Last year’s inaugural Giti Formula V1 Challenge was headlined as the historic return of single-seat racing in the local motorsports map. Organized by Tuason Racing, in partnership with Giti Tires, the said racing event hailed young driver Luis Gono as its first ever champion.
Looking forward this year, the Giti Formula V1 Challenge will feature not only familiar faces from last year’s season, but also a handful of new drivers set to spice up the competition.
Gaby Dela Merced
First on the list is Gaby Dela Merced, one of the country’s renowned lady racers. Gaby carries a wealthy 19 years of experience in the fast lane. An inspiration to aspiring female racers in the country, Gaby has proven that even ladies can bring it on and conquer the mostly male-dominated sport of auto racing.
According to TRS, Gaby will race for team Standard Insurance. Off track, Gaby is on a roll with a lot of activities like hosting gigs, TV show appearances, brand ambassadorship roles, and the likes.
Raymond Ronquillo
To those keeping tabs on the exotic car classifieds industry, you may have come across Raymond at some point. That’s because he’s the head of R33 Cars, a well-respected car shop selling luxury and high-performance vehicles.
This business goes in tandem with Raymond’s other passion; auto racing. He built his racing career by participating in drifting events, karting, and touring car racing. One of his most popular stints in local motorsports today is his participation at the Super Sporting Class of the Toyota Vios Cup, Toyota Motor Philippines’ one-make race.
Alec Brown
One of the core missions of the Giti Formula V1 Challenge is to serve as the next level of motorsports for aspiring racers, to open doors for them to move up from grassroots racing. One such driver is Alec Brown, a 16 year old Filipino-Singaporean driver who’s on a mission to prove his mettle with the more experienced people on the grid.
Brown has been competing in all sorts of beginner-level racing events in many parts of the world... since he was 8 years old. To date, his resume boasts four karting championships, with the most recent being his dominance at the 2017 Junior Category of X30 Southeast Asian karting.
Jerry Choi
Finally, the 2019 Giti Formula V1 Challenge has Jerry Choi, a 47 year-old property developer and well-respected veteran of international karting championships. Choi’s most notable feats include his 2016 Karter of the Year and Asian Karter of the Year accolades. Having seen countless action in kart racing, Choi is feeling the need to embark on new challenges, one of which is Formula racing.
Catch Gabby, Raymond, Alec, and Jerry as they battle for supremacy at this year’s Giti Formula V1 Challenge. Below is the official race for the event’s 2019 season.
But before things heat up, you migt want to drop by this Sunday, April 7, at the Clark International Speedway in Pampanga for the 2019 Giti Formula V1 Challenge Tune Up event. This event is essentially the launching pad for the 2019 season. It features track day sessions for Giti Tires clients, Tune Up sessions for V1 racers to take their first dibs onboard their 2019 race machines, and Level Up sessions to determine or reassess the skill levels of new and seasoned racers.
Photos: Randolph de Leon, Tuason Racing, and Giti Tires Philippines
