handed the win to Jeremy Jimenez, while Peter Amiel Del Mundo and Mars Ocampo claimed second and third places, respectively.

After a short break, the FlatOut Race Series will return to the Clark International Speedway for Round 2 on 7th April 2018.

For more info or inquiries, visit the FlatOut Race Series page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/FlatOutRaceSeries).

The 2018 Flat Out Race Series (FORS) is sponsored by KYB – New SR Special, RECARO, SmartFuels, Staunch Performance x DynoJet, Carporn Racing, Hazardboy Performance, Seiken Japan, Tes Advertising, and Tuason Racing School. It's supported by 2ndGen Insurance, Aeromed, Driftmob, Pro Simulation Karera (PSK), and Walter Lights and Sounds. Media partners include 9tro Alliance, ABS-CBN Sports and Action, AutoCar Philippines, AutoDeal.com.ph, AutoIndustriya.com, C! Magazine, CarGuide.Ph, Carmudi.com.ph, Ignition.PH, JamesDeakin.Ph, JDM Underground, Manila Bulletin Drive, Motoring Today, Motortech.Ph, Pit Talk Asia, The Score, and Time Attack Manila.

Text By: FlatOut Race Series (FORS)
Photos By: Jeremiah Lopez
Additional Photos By: James Dungo

05/12/2024

(Original Date Published: 13 Mar 2018)
[Part 1]
2018 FlatOut Race Series - Round 1

Clark, Philippines – It was the perfect start to the FlatOut Race Series' (FORS) 2018 season when 109-entries took to the Clark International Speedway (CIS) last third of March.

Sanctioned by the Automobile Association Philippines (AAP), the field was filled with familiar faces and veteran racers who competed in the day's Time Attack and Grid races. But as the country's premier grassroots motorsports event, it also welcomed several first timers who came with their daily-driven cars. These new drivers filled up 29 slots in Bracket F and G where they learned how to race properly on the track.

Time Attack
Rafael la O' was able to shave several tenths off his previous lap record around the 4.189km circuit with a 2 minutes and 10.477 seconds best. This was enough to earn the driver of the GT Radial SX2-equipped #1 Honda Civic EK first place in Bracket A and R. Team Nawna Racing's Gabby Sohu was second with a 2 minutes 11.420 seconds, while last year's champ Eduardo Suiza still managed to bag third in a borrowed W-Autosport / Staging Lanes Honda Civic EG.

A newly-built engine helped Andrew De Asis in the Blanche Racing Honda Civic secure the win in Bracket B by almost a full second. Gabby's younger brother Raffy ended up in second, while MSDP graduate Paolo Santos claimed third.

Fellow Blanche Racing driver Christopher Pimentel enjoyed first place, this time in Bracket C. Behind him was Vios Cup ace Tonton Ramos who clocked a 2 minutes 20.925 seconds in the Forcedspeed Honda Civic, followed by Carmudi Racing's Polo Bautista in third.

Only 0.524 seconds separated the top drivers in Bracket D. The fastest was 17-year-old Julian Paul Neri of Cebu Racing Group (CRG) who beat 10 other cars to take first place. Impressively, this was his very first time in a race car, on his first track experience. His teammate Jojo Lloren was in a close second and Carlos Marzo was third. Avin Villaseñor, Paul Ongcuangco, and Darrel Ceña rounded up podium spots in Bracket E.

FORS first-timer Mark Anton David showed good performance in his Toyota Yaris to win in Bracket F, fending off the Ford Focus of Raymond Ryan Cudala in second and the Ford Fiesta of Peter Amiel Del Mundo in third. Coming all the way from Baguio, Gilbert Orpilla and his Honda Civic EF set the best time amongst 18 drivers in Bracket G to take first place.

Grid Race
A huge 18-car field took to the starting line of the combined Grid A, B, and C race. With his pace, Rafael la O' was unstoppable and won with a comfortable 13.681 seconds lead in Grid A. Despite having about half the amount of power, Eduardo Suiza did his best hold onto second and finished second. Gaby Sohu was a long way behind in third.

