Anton dominates Gripfest at BRC

MANILA, Philippines - Carlos Anton of Castrol-Mark Young-Yokohama put on another superb show to rule the Gripfest 2013 at the Batangas Racing Circuit while Mike Potenciano took the Best Time of the Day honors in the second round of the Philippine Autocross Championship in Novaliches recently.

Not even the change in layout, where organizers decided to use the inside track of the BRC, could slow down Anton, who did not only dominate the 100-plus field but also set a new record time of one minute, 18.835 seconds.

“The inside track layout at Batangas was challenging and we had very little time to practice so I’m glad we still came out on top. The Hornitex-Petrol Denim CRX ran with no problems all day,” said Anton, whose campaign is backed by Yokohama, Castrol, Mark Young Racing, Hornitex Laminated Floorings, Cars Unlimited, Petrol Denim, Special Stage, Auto Shack and ASR Suspensions. 

The win was Anton’s fourth straight this year. He has now dominated 17 of the 20 Circuit Showdown events since 2010.

Over at SM Novaliches, Potenciano flashed top form to capture the Best Time honors with a 45.56-second clocking at the Autocross Race, beating 2011-2012 Philippine Autocross champion Danby Yaptingchay who posted 46.63 seconds in the Open Division. 

Potenciano, who filled in for Anton for the Autocross, had a hard time getting used to the Mark Young-CRX at the onset but settled down in time to beat Yaptinchay for the top honors.

“I knew Mike was the right driver to turn to when I could not run. He is my mentor and I must admit he’s a much quicker driver than I am,” said Anton, referring to Potenciano’s win. 

Alvin Santos, also driving for Mark Young, came in third.