Last October 5, 2019, Isuzu Philippines Corporation (IPC) invited a group of motoring journalists to a weekend of thrills, spills, and everything in between at the Pradera Verde Rallycross track in Pampanga. The mission was to teach them a thing or two about the basics of rally driving, and how they may be able to use the skill to provide better inputs on their future car reviews.
The event, dubbed as the Rally Driving Immersion Project or RDIP, was spearheaded by veteran motoring journalist Anjo Perez. And together with IPC, Black Rhino Wheels, Nitto Tires, PIAA, SONAX, CTEK, Ichiro Motor Oils, Wuerth Philippines, and Red Bull, the one-day rally driving clinic also served as a teaching opportunity for the folks of the Philippine Rally School and Philippine Rallycross Series headed by champion rally driver Jun Magno.
Before the hands-on activities, Magno briefed the participants about the fundamentals of rally driving. Some of his inputs include the proper use of racing lines (Yes, just like circuit racing, rally racing also has ideal lines to which drivers can use to enter and exit corners more efficiently), proper braking, weight transfer techniques, and the importance of leaving a small margin of error to reorient the car, should it lose control.