It was a 4-way battle between Paolo Santos in the Mitsubishi Evolution 6 and the Honda Civics of Andrew De Asis, Jun Cabrera, and Raffy Sohu. They were nose-to-tail throughout the 9-lap race with Santos crossing the finish line first by a small 0.205 seconds advantage. De Asis attempted to take the lead but was unsuccessful. He ended the race in second, while Cabrera was third.

Francis Roger Telan finished first in Bracket C, followed by Tonton Ramos in second and Paul Santos in third.

Carporn Racing's Errol Panganiban jumped to an early lead in Grid D. However, he and the Mazda MX-5 ND dropped back when the group of Bernard Michael Santos, Carlos Marzo, and Andre Makkina Tan barged their way through as they battled for the lead. Tan would end up with first, followed by Marzo in second, and MDSP graduate Santos in third.

In Grid E, it looked as if Felix Chua won by a mile, but a post-race inspection showed that he broke out of the bracket time and was penalised. This handed the win to Jeremy Jimenez, while Peter Amiel Del Mundo and Mars Ocampo claimed second and third places, respectively.

After a short break, the FlatOut Race Series will return to the Clark International Speedway for Round 2 on 7th April 2018.

For more info or inquiries, visit the FlatOut Race Series page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/FlatOutRaceSeries).

The 2018 Flat Out Race Series (FORS) is sponsored by KYB – New SR Special, RECARO, SmartFuels, Staunch Performance x DynoJet, Carporn Racing, Hazardboy Performance, Seiken Japan, Tes Advertising, and Tuason Racing School. It's supported by 2ndGen Insurance, Aeromed, Driftmob, Pro Simulation Karera (PSK), and Walter Lights and Sounds. Media partners include 9tro Alliance, ABS-CBN Sports and Action, AutoCar Philippines, AutoDeal.com.ph, AutoIndustriya.com, C! Magazine, CarGuide.Ph, Carmudi.com.ph, Ignition.PH, JamesDeakin.Ph, JDM Underground, Manila Bulletin Drive, Motoring Today, Motortech.Ph, Pit Talk Asia, The Score, and Time Attack Manila.

Text By: FlatOut Race Series (FORS)
Photos By: Jeremiah Lopez
Additional Photos By: James Dungo

05/12/2024

(Original Date Published: 10 Feb 2018)
[Part 2]
2018 Supersonic Touge Max! Time Attack - Round 1

Singapore - With its overwhelming success in 2017, Supersonic's Touge Max! Time Attack championship is now into its third year and the organisers have partnered with ACMA Engineering to rebrand the 2018 series as the ACMA Touge Max! Time Attack.

Round 1 was held at the Kuala Lumpur Elite Speedway - a new circuit for the series - on the 21st January 2018. Whilst everyone was relatively familiar with the Melaka International Motorsport Circuit (MIMC), the organisers upped the ante with a new challenging circuit to bring in new elements and challenges to further test and challenge the skills of the ever in increasing participants.

In the coming year, the Kuala Lumpur Elite Speedway will be used for Round 3 (May 2018) and Round 5 (September 2018) in both clockwise and the anticlockwise format - bringing a total of four track layouts to the series for the year.

Very few Singaporean drivers or trackies for that matter have had experience driving at the Kuala Lumpur Elite Speedway. Despite this, the organizers reached out to the community and all slots for Round 1 were fully taken up.

Starting slightly off schedule due to the further distance from Singapore and after the mandatory safety briefing, the first heats started smoothly and all the drivers were advised to go slow and learn the track before going all out.

With the experience gained from 2016 and 2017, the talent and skill level of the drivers translated to some amazing quick times right off the bat - that many did not expect.

Unfortunately, second heats were disrupted by the rain and the time attack heats were suspended for safety reasons.

With the onset of rain that persisted beyond an hour, the organisers made the decision to conclude round one after just two heats to avoid participants from chasing lap times while risking their own safety. While its a shame, safety always take priority as much as the desire to go beyond limits.

