A four-driver crew making up Team Raceform Garage kept a blistering pace down to the last second in a Mazda MX5 to cap off a decisive victory in the 2019 Petron Kalayaan Cup 12-hour car endurance race at Clark International Speedway in Pampanga recently.
With Antonio Brias, Don Pastor, Enrique Hormillo and Jason Chuachuy alternating at the wheel, the souped-up 2016-model Global Cup machine completed 274 laps around the 4.2-kilometer circuit in the annual Independence Day competition that was flagged off before sunrise and ended at sunset.
To illustrate its whopping victory in both the Open division and Class 1, Raceform Garage’s Mazda outraced the second-placed BMW E46 M3 of Autoperformance Motorsports by nine laps, or the equivalent of around 36 km.
The troika of Stefan Ramirez, Jeff Borja and Milo Rivera kept the BMW within sight of the Mazda until before midmorning when the eventual winners’ impressive share-driving techniques and their car’s better preparation gradually increased separation.
Team BRE, with Benjamin Go, Denzel Cham, John Diego, Bubi Camus and Kevin Sugdan driving a Toyota Yaris, finished 259 laps and third overall, while ruling Class 3 in both the 12-hour and 4-hour races of the annual competition sponsored by Petron, Monster Energy Drink, Aisin, Elektro Werk, Toptul, 2020 Convenience Stores, Sparko and Pegasus Halogen Bulbs.
Tora-Tora Petron, with Chad Parian, Walter Rillorta, Francis delos Reyes and Paolo Yaptinchay alternating in a Honda Civic EG Hatchback, nailed second in Class 1, ahead of another Autoperformance crew in a BMW E36 M3, which pitted in the sixth lap to change engines and drew cheers when it returned to the track nine hours later to eventually complete 76 laps.
Petron Blaze’s Mon Dimapilis, Danby Yaptinchay, Ditrie Villacorta and Allen Escoto topped Class 2 in a Honda EK on 220 laps.
Other winners: Manufacturers’ Class—GAC Motor 2019 GA4 1.5 li (248 laps); 4-hour races: Class 1—Optima FS, Toyota Corolla; Class 2—Team Jackpot, 2000 Honda Civic.