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6th FIA Sport Conference empowers future of Philippine motorsports through grassroots racing

By Randy
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June 5, 2018

Philippine motorsports has seen better days, especially in the ‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s due to the efforts of individuals like the late greats Arsenio “Dojie” Laurel and Jose “Pocholo” Ramirez who gained local and international attention.

These 2 Pinoy racing legends may have different skill levels and specialties, but both have 1 thing in common – they built their careers from the ground up through grassroots racing, motorsports events designed as stepping stones for future champions to show their potentials.

Winding the time forward to this day, the same concept still exists. This is the reason why the AAP or the Automobile Association Philippines, the country’s motorsports governing body, joined forces with the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), the world’s leading authority in anything motorsports on 4-wheels, to hold the 6th FIA Sport Conference here in the Philippines.

It was held last June 4 to 7, 2018 at the Conrad Hotel and the SM Mall of Asia event grounds in Pasay City. As regard, this was the first time the conference took place in Asia, and it was an honor for the country to be the first nation in the continent to hold it.

The aim of the conference is to cultivate the country’s motorsports culture through grassroots racing as per its theme “Empowering the Future: Unlocking Motor Sport’s Potential.” To date, the Philippines 2 of the most notable grassroots motorsports events; the FlatOut Race Series and the Toyota Vios Cup one-make race.

Over 400 VIPs and representatives across more than 130 countries turned out for the momentous event. Leading them was FIA President Jean Todt. With him were some high-profile names in the industry including Chase Carey (CEO Formula One Group), Alex Yoong (Former F1 Driver and Fox Sports Asia Commentator), Davide de Gobbi (Promoter, Formula 3 Asia Championship), and Kenneth Ng (President, Hong Kong Automobile Association).

They were joined by some of the Philippines’ prominent names in motorsports such as AAP President Gus Lagman, AAP Trustee Mandy Eduque, and Filipino racer Marlon Stockinger.

During the 4-day event, a number of symposiums were held at Conrad Hotel, all focusing on the topic of “creating a motor sport culture in new markets and how to attract an increasingly saturated young audience in a fast changing world.”

Best part is that the talks touched on the subject of encouraging physically-handicapped people to enter the world of motorsports through a number of programs by FIA’s newly-established Disability and Accessibility Commission. Of note, this commission is led by PWD (people with disability) lady racer Nathalie McGloin, a true symbol of women in motorsports and an inspiration to many PWDs who aspire to take on the challenge of racing.

It culminated with a series of motorsports demonstrations at SM Mall of Asia’s event grounds from some of the country’s top performing racers in drifting, gymkhana, karting, and more. Former F1 driver Felippe Massa even graced the occasion to demonstrate his skills onboard an e-kart or electric kart, a machine pegged to replace traditional racing karts.

“Motor sport has a crucial role in our society – it is an inspiration to millions of people around the world, and a powerful platform for educating young people in terms of the skills and attributes required to succeed,” shared FIA President Jean Todt.

Photos by Sabina Cruz and FIA

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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.