Once again, the fastest lap of the day went to Shane Ang clocking 52.22 seconds.

Some participants brought up track tyres to ensure they make the best out of the day.

The next round will be help on 18th March 2018 at Melaka International Motorsports Circuit. Tune in to www.supersonicdp.com/tougemax for more details.

Check out the results from the event below:

Fastest timing of the day
Shane Ang - 52.22 seconds

Class 1
Champion - Larry Chen Lancer CS3 54.27 seconds (Team Supersonic)
2nd Place - Jonathan Tan lancer CS3 56.14 seconds (833 Garage)
3rd place - Jian Ming MX-5 56.34 seconds

Class 2
Champion - Lester Neo Subaru BRZ 54.02 seconds (Team Supersonic)
2nd place - Kenneth Ho Toyota GT86 54.46 seconds (Team Supersonic)
3rd place - Zai Dan Toyota GT86 58.50secs

Class 3
Champion - Gavin Ang VW Scirocco 1.4 54.46 seconds (Team Supersonic)
2nd place - Tommy VW Scirocco 1.4 54.47seconds (Team Supersonic)
3rd place - Tiew Kah Hwee VW Golf tsi 1.4 58.48 seconds

Class V-Tec
Champion - Mike Chan Fd2r 53.28 seconds (SK Garage)
2nd place - Norman Souza S2000 54.95 seconds (Team Supersonic)
3rd place Asafiy - Honda Civic EG6 55.08 seconds (Kf1)

Open Class
Champion Shane Ang - Evo 9 52.22 seconds (Team Supersonic)
2nd place - Sen Koh Toyota GT86 53.21 seconds (Team Supersonic)
3rd place - Gu Zong Li Evo 10 54.38 seconds (Team SSC)

Support class:
Lotus Cup
Champion - Lance Chua Lotus Exige S 53.99 seconds

Text and Photos By: Wei Jie Sng

05/12/2024

(Original Date Published: 10 Feb 2018)
[Part 1]
2018 Supersonic Touge Max! Time Attack - Round 1

Singapore - With its overwhelming success in 2017, Supersonic's Touge Max! Time Attack championship is now into its third year and the organisers have partnered with ACMA Engineering to rebrand the 2018 series as the ACMA Touge Max! Time Attack.

Round 1 was held at the Kuala Lumpur Elite Speedway - a new circuit for the series - on the 21st January 2018. Whilst everyone was relatively familiar with the Melaka International Motorsport Circuit (MIMC), the organisers upped the ante with a new challenging circuit to bring in new elements and challenges to further test and challenge the skills of the ever in increasing participants.

In the coming year, the Kuala Lumpur Elite Speedway will be used for Round 3 (May 2018) and Round 5 (September 2018) in both clockwise and the anticlockwise format - bringing a total of four track layouts to the series for the year.

Very few Singaporean drivers or trackies for that matter have had experience driving at the Kuala Lumpur Elite Speedway. Despite this, the organizers reached out to the community and all slots for Round 1 were fully taken up.

Starting slightly off schedule due to the further distance from Singapore and after the mandatory safety briefing, the first heats started smoothly and all the drivers were advised to go slow and learn the track before going all out.

With the experience gained from 2016 and 2017, the talent and skill level of the drivers translated to some amazing quick times right off the bat - that many did not expect.

Unfortunately, second heats were disrupted by the rain and the time attack heats were suspended for safety reasons.

With the onset of rain that persisted beyond an hour, the organisers made the decision to conclude round one after just two heats to avoid participants from chasing lap times while risking their own safety. While its a shame, safety always take priority as much as the desire to go beyond limits.

Once again, the fastest lap of the day went to Shane Ang clocking 52.22 seconds.

Some participants brought up track tyres to ensure they make the best out of the day.

The next round will be help on 18th March 2018 at Melaka International Motorsports Circuit. Tune in to www.supersonicdp.com/tougemax for more details.

