Retuya caps steady romp in Toyota Cup

FINAL STANDINGS: Joel Retuya, 185 pts.; Mandy Borja,137; Victor Yap 117; Carlo Pastor, 105; Roland Hermoso, 35; Jeremy Marquez, 15.

SUBIC Bay – Despite a disappointing weekend, top Cebuano racing figure and Shell Racing driver Joel Retuya went on to formally clinch the 2002 Formula Toyota Cup Sunday at the Subic International Raceway here.

Actually, Retuya was already assured of the crown coming into the last two rounds after accumulating 185 points. However, he failed to wrap up the crown with a good show as his car crashed into the wall, forcing a restart of the combined Formula 3 and Formula Toyota race.

Teammate Mandy Borja took the overall runner-up with 137 while Victor Yap, who ended third in both races, settled for third overall with 117 in this series sanctioned by the Automotive Association of the Philippines (formerly PMA) and sponsored by the Batangas Racing Circuit Association (BRCA) Board of Governors, Pilipinas Shell, Toyota Motors Phil., Casino Filipino, MOF Shipping, Norkis-Yamaha, Marlboro, and Kilton Motors Corporation.

The day belonged to Carlo Pastor and Roland Hermoso who split honors in the two races.

Pastor ruled the first race as he pulled away on the fifth lap and reached the finish line 18.134 seconds ahead of Hermoso.

But Hermoso came back with a vengeance in the second race, posting a fastest laptime of 1:21.545 on the fifth to claim the checquered flag in 34:50.735, 28.343 seconds ahead of runner-up Jeremy Marquez.