2018 Petron FlatOut Race Series holds penultimate round in Batangas on a high note

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October 26, 2018

Tomorrow, October 27, 2018, marks the 8th and final round of this year’s Petron FlatOut Race Series (Petron FORS). It will be held at the 4.2 Km-long Clark International Speedway in Pampanga. But before everything draws to a close, an exciting penultimate round was held at the Batangas Racing Circuit a few weeks ago.

Here’s a quick recap of that action-packed 7th round featuring Time Attack runs, Grid Races, and a squad of 86 drivers vying for top places with double championship points up for grabs. Of course, it was all made possible by the event’s major sponsor Petron Corporation, with overall supervision from the Automobile Association Philippines (AAP).

Time Attack

Bracket R saw an outright dominance by Dondon Portugal with his blistering lap time of 1:43.830. The reigning fastest driver in BRC led the time sheet ahead of 2nd placer Rafael la O' and 3rd placer Gabby Sohu. Meanwhile, a change of order was seen as Sohu managed to snag 1st place in Bracket A, followed by Portugal in 2nd and la O’ in 3rd.

Gabby’s younger brother Raffy was the fastest man in Bracket B, followed by Paolo Santos and Eduardo Pujol who claimed 2nd and 3rd places, respectively. In Bracket C, Raymond De Pano dominated the time sheet with Miggy Sohu clocking in a fraction of a second behind to take 2nd place. Paul Santos, meanwhile, secured 3rd place.

Down in Bracket D, Armand Marcaida, Robert Tan, and Errol Panganiban bolstered their best lap times in that order. On the other hand in Bracket E, Mark Anton David and Royce Sarmiento took hold of 1st and 2nd places, respectively.

In Bracket F, Jeff Pobadora secured 1st place ahead of Steve Travers and Kody Ng. In Bracket G, young gun Miguel Hortel outshined lady driver Gabie Desales to clinch the fastest lap time. Kevin Sugden, meanwhile, managed to take 3rd place. Lastly in 86 Club Class, Jermyn Sy became the fastest driver around.

Grid Race

Taking first dibs during the day’s grid races were 20 drivers from the combined Grid A, B, and C events. From the get-go, Rafael la O’ established a commanding lead in Petron Grid A, a lead which was more than enough to keep 2nd placer Gabby Sohu at bay ‘til the end. In KYB Grid B, Paolo Santos, Eduardo Pujol, and Raffy Sohu stood atop the podium in that order. Meanwhile, Polo Bautista, Paul Santos, and Raymond De Pano were the top 3 drivers in Bracket C.

The combined Staunch Performance Grid D and SmartFuels 2 Grid E races were also brimming with action with 14 drivers battling it out for the win. The former saw Andre Makkina Tan, Paul Ongcuangco, and Armand Marcaida taking the top 3 spots. The latter, on the other hand, was dominated by Jeff Pobadora, Kody Ng, and Steve Travers.

Finally, Round 7 of the 2018 Petron FORS saw the inaugural Super Compact 1500 race. For this, Robert Tan was hailed as the event’s first winner. He was joined atop the podium by Gilad Krein in 2nd and Mike Hortel in 3rd.

The 2018 Petron FlatOut Race Series is made possible by the following sponsors and media partners.

About the Author

Randolph de Leon
Randy is a person with disability (PWD), a partially-blinded person with only his left eye functioning. Since childhood, the automobile has always been his passion, and is able to express it through photography and most recently, through writing as well. Outside the motoring beat, Randy spends time manning the media aspect of his business which he co-founded with his sister/college classmate. It's called Dragonlight Wellness and Solutions, a multi-business venture centering on improving peoples' lives through earning.