Torres pounces on absent series leader, rules GT leg

Willie Torres took advantage of the absence of Japanese series leader Kunihiro Iwatsuki to sweep the fifth leg of the 2016 Yokohama Philippine Grand Touring Car Championships at Batangas Racing Circuit.

The defending GT300 champion Torres topped both the morning’s Sprint race and the GT Main Race over Ramil de Vera and Edwin Rodriguez.

He posted the quickest lap time of 1 minute and 50.775 seconds to rule the nine-lap Sprint race for the GT300 plum, besting De Vera and Rodriguez by a full lap.

In finishing second overall in the GT300 race, De Vera settled for the GT100 title over Rodriguez, who moved up to second overall in the Yokohama Grand Touring Car Driver of the Year  derby with 154 points.

Torres also lapped the rest of the field in the GT Main Race to seal his sweep of both races.

Rodriguez could still bag the Driver of the Year title if he rules the sixth and final leg this weekend, also at BRC, and Iwatsuki, who was absent due to a prior commitment, fails to show up anew. —Steve Silva, contributor