Baguio drivers dominate 2nd, 3rd leg of Nat’l Hill Climb Series

BAGUIO CITY (Apr. 3) — The hills along Ambuklao Road proved to be too much for visiting participants of the 2nd and 3rd leg of the 2008 National Hill Climb series as local drivers landed on the podium in all categories.

Benguet drivers and the defending champion Carlos ‘Primero’ Anton garnered maximum points in both the 2nd and 3rd leg of the series. Anton clocked the fastest time on the 4-km track in 2 minutes 59.28 seconds. His time proved to be too much for the other racers as his time was the best time for this track.

Photo courtesy of Gregory Loy

The event was flagged of by Department of Tourism-CAR Regional Director Purification S. Molintas and the Executive Director of the Benguet Visitors’ Bureau Gregory K. Loy. Several familiar faces were in participation as veteran drivers like Steve Acayan and our very own Mario Dipasupil tamed the hills of Barangay Loacan in Itogon. Most local drivers are new to the sport yet they held their ground against several regular participants as they showed them that they had no problem driving around hills.

Lone lady driver Nicole Dipasupil gave her male counterparts a hard time as she posted a time of 3:25.78 for the four-kilometer run. Nicole, the daughter of veteran race car driver Mario Dipasupil, proved to be natural and had no problems negotiating the twist and turns the track had to offer. She is another Baguio driver to watch in the upcoming legs of the 2008 National Hill Climb Series.

Among the participants were local motorsport enthusiasts, public transport drivers, mechanics, students, businessmen, and business executives. Cars ranged from everyday cars to mechanically set-up vehicles and were classified according to published horsepower rating. This classification is what makes the Hill Climb Series exciting as participants compete only within their classification. Volkswagens and taxi cabs were among the cars used in the race.

All 42 cars underwent strict scrutineering by members of the Hill Climb Club of the Philippines headed by Jose “Blue” Reyna. Several cars were made to have their cars rechecked after the scrutineering team saw that safety was compromised. A participant was not allowed to register for the event for total disregard of safety rules. Despite several appeals, the organizers of the Hill Climb Series upheld their rules.

The results for the 2nd leg are as follows:
Group 1 – Peter Benamira 3:52.65, Gary Cating 3:59.45 (Baguio), Frankie Domingo 4:12.21 (Baguio).
Group 2 – Imay Datu 3:22.81 (Baguio), Lance Binamira 3:28.07, Steve Acayan 3:29.95.
Group 3 – Vin Santos 3:04.81, Onchie Mercado 3:10.79 (Baguio), Marc Thomann 3:14.10 (Baguio).
Group 4 – Carlos Anton 2:59.28 (Baguio), Carlo Garcia 3:07.02, Jem Quirimit 3:12.98 (Baguio).

The results for the 3rd leg are as follows:
Group 1 – BJ Abadilla 3:47.24, Riel del Rosario3:53.36 (Baguio), Gary Cating 3:59.45 (Baguio).
Group 2 – Steve Acayan 3:26.33, Lance Binamira 3:28.06, Dominic Acosta 3:40.62 (Baguio).
Group 3 – Vin Santos 3:04.56, Gerard Loy 3:16.04 (Baguio), Mario Dipasupil 3:18.18 (Baguio).
Group 4 – Carlos Anton 3:00.48 (Baguio), Carlo Garcia 3:05.27, Jem Quirimit 3:10.01 (Baguio).
Historic Group – Mark Quinto 4:00.28 (Baguio), Mr. Manalo 4:14.90 (Baguio), Mr. Adan 4:27.92 (Baguio).

Organized by the Hill Climb Club of the Philippines and the Benguet Visitors’ Bureau, the 2nd and 3rd legs were both held at km 271 to km 267 of the newly paved Benguet-Vizcaya Road. This event was run by the Automobile Association of the Philippines and forms part of the National Championships. This leg of the National Championships is a prelude to the possible inclusion of Benguet as a venue for next year’s international series which will see the participation of drivers from the Asian Region.

The international series will be under the Federation Internationale de l’ Automobile, the world governing body for motorsports.

“The prayers of our local motorsports enthusiasts were answered by all the agencies involved. Finally, a proper venue for their racing activities was provided. Continued efforts are being done to give our enthusiasts the proper venue so that their racing activities will be taken off the streets,” the Hill Climb Club of the Philippines and the Benguet Visitors’ Bureau continued to make this appeal to the enthusiasts who attended the event.

A driver’s orientation seminar is being scheduled in order to give our local drivers more safety tips and to aid them in their quest for another title to bring home to Baguio. # Contributed by Gregory Loy/BVB