Manalo-Tiu showdown spices BRC drag race

MANILA, Philippines - Defending champion Martin Manalo of RSL Motorsports and six-time national champion Jonathan Tiu of JCT-Blanche Racing gear up for a showdown for top honors as the 2012 Philippine Drag Racing Championships Southern Series stages its second leg today at the Batangas Racing Circuit Drag Strip.

The event is sanctioned by the Automobile Association Philippines and sponsored by Yokohama, M&H Race Master, HKS Motor Oil, GT Radial and powered by Racing Beat@Wave 89.1.

Manalo hopes to prevail anew on his own turf as he guns for his second straight triumph in the premiere M&H Pro class and a share of solo leadership to boost his bid for a back-to-back crown.

Tiu is seeking his third straight win in the Quick 8 division to firm up his hold of solo lead and push his title bid.

The two engage in a tight duel in the Batangas kickoff last month. Tiu ruled the Quick 8 division where he booted out Manalo in the semifinal round. They met anew in the M&H Pro class finals where Manalo romped to victory after Tiu made a red light violation.

Fresh from winning the M&H Super Pro and M&H Pro titles, respectively, in the last leg at Clark, Edwin and Edison Cayco of H3 Autoworks will also try to grab the spotlight from the Tiu-Manalo rivalry along with other strong contenders Pepi Santos and Bong Hilario of H3 Autoworks, Vanni Garcia, Why Why Dagondon and sister When Dagondon of Vannitec, and Norman de la Peña of QSP.

With the expected rains, drag racing director Fil Gulfin urged all participants to come early not just for the drivers briefing at 8 a.m. but also to avail of the open practice to adjust their car set-ups for the qualifying time trials.

A total of 120 drivers are expected to flock to Rosario, Batangas and compete for the titles at stake.

Aside from the Quick 8 and M&H Pro classes, these speedsters will also dispute the crowns in the Expert class, the HKS Sportsman division and the GT Radial Hotstreet category.

Also hoping to spice up the competition are drivers from top teams Montavita, Team Bats, HYZ, Speedmode, Kapshop, TEMZ, Team Ready, Pit 21, Cabspeed, Mohspeed, Ahra-Garage Power, SE Racing, Forcespeed, Prodigy, Step, Mymitsuph, Signal, HRE, Gulfspeed and other privateers as they vie for the other titles at stake.

Favored in the other classes are Arvin Jay Millet of TEM2 who’s seeking his third win against Jaybee Alinea of Team Ready in the Expert class; Jude Kenneth Carrido of LEM who’s gunning for his second HKS Sportsman title over equally strong contenders John Carlo Cordero, Angelo Mendoza, Hubert Canarias of Bertspeed, Lennel Diaz of Mohspeed and Marlon Villarin of SE Racing; and Dennis Pernes of TMC who’s aiming to dominate the GT Radial Hotstreet division over Darell Bautista, Christopher Gonzales, Joms Licup of Autoworx and JR Kalalo of Team Bats.

For further details, interested parties may contact the Batangas Racing Circuit c/o Nelson Gayola or Rodini Rivera at (632) 729-72 41-42, 729-5365 or fax 844-7766, mobile No. 0922 8858410.