GBX Drift Cup 2011 announces Lateral Drift Round 3 winners

MANILA, Philippines - After Lateral Drift’s 2011 Series Rounds 1-2 held at Clark International Speedway, Pampanga, Round 3 heads back to Manila after the Holy Week break and named as the GBX Drift Cup 2011, recently held at Quirino Grandstand. Not only spectators and fans enjoyed the spectacle of smoking tires but also were marvelled by a roster of different car displays staged by Hot Summer Nights Bumper to Bumper Car Show produced by Ladder Events Productions. It was also a movie marathon of a street racing drift action film of Fast and the Furious Part 1-4 and culminated with the upcoming Fast and Furious 5 movie.

Scorching action started early in the morning with practice runs then followed by the qualifying of a total of 25 international and local drifters as they started the opening grid. Unfortunately, other contenders weren’t lucky enough to experience a different and tight drift layout at Quirino Grandstand. Most of the cars broke down during practice runs and others weren’t even able to rev their engines.

But the show did go on, with the top 16 drivers to top 8 contenders ready to drift sideways. The final 8 were the following: Audel Sison, Boodie Dabasol, Emon Ronquillo, Pao Agregado, Ryan Agocillo, Norman Agojo, Kevin Tayao and the list wont be complete without the five time Lateral Drift Champion Alex Perez of Team Yellow Cab.

“The tandems are extremely the most exciting part of the drift event wherein it demonstrates the cat and mouse game of drifting. The objective of the driver in front, who leads the tandems, is to drift the course perfectly at its highest possible speed. The trailing car, who follows the lead drifter, is to tail the car in front of him, to drift as close as possible and mirror the action of the lead car. Judges’ determine if the drifters were able to execute these objectives,” shared by Charlie Cruz, Lateral Drift Productions’ race director, marketing manager and organizer.

During the final 4, with tough contenders Ryan Agoncillo of Team Yellow Cab vs. Pao Agregado, there was a tight battle of the Toyota AE 86 coup vs. Silvia S13. But it was Agoncillo, who was so determined to win, made a better run vs. Agregado who made a costly mistake of understeering in his last run, Ryan Agoncillo bagged the 3rd place.

Next was the battle of the Nissans that truly thrilled the fans, as Alex Perez of Team Yellow Cab with his Silvia S13.5 engine of the Motul Car boasting up to 400 hp vs. Raymond Ronquillo with his R33 Skyline battle against each other. In the end, the 5-time champion showed why he had totally dominated the drift sport in the Philippines as Alex Perez became the champion of the GBX Drift Cup. Raymond Ronquillo bagged 2nd place.