2018 GiTi Formula V1 Race Challenge boils to an intense championship-deciding 3rd round

As per what transpired during Round 2, the entire schedule of Round 3 was tweaked. The event’s official Qualifying Time Trial was set a day before. This allowed an entire Saturday’s worth of high-speed action featuring Race 4 of the 2^nd round, and Races 5 and 6 of the 3^rd round.

Qualifying Time Trial

Fresh from his Asian Formula Renault stint, Daniel Miranda (team Obengers/Toyota Balintawak) floored it in Pro Class with his best lap time of 2:09.763, earning him the pole position. Close behind in 2^nd was Luis Gono (team CleanFuel Racing) who registered a 2:10.341 lap time. Rounding of the top 3 fastest men in Pro was Tyson Sy (team PartsPro Racing) who clocked in a very close best lap time of 2:10.529.

In Am Class, Shane Henderson (team PartsPro Racing) topped the charts with his best lap time of 2:11.862. Qualifying 2^nd was Jussi Hoikka (team Growl-Thule Racing) who registered a time of 2:12.656. In 3^rd was Paolo Mantolino (team PartsPro Racing) with his best lap time of 2:13.592.

Race 4

Race 1 started off in style with the pack going head-to-head coming into turn 1. Miranda, Gono, and Sy tried their best to outclass each other in Pro. In the end, the 3 drivers crossed the line in that order.

The Am Class, on the other hand, saw Sean Smith (team PartsPro Racing) prevailing against Hoikka who settled for 2^nd place. Henderson, meanwhile, finished the race in 3^rd.

Race 5

Apart from minor taps and scrapes between drivers, Race 1 was virtually incident free. However in Race 2, things turned out not quite the same with few incidents leaving some drivers scratching their heads.

One such driver is Am Class contender Bryan Co (team FORS FB Racing) who spun out of control at the big loop corner midway into the race. This caused fellow Am Class contender Red Diwa (team OTR Racing) to hit Co’s machine. Unfortunately, Diwa’s car was deemed too damaged to continue racing.

In the end, Miranda, once again, bagged 1^st place in Pro Class. Behind him were Sy and Gono who placed 2^nd and 3^rd, respectively. There was even a small incident halfway into the race between Sy and Gono as the 2 men hit each other, almost causing the former to run off track.

In Am Class, Smith, Henderson, and Hoikka were still the top 3 finishers.

Race 6

Finally, the last race of the day went underway, just in time for the setting sun. Similar to Race 2, there were a few incidents that stirred the competition. The most notable of which is the shunt between Pro and Am class championship hopefuls Sy and Smith, respectively. As regard, the two came into contact with each other near the Acacia corner during the first few laps of the race.

The incident rendered both drivers unable to resume due to their damage machines. Moreover, both drivers also lost their bids to claim their respective Classes’ championship titles and the chance to be sent to Japan to compete at the Regional race.

Beyond the drama, there were reasons to celebrate as well. Dominating the Pro Class for the third consecutive time that day was Miranda. He was joined on the podium by Gono and Mantolino in 2^nd and 3^rd places, respectively.

In Am Class, Hoikka took home top honors, followed by Henderson in 2^nd and Dominic Roque (team CleanFuel Racing) in 3^rd.

It’s not over yet, though as the 4^th and final round of the 2018 GiTi Formula V1 Race Challenge will commence later this November. To kick things up a notch, this round will be a 4-hour endurance race, an action-packed season-ender for what was an exciting inaugural year. Before that, the champions in their respective classes will be sent on a mission to Japan to represent the Philippines in the Regional Race. We'll keep you posted on the final championship results. 

The 2018 GiTi Formula V1 Race Challenge is made possible by its sponsors; Giti Tires, Clean Fuel, ROTA, Motul, AEG Power Tools, West Racing Cars Japan, and Philippine Airlines.

Photos by Randolph de Leon