Anton tops Hill Climb Series Round One

FORMER Dirt Trial champion and Marlboro Red Racing School member Carlos Anton laid down the proverbial gauntlet, when he outclassed a crack field of drivers from rallying, slalom, circuit racing and drifting, who came to compete in the first round of the 2007 Hill Climb Series organized by the Hill Climb Club of the Philippines under the aegis the Automobile Association of the Philippines (AAP), which was held on April 2 on the portion of the National Road that links Talisay and Tagaytay City.

The first of three rounds of the Series sponsored by Petron Xtra Unleaded—Go for the Xtra miles, Stoplight TV, Manila Speedzone and supported by Citgo Philippines; Aguila Auto Glass; Speedlab; Barangay Banga, Barangay San Guillermo and the town of Talisay, Batangas under the leadership of Mayor Florencio Manimtim and Vice Mayor Luis Malabanan; and Laeuna de Taal (a development of Filinvest Land) began with a briefing on March 27. This was followed by official scrutineering on March 29, wherein 50 entries—the maximum number allowed under the current regulations—underwent six hours (3:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.) of technical and safety inspection at the Manila Speedzone in the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig, which became an erstwhile car display that attracted a sizable crowd at the venue. Eight would-be competitors failed to make the cut on account of the first-come, first-serve basis, while several others were unable to make it due to the ineligibility of their vehicles.

Some entries were allowed to avail of a late scrutineering schedule held under the watchful eyes of Chief Scrutineer Albert Narciso on March 31, also at the Manila Speedzone, albeit with a monetary penalty.

All those who passed scrutineering showed up at the starting point in Talisay on Monday, April 2, where they were faced with a challenging two-kilometer uphill road marked by various twists and turns.

Following a strict timetable, an organized reconnaissance (at normal traffic speed) was run at 8:30 a.m. Despite constant reminders from Clerk-of-Course Blue Reyna and spirited signals from the marshals, one of the competitors still managed to spin out on the course. Luckily, no damage to his vehicle—and himself—was incurred.

Before the start, Mayor Manimtim and Vice Mayor Malabanan paid a surprise visit much to the delight of the participants, who honored them with the ceremonial flag off.

In the scorching heat, the business of racing against the clock finally got underway with the Group 3 (cars powered by engines of above 2,000cc) leading off, followed by Group 2 cars (1,601cc to 2,000cc), Group 1 (1,600cc and below) and Historic cars (vehicles built in 1975 and earlier).

Competitors, who are only allowed to enter one class each, were given a chance to complete two runs and the best time out of the two runs was counted.

In Group 1, it was Lito Ignacio in a Mazda Miata MX-5 who emerged victorious with a time of 1:37.70 (1 minute 37.70 seconds), followed by Ivan Isada in a Honda City, who submitted a 1:40.36. Third place went to Lance Binamira, who carded a 1:41.53 in a Toyota Corolla.

Group 2 top honors, meanwhile, were captured by Vin Santos in a Honda CRX, who posted a 1:33.19, which was also the second best time of the day. Former rallyist and touring car ace Rikki Dy-Liacco, who flew in from China just to attend the event, stopped the clock at 1:34.09 in a Toyota Starlet Turbo to take second place (and third best time of the day). RG Gatlabayan and his Honda Civic came home in third with a 1:37.85.

Group 3 was annexed by Carlos Anton, who zipped through the Mickey Mouse course in a Honda CRX to post a stunning 1:29.71—the only sub-1:30 record of the event. With his sterling effort, Anton also walked away with the coveted Best Time of the Day award. Another former dirt trial champion Boyet Policarpio in a Nissan Pulsar landed in second place with a 1:34.57 despite banging his wheels hard against a rock. Third place, meanwhile, went to Jan de la Merced in a Subaru WRX, who registered a 1:34.85.

In the Historic Class, it was David Tanael and his Porsche 911 who took home the trophy.

As of the first round, the drivers point standings for the National Title are Carlos Anton, 20; Vin Santos, 15; Rikki Dy-Liacco, 12; Boyet Policarpio, 10; Jan dela Merced, 8; Carlo Garcia 6; Dindo de Jesus, 4; Lito Ignacio, 3; RG Gatlabayan, 3; and Ivan Isada, 1. The next round of the Series is scheduled on April 28.