Rafael la O’ makes 3 wins in a row in 2017 FlatOut Race Series Round 6

Coming from over a month of hiatus after its thrilling 5^th round up north, the 2017 FlatOut Race Series (FORS) headed down south at the Batangas Racing Circuit for its 6^th round in the season calendar.

Overseen by the Automobile Association of the Philippines (AAP), the racing weekend was attended to by a total of 84 drivers who vied for championship points on its Time Attack and Grid Race events. Amazingly, Rafael la O’ and his #1 Auto Magic Honda Civic EK made all things even hotter with a dominating performance.

Time Attack

As with the previous rounds, the morning was kicked off with the Time Attack runs. Due to la O’s hard-charging feat, he landed 1^st in Bracket R with a blistering time of 1:45.739. Coming in 2^nd was Lance Binamira who clocked in at 1:45.828. Then there’s Eduardo Suiza who took 3^rd witha best time of 1:47.454.

Because of their Bracket R best times, both la O and Suiza also clinched 1^st and 2^nd places, respectively in Bracket A. Joining them on the podium in 3^rd was Dondon Portugal with his 1:50.535 best lap time. In Bracket B, Andrew de Asis took 1^st place, followed by his teammate Aaron Lao in 2^nd. Zeb Mendoza came in 3^rd.

Onboard the BRE x Carmudi Mazda MX-5 NA machine, Bubi Camus became the fastest driver in the 10-car Bracket C line up with his best time of 1:59.212. In 2^nd was Sydney Sarmiento, while Iris Nelson Balbin claimed 3^rd. Down in Bracket D, Ralph Tan was the quickest, followed by  AAP Motorsport Development Program (MSDP) finalist Bernard Michael Santos in 2^nd. Greg Suing, on the other hand, posted the 3^rd fastest time.

Dan Errol Panganiban, Carlos Marzo, and Armand Marcaida were the ones to round off the Bracket E podium in that order. Meanwhile, Victoriano Edillon led the time sheets in Bracket F, followed by Robert Tan in 2^nd and Noel Delos Reyes in 3^rd. Finally, the top 3 fastest drivers in Bracket G were lady driver and MSDP finalist Chenee Jimenez (1^st), Melvin Cervantes (2^nd), and Mark Pascual (3^rd).

Grid Race

By mid-day, the drivers saw the lights turn green for the grid races. It was a GT Radial Grid A 3-way battle between la O’, Suiza, and Portugal. They kept the pressure up high against each other, but as the dust settled, it was la O’ who emerged victorious. Portugal came so close to snatching the lead, crossing the line in 2^nd, just 3.735 seconds behind la O’. Suiza maintained his fighting spirit ‘til the checkered flag, thus earning him a 3^rd place finish.

Teammates Andrew de Asis and Aaron Lao were locked on a tight battle for the win in KYB Grid B. However, Lao encountered a technical problem which prematurely ended his race. This gave de Asis the top honor.

Jonmark Ong, on his maiden race at FORS, showed a promising performance by clinching 1^st place in SmartFuels Grid C. As it turned out, he crossed the line a whole lap ahead of Paul Santos in 2^nd and Jack Saquilayan in 3^rd.

In Recaro Grid D, Ralph Tan scored another 1^st place victory as a result of his valiant effort to keep Greg Suing at bay in 2^nd. Ronn Cantindig came in 3^rd.

Lastly in Works Bell Grid E, race fans roared as Victoriano Edillon and Andre Makkina Tan put up a good show. In the end,the former prevailed and crossed the line in 1^st, just 0.082 seconds ahead of the latter in 2^nd. Robert Tan capped off the weekend in 3^rd.

With Round 6 in the bag, the 2017 FORS will be back on September 9 at the Batangas Racing Circuit for an exciting Round 7, the penultimate round on the calendar.

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