Aaron Lao burns rubber, rules drag racing

MANILA, Philippines — Aaron Lao struck the hardest with a stirring two-division victory in the season-ending leg at Clark International Speedway recently, but it was the multi-titled Jonathan Tiu and Arvin Millet who clinched the key overall titles in the 2019 National Drag Racing Championships.

Lao won Quick 8’s final quarter-mile faceoff in 10.165 seconds over Ed Christian Go (10.569), as well as the M&H Super Pro title duel over Vanni Garcia (10.711-11.839) in a 2-liter, 1,000-wheel horsepower Honda Civic EG Sport prepared by MRD Performance.

Tiu missed out on a four-leg sweep of the Northern Series championship but still topped the final two-area national tally in the elite class among the competition’s quickest eight cars with 76 points, 24 clear of runner-up Allan Ararao, with Garcia third, 37 behind.

Millet, last season’s Drag Racer of the Year, nailed the award anew with his unbeatable overall tally in the M&H Pro class, the racing bracket where stricter car preparation rules and limits to engine muscle level the playing field.