Check out the results from the event below:

Fastest timing of the day
Shane Ang - 52.22 seconds

Class 1
Champion - Larry Chen Lancer CS3 54.27 seconds (Team Supersonic)
2nd Place - Jonathan Tan lancer CS3 56.14 seconds (833 Garage)
3rd place - Jian Ming MX-5 56.34 seconds

Class 2
Champion - Lester Neo Subaru BRZ 54.02 seconds (Team Supersonic)
2nd place - Kenneth Ho Toyota GT86 54.46 seconds (Team Supersonic)
3rd place - Zai Dan Toyota GT86 58.50secs

Class 3
Champion - Gavin Ang VW Scirocco 1.4 54.46 seconds (Team Supersonic)
2nd place - Tommy VW Scirocco 1.4 54.47seconds (Team Supersonic)
3rd place - Tiew Kah Hwee VW Golf tsi 1.4 58.48 seconds

Class V-Tec
Champion - Mike Chan Fd2r 53.28 seconds (SK Garage)
2nd place - Norman Souza S2000 54.95 seconds (Team Supersonic)
3rd place Asafiy - Honda Civic EG6 55.08 seconds (Kf1)

Open Class
Champion Shane Ang - Evo 9 52.22 seconds (Team Supersonic)
2nd place - Sen Koh Toyota GT86 53.21 seconds (Team Supersonic)
3rd place - Gu Zong Li Evo 10 54.38 seconds (Team SSC)

Support class:
Lotus Cup
Champion - Lance Chua Lotus Exige S 53.99 seconds

Text and Photos By: Wei Jie Sng

04/12/2024

doesn't just dominate the racing circuit, they apply their experience and know-how when developing all their road-applications as well! Giving you the confidence to push faster and go farther for years to come!

03/12/2024

02/12/2024

(Original Date Published: 22 Jan 2018)
2018 Hankook Dubai 24 Hours - Race Report

Dubai, UAE - Lim Keong Wee and Melvin Moh got their 2018 season off to a great start with a third place podium finish in the SPX class at the Dubai 24 Hours race driving a Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo with their team mates Oliver Webb, Aleksander Schjerpen and Tadas Volbikas.

After a two year absence, both Keong Wee and Melvin returned to the iconic endurance race together with Leipert Motorsport, a professional race team from Germany. The 24 hour of Dubai has a long reputation as one of the biggest and most challenging races in the calendar due to its large grid and hot weather. The 2018 edition is no different from previous iterations had a combined grid of 94 cars with over 11 categories ranging from GT3, 991 Porsches, GT4 and Touring Cars.

Here’s a day by day account of the events that led up to the podium finish for Lim Keong Wee and Melvin Moh!

Wednesday
Paid Practice 1 and 2 started on Wednesday where the five drivers took turns to get familiarised with the car and track, and then started working on setup for race day.

Thursday
During Official Practice 1 and 2, the drivers did laps to further fine tune the setup of the car before qualifying. In Qualifying, Oliver Webb was tasked to qualify the car as he was the most experienced driver in the car and on the Dubai Autodrome circuit. True to form, Oliver managed to put the car on pole in the SPX class with a lap time of 2 minutes.

Friday-Saturday Race Day

The race started at 2PM local time and Oliver again was tasked to start the race from P1 in the SPX Class. After a trouble free race start, he lost the lead in the pitstop during the Code 60 to the Porsche 991 MR CUP II from Tsunami R.T. He handed the car over to Keong Wee in P2 during the driver change and from there on all drivers drove well and consistently with very close lap times between themselves.

This enabled the team to make an easy decision where all drivers did double stints of a maximum of two hours as a strategy to minimise time spent with refuelling and driver changes. Throughout the night and into the early morning, the Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo from Leipert Motorsport managed to stay within the top three spots.

As the team went into the final two hours of the race, Leipert Motorsports was comfortably in second position and the team opted for Melvin to be the final driver change to bring the car home. Tragedy struck with 1.5 hours left to go when a Porsche 991 CUP from another class lost control and spun into the side of the Lamborghini. Melvin was able to bring the car back to the pits though the oil cooler was damaged in the incident. Unfortunately, the team was not able to repair the damage and had to retire the car.

