WHEN members of the motoring media are herded into a speedway, expect all hell to break loose!

That’s what happened when Tuason Racing School (TRS) and Ford Philippines held the “Media Racing Experience” recently at the rain-drenched Subic International Speedway.

This writer was invited to join together with several others and experience the thrill and excitement that those “real racing drivers” feel during circuit races. Several members of the media already in racing suits were already present at the speedway when we arrived late at the track.

JP and his wife Jeanette welcomed the whole bunch in an impromptu breakfast. The guys were broken into two groups—those who have already graduated into “experienced drivers” after undergoing several lectures and driving lessons in the past TRS-sponsored driving events while the other group is (where we were bunched with four others) composed of novice drivers or those who haven’t undergone a training at the TRS. The first group was composed of James Deakin, Johnsy Reyes, Beeboy Bargas, Kit Joaquin, Vince Pornelos, Ronald de los Reyes, Jinno Rufino, Eric Soriano and Brian Afuang.

The group of experienced drivers was told to go ahead with various exercises at the racetrack while the novice drivers underwent several minutes of teach-in with no less than JP Tuason as the lecturer. Aside from this writer, the others included Inquirer’s Tessa Salazar, Speedlab’s Sidney Yang, Hotwire’s Enzo Ruidera, and Bulletin’s Aris Ilagan.

Among the pointers inculcated in our minds were the proper way to handle the car and its wheel, proper braking, when to turn, and several other safety precautions. “Please be very careful with the way you handle the car. Yes, it is a diesel-fed car but it is a very powerful one. It has lots of torque than you can imagine,” JP Tuason cautioned the novice drivers.

Then we were herded downstairs and into the racetrack and all the five of us boarded a Ford Focus TDCi that was complete of racing equipment—very bare inside with two racing seats, a three-point safety buckle, bull bars and many others. Yes, the car didn’t have an air-conditioning unit inside, no wonder you perspire a lot as the weather outside is humid although it rains intermittently.

After several minutes of braking hard “inside the box,” we chased a “lead car” while on a convoy to familiarize ourselves to the almost-a-kilometer long speedway. Then it’s time-out for a late afternoon hearty meal that was served upstairs.

Then the competition began. The first group had their own elimination after several laps inside the speedway, which was littered with cones and twists. After five grueling laps, two were eliminated, while the other eight prepared for the next phase of the competition.

The novice group then took to the racetrack for its own two-lap time trial where each one was allowed to tackle the speedway as fast as they can, twice. We were given one instructor each inside the car to serve as guide,

After that, the “hot laps” was then conducted by the respective instructor who switched places with the novice drivers. This one was a very exhilarating experience as we were kept glued to our seat as the experienced TRS instructors really drove the cars to the extreme.

It was already early evening when we retired to the nearby Lighthouse Hotel where the awarding ceremony was held. Ford Philippines president Rick Baker started the ball rolling with a short speech about what Ford is doing worldwide and in Asia despite the economic crunch and continued rise in oil prices. Ford Philippines marketing chief Glen Dasig was also around, although Ford Philippines’ Tonet Lee had to motor back to Manila the day before to catch a plane for Thailand that day.

Lots of applause was given to two protagonists of the experience driver’s division—winner Johnsy Reyes of Hotwire and runner-up C! Magazine’s James Deakin—who really went head-to-head right from the start in the five-lap duel. Third-placer here was C! Magazine’s Vince Pornelos.

Hotwire swept the two-division competition when videographer Enzo Ruidera topped the novice division while Speedlab’s Sidney Ang checked in second. This writer placed third. All winners were given a silver plate each with corresponding prizes, while the others went home cheerfully, what with the exhilarating experience at the speedway courtesy of course of the TRS and Ford Philippines.

It was really an experience worth doing again and again if one is full of adrenalin and has passion for speed.

****

INDELIBLE Ink ruled the 2008 Philippine Racing Commission  (Philracom) Lakambini Stakes on Sunday at the San Lazaro Leisure Park in Carmona, Cavite.

The JB Hernandez-partnered three-year-old island-born chesnut filly by Best Of Luck out of Seaquin pulled away going for home and crossed the line all by herself in the P1.1-million event sponsored by the Philracom.

The victory was worth the top prize of P720,000 for owner Hermie Esguerra and upped Indelible Ink’s career earnings to P4.63 million, a few thousand pesos behind the overall leader and archrival Don Enrico. “Marami pa ho si kabayo at medyo bumabalik na ’yung buti niya ngayon,” said winning rider JB Hernandez after the awarding ceremony. 

Bienvenido Niles Jr.’s Champion Of Show came in second and went home with the runner-up prize of P270,000, while third placer Anonymous and fourth placer Security Queen picked up P150,000 and P60,000, respectively. Fleet-footed Vergara finished fifth and last.

Later in the afternoon, veteran imported campaigner La Tienne came thundering at the top of the stretch to beat her rivals in the 2008 Philracom Peridot I Stakes, which served as the fourth leg of the Imported/Local Challenge Series that is also sponsored by the Philracom.

Despite carrying the top weight of 56 kilos being carried by rider Pati Dilema, La Tienne caught up with the leading Traditional in the last 200 meters and crossed the line with a length lead and went home with the top prize of P300,000.

Top favorite Traditional bagged the runner-up prize of P112,500, while Great Emma and Miss Fantastic finished third and fourth for P62,500 and P25,000, respectively. Other finishers in this 1,750-meter race were Fierce Fighter, Midnght King, Ziraz, Hussy, Lucky B Lucky and Art And Soul in that order.

‘CHA-CHING’ GAMES

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What other countries do when they win–or don’t win–gold

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Youth in death group, too

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Knights make it a 3-way tie for lead

LETRAN got off to a strong start but needed a much stronger finish in repulsing University of Perpetual Help, 74-66, to gain a share of the lead in the mad race for the Final Four in the 84th National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) men’s basketball tournament yesterday at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.

Tough Turf: TRS-Ford’s media racing experience

WHEN members of the motoring media are herded into a speedway, expect all hell to break loose!

That’s what happened when Tuason Racing School (TRS) and Ford Philippines held the “Media Racing Experience” recently at the rain-drenched Subic International Speedway.