"There’s still a good chance of me seizing the title. I’m more than 40 points behind, not that close, but not that far," Sy declared yesterday during a special session of the PSA Forum at the Pantalan Restaurant in Manila.
He started the season by sweeping the opening three rounds last May at the BRC and intends to do one better in his quest to grab the crown from series leader Winslow. "We’re hoping to win all four races and maybe take the title. We have to be very fast," said Sy, 19, lead driver of Speedtech Asia. He declared this in the company of Winslow, Irish teener Ali Jackson and other drivers who also graced the Forum, along with AF3 officials led by chairman Eddie Pena and Team Goddard principal Mark Goddard.
"The other drivers still have a chance and will surely try to win this week. Some have the title on their minds, some just want to win the races. So it will be a real tough time this weekend," said Winslow, who leads the series aboard his JA Motorsport machine with 215 points.
He is 31 points ahead of Jackson, 17, who was given the green light to race this weekend more than a month after breaking his right arm in a vehicular accident in Ireland, and 42 ahead of Sy.
"The arm should be okay. I came back here and I’m racing to win. I have a green light for myself," said Jackson, who had a long, fresh scar on his right arm.
Other drivers who graced the Forum sponsored by Pagcor, Manila City Mayor Lito Atienza and Manila Sports Council chief Ali Atienza were Dado Peña, Michele Bumgarner and Macanese Lei Kit Meng of Team Goddard, Philip Forsman of Sweden, Briton Dillon Battistini who will drive alongside Jackson at Aran Racing. Aside from Goddard, the other team principals who joined the drivers were former AF3 champion Pepon Marave of Shell Helix Kinetic PCSO and Noel Thompson of Aran Racing.
Dado Peña is way behind in the standings with 62 points but vowed to go all-out, saying: "There’s no pressure for me this week and I want to win and have fun. I don’t want to make a forecast this time but I’m sure the races should really be tight."