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la O’ continues winning streak in Round 2 of the 2018 Petron FlatOut Race Series

By Randy
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April 19, 2018

After an exhilarating 1st round action, this year’s FlatOut Race Series (FORS), recently held its 2nd round last April 7 at the Clark International Speedway (CIS) in Pampanga. A total of 151 drivers took the challenge, making it one of the biggest turnouts in FORS’ history.

What’s special about this round is the major sponsorship of Petron Corporation as the series’ official fuel and engine oil supplier. In this light, the event is now called the 2018 Petron FlatOut Race Series or Petron FORS, and shall be referred to as that from this point on.

As always, the race weekend’s itinerary comprised of Time Attack races in the morning, followed by the main Grid Races by mid day. All these were monitored under the guidance of the Automobile Association Philippines (AAP), the country’s motorsports governing body.

Time Attack

As said, the Time Attack events were held first thing in the morning, a great timing to welcome the series’ newly-formed bracket; the Supercar Class. This bracket saw a number of powerful exotic speed machines from the Nissan GT-Rs to the Porsche 911 GT3 RSs, and more. Aga Tomawis took the spotlight as the first to top this class with his best lap time of 2:09.945 using his Nissan GT-R.

In Bracket R, Rafael la O’ was the fastest with his best lap time of 2:03.899. He also dominated Bracket A with Eduardo Suiza in 2nd, and Gabby Sohu in 3rd. Bracket B, meanwhile, was checked in by 15-year-old Raffy Sohu with his fastest lap time of 2.16.142. Behind him in 2nd was Dominique Bon, followed in 3rd by Russ Agapito.

A total of 14 drivers battled it out for the fastest in Bracket C, but coming out on top was Paul Santos. In 2nd place was 13-year-old Miggy Sohu, while Sydney Sarmiento took 3rd. In Bracket D, Alvin Bince did the quickest lap time of 2:24.557, which earned him 1st place. With him on the podium were Robert Tan in 2nd and Mike Hortel in 3rd. Over in Brackets E, F, and G, Avin Villaseñor, Mars Ocampo, and Gilbert Orpilla took home their respective fastest lap wins.

Grid Race

By mid day, the stewards opened the track for the Grid Races, starting off with a combined 10-lap, 19-car race between Grid A, B, and C.

In Petron Grid A, defending champion Eduardo Suiza almost had an easy win, if not for a mistake that cost him the victory. This incident gave room for Rafael la O' to swipe the lead and win. The KYB Grid B race, on the other hand, was filled with intense tight battle between Paolo Santos, Jun Cabrera, and Russ Agapito. The 3 would eventually finish the race in that order. Meanwhile in Recaro Grid C, the winners were Emerson Ocampo, Jonmark Ong, and Paul Santos who claimed 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places, respectively.

An equally intense Staunch Performance Grid D race went underway. This was highlighted by a 5-way fight to the finish by Paul Ongcuangco, Erwin Manaog, Sherwin Bargos, Errol Panganiban, and Robert Tan constantly. When the dust settled, it was Ongcuangco who came out on top, followed by Manaog in 2nd and Bargos in 3rd.

Lastly in SmartFuels 2 Grid E race, Peter Amiel Del Mundo conquered 1st place. H was joined on the podium by Felix Chua and Jeff Pobadora in 2nd and 3rd places, respectively

Catch Round 3 of the 2018 Petron FlatOut Race Series on May 19 as it heads down south at the Batangas Racing Circuit (BRC).

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

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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.