The entire team were disappointed with the situation as it was due to another driver's error. However, their efforts were not completely wasted as they still managed to finish third in class. This was mainly due to their incident free race where they managed to build a big gap between P4 and P5 in class and it was clear that their competitors were not able to catch up with 1.5 hours to go.

Comments

Melvin: Of course I'm very disappointed to not finish the race especially when an incident like this happened through no fault of my own. During my last stint, my mindset was to take it easy as there was a huge gap behind us. To have someone lost control and hit into your car is really a bad feeling.

I felt very sorry for all members and drivers in the team after all the hard work they have put in at the beginning of the week. On the bright side, at least we still managed to get onto the podium. Nevertheless, I would want to thank my team mates and all team members from Leipert Motorsport, all of them put in a lot of effort into this race weekend. Also a big thanks to 18by3 and 9tro for the support!

Keong Wee: Obviously this isn't the best way to finish a race with an incident happening this close to the end. Looking at the positive side, it is pretty rare to have team-mates like Aleks, Oliver and Tadas where we had pretty close lap times and drove clean stints. The combination of good communication, strategy and skills between drivers and the crew at Leipert made this race really enjoyable for me.

Whenever the race got tight between us and our competitors, we managed to pull ahead with a lead. I really have to thank the crew at Leipert Motorsport for preparing a well balanced and reliable car for us to compete in. We certainly can't complain starting the year with a podium finish!

Ingo Leipert – Team Manager, Leipert Motorsport: We experienced a brilliant weekend until the second last hour of the race. Drivers and crew did a very good job and the car ran faultless through the whole weekend. A contact like this with another car is a drama to all of us.

Anyway because of the strong performance during the race we finished as best Lamborghini team and secured a third position in class which is a good result to start the season. We’ll be back already in two weeks to fight for the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Middle East championship and looking forward again to good results.

Text By: Lim Keong Wee, Melvin Moh
Photos By: P. Fryba

02/12/2024

(Original Date Published: 08 Dec 2017)
2017 Philippine Endurance Challenge - Interview with BRP Racing 2

Clark, Philippines - Two SingaporeKarts grassroot fun Karters joined three veteran drivers to compete in the 8 hours International Philippine Endurance Challenge on 3rd December 2017. This is the first time Jonathan Lim (SGP) and Ray Tong (SGP) have taken part in a international car racing event. After the race, SingaporeKarts interviewed both of them on their unforgettable experience.

SK: How did you feel before getting into the fully prepared race car?

JL & RT: It was very nervous moment when we first got into the car during the official practice on Saturday. We did a lot of endurance kart racing and also some simulator races before this international endurance race but the whole feeling is totally different.

SK: Besides Karting, what other racing experience do you have?

JL & RT: We did some time attacks and track days with our own cars in Malaysia but nothing compared to this.

SK: You guys got 5th place in your category for this race. Are you satisfied with the result?

JL & RT: First of all, we would like to thank our Philippine crew members for preparing such a wonderful car for this race. However, we hit into some engine issues during our practice and the crew needed to rebuild the engine overnight before Sunday's race and we missed our qualifying session on Saturday. Also, during the race the rear brake was getting too hot therefore we missed the opportunity to get into the top three. Anyway, we would like to come back stronger next year if the opportunity allows.

SK: Any other things to add on?

JL & RT: We would like to thank Kenneth Wong for giving us this opportunity to race overseas. Karting built the foundation of racing for us and made us better prepared for any kind of motorsports. Our teammates James Ling and Tony Chooi gave us a lot of tips during and before the race mentally and practically. A big thanks to all!

Text By: SingaporeKarts
Photo By: Team 9tro

02/12/2024

(Original Date Published: 08 Dec 2017)
[Part 2]
2017 Philippine Endurance Challenge: 8 Oras ng Pilipinas

Clark, Philippines - The world of endurance racing is one of the toughest and most challenging competitions in motorsports. From race drivers and their teams, everyone is physically and mentally prepared for the long hours involved in endurance racing.

