Hill Climb on at Bataan

Some of the country’s best drivers and meanest racing machines are set to burn rubber in  the fourth round of the 2008 Hill Climb today at Barangay Diwa in Pilar, Bataan.

The climb series is presented by Castrol Magnatec and supported by Wave 89.1, Hotwire Studio 23, San Miguel by the Bay, Eibach Springs, Speedlab and Zoobic Safari.

Thirty-seven  drivers have signed up for the race against the clock over an unforgiving terrain, including 4.2 kilometers of twists and turns on the road leading to the summit of historic Mount Samat, which features an altitude change of 280 meters and nine major corners.

The event, organized by the Hill Climb Club of the Philippines and sanctioned by the Automobile Association of the Philippines, pits defending hill climb champion and current points leader Carlos Anton in a Honda CRX, who has won this season’s first three rounds, against last year’s conqueror of Mount Samat, Jan de la Merced, who will be making his first appearance in this year’s series in his newly refurbished Subaru Impreza WRX. 

Set to spoil their party is dark horse Carlo Garcia in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI.  Completing the cast are competitors from Metro Manila and a large contingent coming from as far as Baguio City.

Late registration will start at 6 a.m. and late scrutineering will begin at 6:30 a.m. to be followed by Mass at the Dambana ng Kagitingan at 7 a.m. The first car will be flagged off at 8 a.m.