The country’s biggest and longest endurance race, the Philippine Endurance Challenge (PEC), grew to new heights in 2016. A record-breaking 29-car grid took to the starting line of the Clark International Speedway (CIS) last December 4, all running on Smart Fuels gasoline and GT Radial SX2 tires. This concluded an amazing season for the FlatOut Race Series.
Qualifying was held on Saturday afternoon where the #2 Centrum Fuels – GT Radial Yellow Mellow Honda Civic set the fastest time of 2:14.839, allowing them to start on pole position on race day. Sharing the front row of the grid was the #5 Smartfuels2race Civic EG, while the defending champion #1 Centrum Fuels – GT Radial Civic and the #14 Motolite BPS Racing Toyota Corolla lined up behind.
The lights turned green at 8:45 AM on Sunday, signaling the start of the grueling 8 Hour PEC. All the cars in RP, FM2, FM1, and the Manufacturer’s Cup Class made it through the opening laps safely.
Some teams took a more conservative strategy, but the top entries in RP Class wasted no time to battle for position. The #5 Smarfuels2race Civic jumped to an early lead. They, however, would lose out to the pair of Centrum Fuels – GT Radial machines during the restart due to a safety car period.
The first round of pit stops came after the first two hours of the race. Focusing on safety, all teams were given two full minutes for refueling with only two mechanics allowed to work on the car. This also included the driver change, while all major mechanical repairs must be completed inside the garage. The Automobile Association Philippines (AAP), the country’s motorsports governing body, was also present to oversee the event.
Notably, there were several teams this year that ran with only two drivers highlighting their incredible stamina. The #3 Rainbird-Canete Civic EK was shared by the Canete brothers Nico and Macky, while Japanese drivers Kunihiro Iwatsuki and Tetsuya-san drove the #30 602PTG Toyota Yaris in the RP Class. Then there was the #13 Mitsulancer PH in FM2 of AJ Lacambra and Leo Candava.
The 2016 PEC was relatively incident-free over the course 8 hours. The safety car only had to be deployed a total of four times simply to retrieve stricken cars on all occasions. One such occurrence was when the leading #1 Centrum Fuels – GT Radial Civic stopped on track due to a shattered windshield. It was eventually recovered by the AAP, but could no longer rejoin completing only 108 laps.
After 8 long hours of non-stop racing, the pole-sitting #2 Centrum Fuels – GT Radial Yellow Mellow Civic crossed the finish line to claim 1st overall and in the RP Class. Its drivers Mikko Briones, Migui Briones, Emerson Ocampo, and Daryl Flores completed a total of 176 laps, one lap ahead of 2nd placer #3 Rainbird-Canete Civic EK.
Topping the FM2 Class were Team Cebu’s pair of Toyota Vios Cup Cars. The #21 car driven by Mark Laxa, Lord Seno, Oscar Suarez, and Bobby Pangilinan completed 172 laps to finish 1st in class and 3rd overall. Its sister #20 car of Jun Cabrera, Rey Aleman, Norris See, Ace San Agustin, and Clive Fermini managed 171 laps to collect 2nd. In 3rd was the #15 Centrum Fuels – GT Radial Civic EF.
The #6 Forcespeed – Worksbell Honda Civic FD took 1st in FM1 thanks to the strong performance of Edmund Ong, Nico Fernandez, Rico Cheng, and Ton Ramos. Mazda Philippines’ entry, the #18 Mazda 2 SkyActiv shared between Ian Khong, Clifford Certeza, and Inigo Roces, was also on the top step of the podium after dominating the Manufacturer’s Cup.
Of the 29 starters, 27 made it to the finish aided by Smart Fuel’s 104 octane gasoline. Not only does it provide more power, but also burns cleaner and is more fuel efficient. All teams also covered the entire race distance using one set of GT Radial SX2 tires with no tire changes.
For more info or inquiries, visit the Philippine Endurance Challenge page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/PhilEnduranceChallenge).