Last year, 9tro participated in the 2016 Sepang 1000km Endurance Race (S1K) with Kegani's race-prepped Suzuki Swift Sports driven by our 9tro’s very own Hong Tsui, Gerald Tan and Shawn Peh. The trio took top honours after a whopping 181 laps around Sepang International Circuit.

That same year we also covered the 12 Hours of Sepang allowing us to experience first hand just how exhausting an endurance race can be for the media, left alone the race teams! There is no doubt that everyone involved has to be at the peak of health to endure the stresses and pressures exerted during the heat of a race.

With a wealth of knowledge and experience behind us, Team 9tro Philippines was onsite to cover the 2017 Philippine Endurance Challenge - 8 Oras Ng Pilipinas, the longest running endurance race in the country.

Held on the 2nd and 3rd of December at Clark International Speedway (CIS) with a total of 32 race teams and 114 race drivers that competed in based production modified and non modified cars except for one prototype vehicle Formula V1 race car that is also known as the Vita-01 in Japan.

Requirements for the race include a minimum of two and up to a maximum of six personnel per team that includes the pit crew. The Philippine Endurance Challenge (PEC) was grateful to have foreign race drivers, hailing from Japan (Eggy Ong, Kunihiro Iwatsuki, Tetsuya Omura) from Team Motul 602PTG driving a Toyota Vitz also know here as the Toyota Yaris, from Singapore (Kenneth Wong, Jonathan Lim, James Ling, Ray Tong, Tony Chooi) from Team BRP Racing 2 driving a Toyota Corolla AE101 and from Australia (Emily Duggan, Jimmy Vernon) from Team SmartFuel2Race driving a Honda Civic EG hatch.

There were a total of six classes at PEC, these include:
RP Class - Open class for off-road race cars.
FM-1 Class - for cars with more than 150hp.
FM-2 Class - for cars between 100hp to 149hp.
FM-3 Class - for cars with very minor modifications having less than 100hp.
Manufacturer Cup - for stock cars and non-modified cars.
Formula Class - the prototype Formula V1 will be in its own class.

Team PEC posted this up on their page, “On behalf of the organising team of PEC2017, we would like to thank all participants, drivers, mechanics, managers, crew, friends, family and fans for making 8 Oras ng Pilipinas a great success!”

The post continued with, “2017’s PEC featured the biggest grid and driver count ever with excellent driving from everyone. There was nearly no major accidents or mishaps with the safety car being only deployed once! This is also the first time that a majority of cars were able to make it to the chequered flag, showing how the teams have all improved their consistency, speed and reliability. Congratulations to all!”

Finally Team PEC signed off by saying, “we will definitely be preparing for next year with more passion and excitement, and hopefully with more support from participants and sponsors.”

Philippine Endurance Challenge has done it again, the 8 Oras ng Pilipinas endurance race was a tremendous success and we look forward to next year’s race.

PRESS RELEASE

The GT Radial x 8 Oras ng Pilipinas shattered multiple records when the 2017 edition of the country's longest endurance race got the green light on December 3. It saw a total of 114 drivers, with 31 cars running on SX2 tires, competing in 6 categories take to the starting line making it the biggest grid in its history. The #6 TRS Formula V1 also set a new milestone by covering 800 km in 191 laps around the Clark International Speedway (CIS) to take the overall win.

The lone prototype entry missed out on pole during qualifying to end up in P2. That prestige went to the #5 SmartFuels2Race Honda Civic where Jimmy Vernon set a 2:15.307 best.

Under the watchful eye of the Automobile Association Philippines (AAP), the race officially got underway at exactly 8:40 AM on Sunday. The field of RP, FM-1, FM-2, FM-3, Manufacturer's Cup, and Formula cars then began their grueling 8-hour Philippine Endurance Challenge (PEC).

SmartFuels2Race went flat out from the get-go and recorded the fastest lap of the race on the very first hour. Their lead, however, was short-lived by mechanical problems that forced them to spend most of the day in the garage for repairs. This saw the #19 Team Shell Helix - Big Chill, #1 Centrum Fuel - GT Radial, and its sister #25 Honda Civic trade places up front in the first half of the enduro.

