ALLEN Macaraig of the Maptan Racing Team showed that he is one of the country’s brightest speedsters on the horizon after winning the GT100 crown of the 2012 Philippine GT Championship Series recently at Clark International Speedway.
Macaraig, who plunged into the GT Championship tournament only early this year, appeared everything but a newcomer in the series as he dominated the GT100 division.
The Batangas City businessman was actually a drag racer and an off-roader before with the Balisong 4×4 Club, where he satisfied his competitive pang for racing.
“The challenge for something new was always there. I looked up to drivers like Jody Coseteng before, not knowing I’ll be sharing the same race course with them,” said Macaraig, who is backed by ChicBoy Batangas City, Pyrotech Solutions, Topgear Car Accressories, ALN Construction, Danber Fuel Gasoline Station, HKS Super Oil and Atlas International Maritime Services.
The move to try out circuit-racing paid off. In his first-ever GT race, Macaraig’s Honda Civic EK Hatchback was part of a smash-up that involved Stefano Marcelo and Veli Matti Kaikkonen.
But he pressed on. With distorted mags and a twisted steering wheel, Macaraig started from the back of the grid and slowly but surely made his way to the pole. He eventually won the 15-lap race and started a journey that culminated with yet another scintillating show at Clark circuit recently.
In the sixth and final leg of the series, Macaraig won the GT100 class (GT and Sprint Races) pulling away, beating Racing Judge and GT130 competitor Bayani Vargas by almost two laps.
After six legs of the GT series, Macaraig piled up a total of 295 points to capture the GT100 crown, with Korean Mickey Kim a far second with 155 points.
“I am so blessed. I never imagined all of these titles coming my way,” said Macaraig, who will test his mettle in next month’s Philippine Touring Car Championships.