Anton happy with second in difficult race

MANILA, Philippines -  Carlos Anton topped the sprint race and finished runner-up in the GT race as the Castrol-Yokohama ace got back on track in the fifth and sixth rounds of the Philippine Touring Car Championship at Clark International Speedway in Clark, Pampanga recently.

Anton, using the Works Bell-Ethanworxs R33 FD, set the pace early on and cruised to victory in round 5 but fell short of his bid in the GT afternoon race when, after leading for 14 laps, he yielded the lead due to engine failure, enabling former champion Joey Pery to clinch the win.

“Joey pushed me hard all throughout but when the engine failed me on the very last lap, there was not much I could do anymore,” said Anton, who had to thwart William Tan and championship leader Paolo Mantolino to secure runner-up honors.

“I’m glad we had built a huge lead over William and Paolo  and that was just enough for me to still finish second. Of course we would have rather have won, but I’ll take the second place any day after an engine failure,” said Anton.