Pinoys make mark in international racing

As most anybody who’s worthy of wearing his genuine F1 racing shirt knows by now, the Formula 3 series is in those final steps–if not the final–in the motorsports ladder that leads up to the top rung, occupied by Formula 1. (There’s Indy and Cart, but that’s a different ladder altogether). And in the Asian region, particularly in this neighborhood, the Asian Formula 3 championship is the premier league.

In this area too, Pinoys are laying down their fair share of rubber on the track, imprinting their respective set of tire marks.

For starters, it is a Filipino company called the Asian Formula 3 Corp., that organizes the F3 races in the region. Together with Formula Racing Development, which organizes the Formula Renault series, the group has come up with Asia’s first truly international race championship. Collectively titled the Asian Formula Challenge, this race series puts the region in the position of competing against the established championships in Europe and elsewhere where F3 races are held.

Pinoy racers are not to be outdone. While there were quite a few who made their marks in the past, today’s drivers are battling for positions against an international grid fought in international venues. Races are scheduled in the Sepang F1 track in Malaysia, even. And Pinoys are taking podium spots too.

In the AF3 drivers’ championship standings, after six rounds, four drivers are currently in the points standings. Shell Racing’s Pepon Marave, who’s suffering from a bit of bad luck lately, still currently has six points in the bag. TRP Team Oxygen’s JP Tuason, who’s had more than his share of tech gremlins, has 11 points already.

Meanwhile, Richard Joson of Denso JF3 Racing is in the fifth spot in the standings with 44 points. The talented Jojo Silverio of Tom’s Zed is in a strong second spot with 68 points, a mere seven points away from current top gun Mark Goddard. Incidentally, though Goddard is British by nationality, he has lived and raced here in the country for a number of years already, and is quite a familiar figure in local motorsports.

In Formula Renault, 20-year old Enzo Pastor is the country’s bet. Winning his first race in Round 5 of the 14-round series, Pastor impressively placed second in the points standings. However, he failed to finish Round 6, which caused him to slip into the third points spot. Nonetheless, experts predict Pastor will provide strong resistance against the leaders when the race series goes to its South Korea, Malaysia and Philippine legs.

The Filipino talent in motorsports is not confined to drivers alone. AF3’s Ricky Dy-Liaco, a champion racer himself who’s had extensive experience in all aspects of racing, asserts even Pinoy mechanics and technicians are very much sought-after in paddocks abroad. Besides the advantage of being English-speaking, "Pinoys make good pit crew members because of their willingness to learn and ability to learn quickly," he said.

Then there’s more. Check out the credits the next time AF3 is aired in Star Sports. Local motoring journalists Erle Sebastian and Andy Leuterio are billed as the show’s scriptwriters, as is local racer Mikko David, who’s in charge of some technical stuff.

But before this turns into one of those Lea Salonga/Pinoys-are-such-world-class-talents type of articles, suffice it to say that with the current dubious reputation Manila traffic and Pinoy drivers have, it’s good to know our compatriot racers are giving the country a better name.