On a drenched Sunday afternoon, drivers of the National Slalom Series didn't allow anything, even a typhoon, stop them from racing in the series' fourth leg last May 8, 2011 at the Robinsons Nova Market in Quezon City. As day turned into night, the parking lot course soon became a fast-flowing river. In the treacherous conditions, competitors had to race against time and the elements with minimal visibility. But after a tightly-fought battle, only one name came out on top. Noel Rivera of Team Fern C didn't let the elements slow him down as he crossed the line bagging the day's best Production and Overall time of 61.36 secs.
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Slalom
Words and photos by Christopher Kho
The 2011 Lateral Drift Championship shapes up as it takes the sideways action back to the city. Though the drift arena at the Quirino Grandstand may not be as big as Clark, it most certainly makes up for it with its “in-your-face” tire-burning rush. The overcast sky might have hidden the sun, but the pavement and excitement are still as hot as ever. The special third leg of the championship was dubbed as the “GBX Cup” and got the rubber down last April 30, 2011 in Manila.
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Drifting
Words and photos by Christopher Kho
After the dust settled, no one expected Sunday's leg would see a lot more action, carnage, and even a bit of controversy. The scorching-hot weather didn't fair any better at the Clark International Speedway, but the action was certainly better at the 2nd round of the 2011 Lateral Drift Championship held last April 17.
The second round's course layout went through the circuit's infamous chicanes, bringing down the speed but increased excitement. And after a day's worth of drifting, almost all the drivers got their craft back on track which warranted man and machine to be pushed to their limits.
Published in
Drifting
Words and photos by Christopher Kho
Instead of cooling down in the beach in the middle of a searing summer weekend, the 2011 Lateral Drift Championship soaked up the sun for some smoking-hot sideways action, as rounds 1 and 2 of this year's championship got underway at the Clark International Speedway (CIS) in Pampanga last April 16 and 17. After a seven month break, 21 of the country's best drifters are back to burn more tires. Big names such as Perez, Rodriquez, Choachuy, and Tayao fought hard for the title from the word go, but there were others that shined through as the weekend unfolded.
The higher entry speeds of the track demanded a lot more commitment and finesse from the drivers. But since the championship already paid a visit to this venue last year, they should all be familiar with its challenges.
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Drifting
After missing out on the top spot of the podium in the series' first two races, Dr. Peewee Mendiola of Big Chill Racing is back on track as he reigns victorious at the third leg of the 2011 RMSC National Slalom Series. The race was held last April 17, 2011 at the NFA Compound in Cabanatuan City where Mendiola aced his closest rivals Nino Sarte and Noel Rivera. He captured the fastest overall time of 44.28 secs early in the event which remained unbeatable throughout the day. The flawless run was also classified as the Production Class' best time.
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Slalom
The Race Motorsports Club recently concluded the 1st race of its 3 leg Slalom Invitational series for 2011 held last April 9 at the Francisco Ortega Highway in San Fernando La Union. The Slalom Invitational is RMSC's way to give the racers from the National Slalom Series a break to rest and recuperate. The Invitational also doesn't earn any points to the National Series to open it up to all racers and first-timers. Racers from and around the region flocked in to take on challenge forming a total of 30 classes, including a special VW and SUV class. And after a day's worth of engine-revving and tire-screeching action, Michael Mendoza of Team Toolbox came out victorious as he set the best Overall, Production, and Front Wheel time by clocking in a run of 39.16 secs. Teammate Don Calamanan then topped the Novice class with a best time of 40.00 secs while Jet Ramos of Team JDA Benil Baguio was the day's 3rd fastest with his 41.56 run. Closing up the leaderboard were Imay Datu of BAF and Ramzy Kairuz who finished 4th and 5th respectively with their 41.64 and 41.68 sec run times.
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Slalom
Noel Rivera of the FERN C Racing team comes out on top yet again at the 2nd leg of the RMSC National Slalom Series held last March 27, 2011 at the SM City Sucat parking lot Building A. The new venue gave the competitors a bigger track area to run on, which translated to faster speeds and more exhilarating action. Acing his closest rival Dr. Peewee Mendiola, Rivera repeated his victory and clinched the Overall and Production Series Best Time with his 49.58 secs run. On the other hand, Mendiola of Bill Chill Racing just missed out on the victory by less than a second. Although he was fortunate enough to come in a close second place after sorting out his Toyota Starlet's mechanical problems and clocked in a time of 50.30 secs. Another top driver, Nino Sarte of DKC Racing took the last step on the podium by finishing in third. His respectable time of 50.48 secs also bagged him the Front Wheel Best Time of the day. Coming in at fourth and fifth positions were Jojo Camacho of Big Chill Racing and Milo Rivera of Fern C Racing with their times of 50.60 and 50.78 secs respectively. Finally, Hans Christian Melosantos of Cabanatuan Auto Club Racing Team also had a repeat of his victory by topping the Novice Best Time by clocking in a 53.10 sec run.
Published in
Slalom
14 March 2011
Standing the Test of Time: 2011 STV Auto Rally
Words and photos by Christopher Kho
Driving under the Ford / Mazda Team banner for the 2nd year running, I was confident that we're going to win the STV Auto Rally...again. Called to defend the championship title after a successful finish in the 2010 edition of the Auto Rally Corporate Challenge (ARCC), I had two new crew members on board for this year's rally. Completing the Kotse.com family, Ferman Lao now took the driver's seat while Jade Lu did all the numbers, and I was in charge of directions once more. Our trio headed into battle last March 5, which began at the Subic International Airport, looking good in a hot chili orange Ford Fiesta hatchback.
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Rally