Pit stop strategies also played a crucial role in gaining or losing track position. Teams were required to remain stationary for 2 full minutes to do a driver change and refuel, while only 2 mechanics were allowed to work on the car. With strict rules on safety, any errors were swiftly handled with a penalty.

Notable in this year's event were the number of female drivers. Emily Duggan and celebrity racer Gaby Dela Merced mixed it up with the boys, while Katherine Cañete finally stepped up to the full 8 hours after competing in the 4 Oras ng Pilipinas in June. Then there's AAP Motorsport Development Program (MSDP) graduate Hazel Ramirez who made her PEC debut in the Mazda 2 SkyActiv.

Another highlight for this year's 8 Oras ng Pilipinas were the international entries. They represented Australia for SmartFuels2Race, Japan for Motul – 602PTG, and Singapore in the #9 BRP Racing Toyota Corolla.

The green #25 Centrum Fuel - GT Radial car held onto the lead for several hours and looked to be on route to repeat its 2015 victory. But with a strong pace and careful planning, the #6 TRS Formula V1 of Mike Tuason, Ferdie Ong, Bjorn Ongtiaobok, Loius Ramirez, and Luis Gono moved up to 1st place overall with only 12 minutes to go. After 8 hours of racing, it would cross the finish line to win on its debut.

Emerson Ocampo and Migui Briones in the #25 car fought well to eventually claim 2nd overall and 1st in RP class. 3rd overall and 2nd in RP was the #19 Team Shell Helix - Big Chill of Peewee Mendiola, Paolo Santos, Dax Santiano, and Milo Rivera. Behind them was last year's winner the yellow #1 Centrum Fuel - GT Radial car of Mikko Briones and Daryl Flores.

PartsPro Racing snatched 1st in FM-1 from the #14 Team Cebu Honda Civic in the closing stages. This gave Tyson Sy, Stefano Marcelo, and father-and-son Carlos and Iñigo Anton the class victory by completing 186 laps. George Apacible, Stefan Ramirez, Enrique Hormillo, Francis Aguila, and Sung Joon Park were 3rd in the #17 BMW AutoPerformance M3.

FM-2's podium was a clean sweep by Team Cebu led by the #14 machine. They were trailed by their #13 Toyota Vios Cup Car of Markku Suarez, Brian Currie, Norris See, and Dr. Clive Fermin who also collected 1st place in FM-3. The #30 KYB SmartFuels Toyota Yaris of Steve Travers, Sherwin Bargos, and Jack Saquilayan ended up winning the Manufacturer's Cup.

30 out of the 31 starters made it to the chequered flag with all entries covering the full race distance on only a set of GT Radial SX2 tires. In addition, the safety car only had to be deployed once attesting to the teams' capabilities in 2017.

The Philippine Endurance Challenge 8 Oras ng Pilipinas is sponsored by GT Radial – Philippines, KYB, EPPCO, RECARO, Staging Lanes, Competition Clutch, SmartFuels, Seiken Brake Parts, Works Bell, 602PTG, Brodeth Motorsports, Tuason Racing School, OMP, Angeli Jewelry, and Tes Advertising. It's supported by Aguila Auto Glass, Pro Simulation Karera, Walter Lights and Sounds, Aeromed, CTR Suspension Parts, Driftmob Works Pilipinas, and 2ndGen Insurance. Media partners include 2NER Magazine, 9tro, ABS-CBN Sports and Action, AutoCar Philippines, AutoDeal.com.ph, AutoIndustriya.com, C! Magazine, CarGuide.Ph, Carmudi.com.ph, Ignition.Ph, JamesDeakin.Ph, JDM Underground, Manila Bulletin Drive, Pit Talk Asia, The Score, and Time Attack Manila.

Text, Photos and Videos By: Jeremiah Lopez
Additional Photos By: Aiby Pangan, James Dungo
Additional Credits: FlatOutRace Series