Dela Merced notches first win in SVI Challenge Cup

Talented lady driver Gaby dela Merced of the Auto Solution Racing Team ran an impressive race in the first round of the 2003 SVI Challenge Cup held last Sunday to take her first win in the 14-round series.

After fixing the overheating problems that plagued her civic LX during the practice session, dela Merced bagged second on the grid after Saturday’s wet qualifying trials. With her mechanical problems out of the way, Gaby concentrated on her drive in the morning race.

She never looked back as she went past her teammate Mikko David after the first corner of the 3.3-kilometer Subic International Raceway. "It was uncanny, I managed to pull it off despite having a very skillful driver behind me," said the 20-year old Fine Arts student.

Round two of the series held later that day was no less intense. Supported by Petron, Nike, Bigshot Billiards and ATOY Body Kits, dela Merced repeated her lightning start and led the race until the third lap when David began a series of overtaking moves between the two of them. In the end, dela Merced finished only three-tenths of a second behind her teammate. They crossed the line side-by-side for the second time that day.

Because of her strong performance this weekend, Gaby also led the rest of the C-class drivers of the SVI Challenge Cup with a maximum 20-championship points haul. Rounds 3 and 4 of the SVI Challenge Cup will be held in April 5 and 6 at the Subic International Raceway.