Tiu, Hand, Millet brace for showdown in drag racing

MANILA, Philippines - Multi-titled Jonathan Tiu, William Hand and teener Arvin Millet gear up for another thrilling showdown as they clash in the finals of the Northern Series of the Philippine Drag Racing Championships Saturday at the Clark International Speedway in Pampanga.

Tiu currently leads the Quick 8 division and is second in the M&H Super Pro class with 16 points following his win last month.

Hand, despite missing the action in the third leg, has 25 points to pace the M&H Super Pro class with a 10-point edge over Tiu.

Millet, the youngest competitor at 19, won two of the past three Northern series races to grab the top spot in the Pro division with 30 points against three H3 Motorsports drivers – Edison Cayco (16 pts) and Bong Hilario (11) and John Kalaw (11).

Points earned in the Northern Series will be added to total garnered in the Southern Series for the National Series crown. It will be a tight battle amongTiu, Hand and Millet for the coveted crown in the event sanctioned by the Automobile Association Philippines and sponsored by GT Radial, HKS Motor Oil, M&H Race Master and Yokohama and powered by Racing Beat@Wave 89.1.

For the Golden Wheel Drag Racing Driver of the Year, the pro division serves as the main basis while a certain percentage of points earned in the Quick 8 class will be added to the final tabulation to determine the recipient of the prestigious plum.

Defending champion Martin Manalo, who recently bagged the Southern Series crown, has not won any race at the Clark International Speedway. He earned only two points so far in this series and this may have a big effect on his bid for a back-to-back Drag Racing Driver of the Year.

Though out of contention for the Northern crown, Manalo may play the spoiler for the top three contenders as he faces a must win situation in the Pro division to boost his chances for the national crown.

The Cayco brothers – Edwin and Edison – are still in strong contention and may pull off title upsets if they win their respective classes.

Edwin Cayco is third overall in the M&H Super Pro class with 15 points behind Hand and Tiu. A victory in this leg could steer him to the championship if Hand fails to show up or makes it to the top three and Tiu loses the final showdown.

Details:  www.batangasracingcircuit.com or Batangas Racing Circuit c/o Nelson Gayola or Rodini Rivera at (632) 817-2241, 729-5365 or fax 844-7766 or Facebook, www.facebook.com/Batangas Racing Circuit.