MANILA, Philippines - Defending champion Jonathan Tiu of JCT-Blanche Racing made a big start in the season with a double victory recently in the kickoff of the 2014 Petronas Philippine Drag Racing Championship Northern Series at the Clark International Speedway.
Parading a new Nissan R35, Tiu served polite notice of his title retention bid when he ruled both the Quick 8 and the Super Pro classes of this event sanctioned by the Automobile Association Philippines and sponsored by Petronas, M &H Tires and media partner Racing Beat at Wave 89.1.
He clocked 9.552 seconds in the final showdown against the 10.649 seconds of Danes Sarmiento of H3 Autoworks to capture the Quick 8 plum. Northern Series defending champ and JCT-Blanche Racing teammate Rommel Dural took third place.
Later, Tiu bagged the Super Pro plum with a consistent time of 9.62 against Allan Ararao who succumbed to a breakout with a time of 10.598 seconds.
Sarmiento, third in the Super Pro, had the chance to set a new record after posting a flat nine seconds during the qualifying run. However, he failed to come up with a back-up time for drag racing director Fil Gulfin to declare it a new record.
Southern Series champion Marc Manalo of RSL Motorsports likewise hogged the limelight with his phenomenal triumph from the losers circle to score a near-impossible feat of winning the Pro class title.
He pulled off the triumph by beating the same driver that gave him the early exit in the first round.
Manalo’s hopes nearly got shattered when he was turned back by TJ Pangilinan. Luckily, he survived the challenge in the losers circle and earned the wildcard slot into the mainstream battle.
Later, he thwarted strong favorite Arvin Millet of TEMZ in the semifinals to gain the chance to exact revenge on his tormentor Pangilinan in the final showdown.
Experience showed the way for Manalo in the title duel as he pulled ahead early and completed his quarter-mile run in 11.962 seconds against Pangilinan.