King (of the track) for a Day

MANILA, Philippines - I’ll have to be honest here, when I first got the invitation from the Tuason Racing School (TRS) to drive the Focus race car in Clark International Speedway, the first thing I asked was not which model it was, or what the event was for, but who else was going. Sure enough, there were the usual suspects.

The thing about this beat is that it’s pretty small. You can have the ducking skills of Kentucky Floyd Chicken, but unlike him and Pacquiao, you’ll end up coming across each other eventually. This is normally quite pleasant, until someone brings out a stopwatch.

Sure enough, my old arch rivals were on the list. As Ulysses points out, there’s quite a bit of history with Vince and Iñigo, but more importantly, there’s some more to be made. I’ve raced against these two in karts, rally, circuit, Playstations, building car parks, around the water cooler, to the ground floor of buildings in different elevators, you name it… But normally, after all is said and done, a lot more is usually said than done. So with that thought pregnant in my head, I zipped up my racing suit and headed to Clark.

The great thing about TRS is that they have been actively providing a professional venue to get almost every boy’s (and quite a number of girls) childish dream out of their system in a safe, professional, yet extremely competitive environment. They are the only arrive-and-drive racing school in the country and have been so successful over the last ten years that their seats have started to be filled by foreign students.

Still, no matter how large they have grown over the years, with champions such as Tyson Sy, Michelle Bumgarner, Stefano Marcelo, Matteo Guidecelli, Pia Boren and countless other successful race car drivers, they always find time to touch base with the local press and let us have our wicked way with their racing cars. Part of it is to let us experience the real rush of motor racing, while the other is probably to train us properly so we know what the hell we’re writing about when reviewing cars.

On today’s menu were the actual PTCC cars that Ulysses has gone into depth with. Unlike previous TRS track days, these are the actual cars that will race this weekend in Batangas Racing Circuit. They are the same cars that are currently leading the championship, with the only modification being a set of Goodyear Excellence tires from one of their staunchest long time sponsors.

There were no patronizing speed limiters or strangled race tracks with more cones than Keith Richard’s hotel room floor (pause, think for a moment… ah, you got it!) just the pure, unadulterated pleasure of a modified, purpose built race car on an open circuit.

It starts off with a very comprehensive briefing that explains everything from the racing line, weight transfer, braking, cornering, safety, passing techniques, steering techniques etc and then spills onto actual seat time. These are all tried and proven methods presented in easy to understand slides projected onto a large screen, Now you may think that this is all just another perk for those in print and broadcast media, but that is the best part. It’s not. It is designed for everyone with decent head on their shoulders – and so long as yours is small enough to fit a helmet, they will teach you. And teach you well.

I waste no opportunity to brag about being a TRS scholar. It’s something I’m very proud of. I took my first course in 2002 and a few refresher courses along the way. Asides from the priceless racing memories, I’ve been given so many once-in-a-lifetime driving opportunities than I could have ever dreamed of. I know that many would never have been offered to me had I not had a solid foundation to draw on, and while I may not have said it enough, I have TRS to thank for that.

It’s one thing to have great training, it’s another thing entirely for that training to be recognized and respected by the industry. TRS, through its unwavering commitment to making our roads and tracks a safer place, is both.