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Organized by the Tuason Racing School, the Ford Racing Club’s inaugural event had the misfortune of being hit by the Typhoon of the Millennium right before its grand opening. Still, after a number of reschedules, things got under way last November 12 at the Batangas Racing Circuit. And even though rain once again threatened to wash out the track event, the show went on, nevertheless.
Despite the protracted program, the action came fast and furious… and quirky. Not only were the usual suspects (Sentras, Civics, Corollas, Focuses and Lynxes) there, but also various non-sporting vehicles, including a Toyota Hilux Surf, a Honda CRV and a BMW 523. Other entrants included sportscar icons like the Nissan Silvia and the BMW M3. The first few rounds were familiarization tests, wherein track-junkies, both novice and experienced, were given exercises such as braking, slalom, decreasing speed slalom and autocross to give them a better handle on track conditions and to allow them to get a feel for their car.
While the seasoned (and not-so-seasoned) track-runners of the Ford Club got through without a hitch, a few newcomers to the BRC were caught out by the conditions. Others… well, let’s just say if your idea of having fun is driving a two ton SUV on three wheels in a slalom, you must have a pretty interesting life. The familiarization laps were a field trip of sorts, and the M3 driver had his girl and his own camera crew in-car with him. What a circus!
Due to the rain, free lapping was limited to the short track. The Ford Club ran with the mighty 4AGE equipped Corollas of GrupoToyota. My personal archnemesis for the day was to be a silver Corolla AE92 driven by a madman. Overtaking me around a back marker, he lights the wick of competitiveness, and wet conditions be damned! I’m not letting a Corolla leave me in the dust, no matter what he’s got under the hood! But before I can latch my hooks onto his tail, I’ve got an impatient M3 sitting in my exhaust as we thread around slower cars in the in-field. I make it onto the main straight and pull to the side, and quickly lose sight of the M3 as he thunders away in a super-bike shaming shriek of rage. I grit my teeth and concentrate on taking back what I’ve lost to the silver AE92.
Nearly ten laps later, I’ve finally got him in my sights again, with Tisay (Danny’s fully set-up White Lynx RS) sitting on his tail, after making my way through lap traffic, lapping some runners, such as a sliver CRV, two or three times. Danny, seeing me in his mirrors and recognizing a brewing battle, motions me past, to chase that silver bullet. Then the checkered flag comes out! Agh! This battle will have to continue some other time, preferably after I’ve gutted the car and installed a turbo. Even then, it might not be enough!
Ford Club makes it through without a scratch, but one scuffed up Honda serves as a grim reminder that the basics of slow-in-fast-out cornering is still the best way around a race track. Especially a slippery one! Hams behind the wheels soon become Hamsters in conditions like these, spinning, spinning, spinning… gone!
With wet conditions prevailing and many new drivers on the track, the dreaded anti-hamster chicanes were soon set up to slow people down… and whilst some people still suffered the twirling results of over-eagerness, no other collisions or damage ensued.
After a hearty lunch, and with the sun starting to show, we head back onto the track for the Focus slalom/autocross event. While the track is still wet in places, the conditions start improving as the cars take to the track…
Pretty soon, I’m up next. Minutes after strapping myself into the Tuason Cup Focus Racing car, I take up position at the starting line. Three, two, one… I’m off. The Focus’ clutch might be a bit high, but it’s easy to modulate, and I launch off the handbrake at around 4500 rpms. The car accelerates very quickly into the autocross and I’m soon throwing it around the turns. Though I initially found this car slow compared to the Lynx last year, I’m finally in tune with it, and it feels wonderful. This thing is really fast for a nearly stock 1.6 on such ordinary tires. And smooth. JP wasn’t kidding when he said it drove like a BMW. Much as it hurts to admit it, it probably is much better than the Lynx (would be faster, too, with the bigger 2.3 in it). Wonder what it’d be like to race it for a living?
As I brake into the finish box, I’ve got the best time so far. A few runs after, the Grupo Toyota madman (he of the silver Corolla) sets a similarly blazing time. It’s going to be close again…
In the end, though, it was not to be. Remember that M3 that left us both for dead in the morning sessions? As the track dries out, the M3’s owner straps into a Focus and performs one heroic, blazing run. Yep, he did it again. Nice car, nice girl, nice driving, and I bet he has it all on video. Some guys have all the luck. Still, all he got was an expensive backpack, while I got third prize… three cases of beer! See? Sometimes it pays to lose.
Hours later, stuck in agonizing bumper to bumper traffic between Batangas and Laguna, we exchange greetings with many of the different drivers we met at the track day as we crawl along. Our paths may never cross again, or at least until the next track day, but for a couple of hours, we shared an experience that none of us, veteran or newcomer, will soon forget. For a while, we weren’t grown-ups on the agonizing treadmill of daily routine. For once, we were kids in a playground, and we all had fun. |
