With just a day after the 2017 FlatOut Race Series Round 4, the 3.7 Km Batangas Racing Circuit (BRC) saw another heated action as the inaugural GT Radial x 4 Oras Ng Pilipinas endurance race went underway.
The day was endowed with clear skies and sunny weather, a favorable condition for what would turn out to be an exciting prelude to the longer 8 Oras Ng Pilipinas which will happen on November 26.
At exactly 12:00 noon, the lights turned green with team Parts Pro Racing’s Tyson Sy and Paul Henderson Perez leading the pack. Things went on smoothly until 15 minutes later when team Smart Fuel’s car driven by Geoff Aguisanda and Don Freu suffered a race-ending engine failure. This prompted the safety car to briefly come in.
When the race resumed, Parts Pro Racing was still in the lead and showing a keen determination to defend it. However, frequent pit stops hounded its momentum, which gave team BMW-AutoPerformance’s Francis Aguila, Stefan Ramirez, and Enrique Hormillo a chance to shorten the gap and eventually come ahead.
BMW-AutoPerformance would take the overall race victory, as well as the top position in FM-1 Class, while Parts Pro Racing settled for 2nd (overall and FM-1 Class). Team Centrum-Rainbird’s Al Canete and Katherine Lim, on the other hand, took 3rd overall and 1st in RP Class, while team Carmudi’s John Diego, Ron Catindig, and Bubi Camus clinched 3rd in FM-1 Class.
The FM-2 Class, meanwhile, saw the domination of team KYB. The #9 car piloted by Steve Travers, Gay Dela Merced, Sherwin Bargos, Ryan De Lara, and Mars Ocampo took home 1st while the #7 car of Robert Tan, Edward Dela Rosa, Andrew De Asis, Robbie Alvarez, and JC Baguisa finished the 4-hour race in 2nd. Carmudi would then take another 3rd place victory as a result of team ATA’s Jonathan Nazareth, Deejay Rabara, George Jocson, and Mark Castro’s DNF in the closing minutes of the race.
In the end of the grueling 4-hour race, event organizer Philippine Endurance Challenge (PEC) presented the completed laps tally for each team. As it turns out, team KYB completed the most number of laps at 196 as a result of its 2 entries’ combined efforts in FM-2 Class. It was followed by team BMW-AutoPerformance which went around the track 108 times. Team Parts Pro Racing then came with a total of 107 completed laps, while team Centrum-Rainbird finished with 105 laps.
Although failing to finish the race, team ATA still managed to clock in a total count of 90 laps, while team Carmudi completed the race with 84 laps. Finally, team BRP had 68 laps and a 4th place FM-2 win for the record, thanks to the efforts of Pepon Marave, Charlie Cruz, Marvin Herrera, Frank Sauceda, and Michael Apacible.
The Philippine Endurance Challenge 4 Oras ng Pilipinas is sponsored GT Radial – Philippines, KYB, EPPCO, RECARO, Staging Lanes, Competition Clutch, SmartFuels, Seiken Brake Parts, Works Bell, 602PTG, Brodeth Motorsports, Tuason Racing School, OMP, Tes Advertising, and Angeli Jewelry. It’s supported by Walter Lights and Sounds, Aeromed, CTR Suspension Parts, and 2ndGen Insurance. Media partners include 2NER Magazine, ABS-CBN Sports and Action, AutoCar Philippines, AutoDeal.com.ph, AutoIndustriya.com, C! Magazine, CarGuide.Ph, Carmudi.com.ph, Ignition.Ph, JamesDeakin.Ph, JDM Underground, Manila Bulletin Drive, Pit Talk Asia, Ride and Drive Philippines, The Score, and Time Attack Manila.
