MANILA, Philippines - Castrol-Yokohama ace driver Carlos Anton demonstrated why he will always be a force to reckon with after topping the time sheets with a 1:31.17 run up the hillclimb stage using his teammate’s car.
Anton’s team blew the engine of his trusty Mark Young CRX while preparing it for the second leg of the Castrol Edge Hillclimb Championship, leaving him no choice but to ask teammate Alfie Concepcion to share the use of his race car.
“Thanks to Alfie for being a true sportsman to lend his car. It’s my first hillclimb using a different car and I was very happy when we set an identical time to my last climb using the CRX, thank God I have very good teammates who understand the situation,” Anton said after the race.
Yokohama-Hornitex driver Dennis Aoyong finished second in Group 5 while teammate Alfie Concepcion finished third in Group 4 and claimed valuable points for his championship bid.
Six of his teammates – Umesh Raimalan (Group 4), Jimson Balmeo (Group 3), Edmond Dupo (Group 2), Mark Llaguna (Group 1), Ecko Adan (historic car) and Richard Zacarias (Group S) – all topped their respective classes convincingly.
Anton recorded his 19th overall victory from 20 hillclimb starts and carries a healthy lead in the championship this year. The next race is set Sept. 24 where Anton hopes to have his Mark Young-CRX back in top condition.