FORS 2017 season kicks off with 91-car grid

The opening race of the 2017 FlatOut Race Series (FORS), the country’s premier grassroots motorsports event, saw a total of 91 entries go head-to-head at the Batangas Racing Circuit (BRC).

Time Attack

During the Time Attack session, it was Rafael la O’ in his #1 Honda Civic EK who topped the timesheets with 1:48.725 lap. This was enough to seal top spot for Bracket R and Bracket A. Meanwhile, Eduardo Suiza in the #200 W-Autosport/Staging Lanes Honda Civic EG came in .155s behind the fastest lap earning him 2nd place. Dondon Portugal rounded up the top 3 with a time of 1:49.939.

Bracket B saw Ed Christian Go’s newly built #189 Honda Civic EG take 1st with a 1:56.016 lap. Aaron Lao managed to grab 2nd by posting his best time of 1:56.347, while the 1:56.424 lap of Andrew De Asis got him 3rd place.

In Bracket C, it was female driver Kathy Villar who grabbed the spotlight when she claimed 1st with her best time of 1:59.083. She was then followed by Team Nawna Racing’s 12-year-old Miggy Sohu with a 1:59.473 lap. Interestingly, the highest-placed adult male Paul Santos came in 3rd with his fastest lap of 2:00.054.

It was a close battle for the podium spots at Bracket D. The top 3; Zak Mendoza in 1st, Arbie Jacinto in 2nd, John Benedict Carbonel in 3rd, all finished within a tenth of a second of each other. 

Bracket E saw Alain Matias, Bernard Michael Santos, and Mars Ocampo claim 1st, 2nd, and 3rd respectively. Bracket F had Ronn Catinding, which set a lap of 2:08.079. He was then followed by Greg Suing in 2nd and Robert Tan in 3rd.

As for Bracket G, the largest grid of the day, Ralph Tan bested competitors by claiming the fastest time. Noel Delos Reyes and Mark Pascual managed to complete the podium in the end.

Grid Race

Despite taking pole position, Rafael la O’ lost the lead in the opening stages of the 10-lap GT Radial Grid A race. Eduardo Suiza managed to jump to the lead only to lose it to Dondon Portugal in the #151 Mitsubishi Evolution 7 during the latter part of the race. La O’ managed to finish in 2nd while Suiza had to settle for 3rd.

Meanwhile, Aaron Lao in his #84 Honda Civic EK dominated the KYB Grid B with a 49-second lead. Taking 2nd place is Slalom veteran Peewee Mendiola in the #47 Mitsubishi Evolution 6 while Hector Tan finished in 3rd.

In the SmartFuels Grid C race, Sherwin Bargos and Polo Bautista were caught in a head-to-head battle after Ed Christopher Go failed to make it to the starting line. It was Bargos who came out victorious in this battle after building a 7-second gap straight to the finish line.

A big 25-car grid formed as the Recaro Grid D and Works Bell Grid E race went underway. Mark Erwin Bayan claimed the top spot after he finished .321 seconds ahead of Robbie Alvarez. Meanwhile, Jack Saquilayan came in 3rd.

In Grid E, Robert Tan cross the line in 1st place, 6 seconds ahead of of AAP Motorsports Development Program graduate Paolo Santos. They were then followed by Andre Makkina Tan.

The next round of FORS is on April 1, 2017 at BRC.  For more info or inquiries, visit the FlatOut Race Series page on Facebook.

The 2017 Flat Out Race Series (FORS) is sponsored by GT Radial – Philippines, KYB, EPPCO, RECARO, Staging Lanes, Competition Clutch, SmartFuels, Seiken Brake Parts, Works Bell, 602PTG, Brodeth Motorsports, Tuason Racing School, OMP, and Angeli Jewelry. It's supported by Walter Lights and Sounds, Aeromed, Ninja Performance, Totem Bikes, CTR, and 2ndGen Insurance. 

Media partners include 2NER Magazine, AutoCar Philippines, AutoDeal.com.ph, AutoIndustriya.com, C! Magazine, CarGuide.Ph, Carmudi.Ph, Ignition.PH, JamesDeakin.Ph, JDM Underground, Manila Bulletin Drive, Pit Talk Asia, and Time Attack Manila.