THE Philippine flag is once again on top of the continental Motorsports circle!
Behind the sought-after tandem of Slalom King Milo Rivera and multi-titled veteran Carlos Anton, the Philippines successfully swept the individual and team competitions in the 2nd Leg of the Asian Auto Gymkhana Championships last August 19 and 20 at the BMW Driving Center in Incheon, Korea.
The weekend began when Rivera and Anton scored a 1-3 finish during Saturday’s qualifying sessions, with the former finishing on top.
The next day saw torrential rain and strong winds, which gave the drivers additional difficulty, but the Filipinos were unfazed.
The first victory for the Philippines came when 22-year-old Rivera ruled the individual races, with Koreans In-yong Lee and Jong-Hyuk-Lee finishing 2nd and 3rd, respectively.
Rivera had to deal with sudden death runs on both the semifinal and final rounds.
However, behind the wheel of a MINI Cooper JCW, the Filipino racing star delivered smooth and swift maneuvers around the technical courses of the event, which propelled him to win his second straight FIA Gymkhana crown.
The sweep was eventually completed later that day when team Philippines emerged victorious in the team competitions.
Just like the individual prix, it needed a sudden death run for our country to claim the crown.
The Filipinos went up against team Korea during the semifinals and behind the control of Anton, team PH knocked them out of competition, before the veteran driver closed it out on the sudden death run of the final round, defeating South East Asian rivals, Shazmie Ilias and Mitch Chong of Malaysia.
“We knew we were a favorite entering this race, which made the pressure even heavier. But given the preparation we underwent leading up to this weekend, and the unsung talent and heart of the Filipino, we felt that things were gonna be good for us. And true enough, we emerged victorious,”said the jolly Rivera, who is backed by Blade Auto Center, United Auctioneers, and Placewell International Services Corp.
On the other hand, the Castrol, Yokohama, and Cars Unlimited-backed veteran Anton may have missed the opportunity on making it an all-Filipino final for the individual race, but he surely did not let the same happen in the national team competition.
“After Milo clinched the individual crown, it started to feel very likely that we were on the verge of a sweep. Yet it wasn’t a reason for us to feel overconfident. We still had to work our way up. And God-willingly, we gave our country what it deserves: To stand on top of the Asian Gymkhana scene, with the sound of “Lupang Hinirang” playing in front of the whole continent. Truly, a beautiful sight to see and a feeling to cherish forever,” Anton said.
Given their victories, the duo will try to defend their crowns once again on Oct. 29 and 30 for the series’ third leg in Taiwan.