Tiu clinches drag racing’s top driver title

Jonathan Tiu clinched drag racing’s Driver of the Year title with a powerful cap to an excellent season in the 2016 National Drag Racing Championship Northern Series at Clark International Speedway recently.

The multititled JCT Racing Team stalwart ruled the M&H Super Pro and the premiere M&H Pro divisions and swept all eight of the year’s Quick 8 races while resetting the fastest time at the Clark track to 8.578 seconds in his Nissan R35 machine.

Tiu also won the overall title in both the Northern Series at Clark and the Southern Series at Batangas Racing Circuit in the competition sanctioned by the Automobile Association Philippines.

He won the Quick 8 class with 120 points over teammate Jonathan Young (35), Jefferson DC Cruz (22) and Vanni Garcia of Vannitec (21).

Arvin Jay Millet, racing for TEMZ, cornered the Expert title after topping the Northern Series and finishing second to Jefferson dela Cruz in the Southern Series.

Stephen John Esguerra beat Angelo Miguel Mendoza and Michael Gonzales in the tie-breaker for the Sportsman championship. All three ended the eight-leg series with 20 points apiece. —STEVE SILVA, CONTRIBUTOR