Tiu regains top spot in 3rd leg of 2015 NDRC Southern Series

With the season now past midway, and his “Tiunami 1” Nissan GT-R under major repairs, the pressure was definitely on for defending champion Jonathan Tiu. But he kept calm and won the 3rd leg of the National Drag Racing Championship (NDRC) Southern Series using a familiar winning machine.

Held last April 11, 2015 at the Batangas Racing Circuit (BRC), the weekend’s Quick 8s began with Tiu taking his old Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII and making a swift 10.272 second run on the first heat. He followed through with an even faster 10.176 on the second heat. This brought him to the finals where he faced his teammate Jonathan Young. But Young encountered a mechanical problem, thus letting Tiu win via “bye run”.

However, Tiu’s comeback momentum didn’t last long, as he placed 3rd in the Pro class, behind Aaron Lao in 2nd and Martin Manalo who took the win via Lao’s breakout. Manalo clocked in at 11.868, rewarding him with a Pro class back-to-back victory.

In the Expert class, Morris Miranda re-joined the semi-finals from the losers bracket. After beating Sherwin Joseph Berania, he moved on to the finals with Anthony Alcala. Miranda crossed the line at 13.247, but because of the bracket racing system, he was relegated to 2nd place, giving Alcala the win. Berania rounded the finals in 3rd place.

The Sportsman class saw Sherwin Jay Esguerra taking 1st, ahead of Rommel Dural in 2nd, and Vincent Datingaling in 3rd. Lastly, it was Marlon Laroza, Ponpon Jimenez, and Derf Jheson Hernandez who took 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places respectively in the Hot Street class.

The NDRC stays at the Batangas Racing Circuit for the 4th and final leg of the Southern Series on May 9. The 2015 National Drag Racing Championship is is sanctioned by the Automobile Association Philippines (AAP) and sponsored by M&H Tires, Sparco, GT Radial, and Aguila Auto Glass.

For more info or inquiries about the National Drag Racing Championship, please contact BRCI at (02) 729-5365 or 0932-860-4522. Get the latest announcements at www.facebook.com/BatangasRacingCircuit or log on to www.batangasracingcircuit.org.