Motorsports personalities and enthusiasts made their way to the streets of Alabang as the 2018 Toyota Vios Cup resumed action last July 28 and 29 after a two-month break, with Estefano Rivera of Obengers Racing-Toyota Balintawak hogging the spotlight.
Aside from the Celebrity racers, Sam Milby, Diego Loyzaga, Troy Montero, Sofia Andres, Phem Barranda, Jinno Rufino, and Chienna Filomeno, who highlighted the Promotional Class, all eyes were on the Super Sporting as their fierce battles resumed, picking up where they left off from the series’ first leg at Clark International Speedway last May.
Although championship leaders Gerard Loy, Allan Uy and Keith Haw were expected to continue their successful ways, people were focused on the lightning quick 21-year old Rivera of Obengers Racing- Toyota Balintawak, who had a pretty disappointing first leg due to technical issues.
Determined to bounce back and redeem lost ground, Rivera stormed to a blistering Pole Position lap time of 1:16.888 during the time trials, a good 0.709 seconds ahead of Toyota Quezon Avenue’s Dominic Ochoa.
Rivera used this to his advantage as he controlled most of the first race. However, his brakes started fading during the race’s closing stages, allowing second place Ochoa to close in, and eventually, place himself right behind Estefano’s tail.
Then, last lap drama arose as Rivera made an almost-costly mistake on turn 6, allowing Ochoa to capitalize and take the lead.
“It was a big mistake by me. With the brakes fading drastically, I decided to start conserving the car and just avoid providing an opening for Dominic to take advantage of,” said Rivera.
With a few corners to go, it seemed like Dominic had snatched the victory away from the Obengers Racing ace.
But to the shock of everyone present, Rivera made an unexpected lunge on the penultimate corner, taking first position back from Dominic, allowing him to take victory.
“Not only was the timing of the maneuver brilliant, the way it was done was also something worth recognizing; with a small gap, Estefano managed to overtake Dominic cleanly and scratch-free. You needed to witness it first-hand to admire what he did to make it count when it mattered most – a great racer,” said Cosco Oben, team owner of Obengers Racing.
Estefano also mentioned that the race had him lost for words. His teammates Raymond Ronquillo and Keith Haw finished third and fourth, respectively, making the victory even sweeter for everyone at Obengers.
Race 2 saw a reverse grid format for the top 6 finishers of Race 1, which meant that Estefano would start from 6th position, with Dominic in 5th. The race was going smoothly for the two favored drivers until a multi-car collision bumped them down to almost at the back of the grid. Ochoa then struggled to regain his pace and was unable to make his way up the order.
Rivera, however, rallied back some positions after falling to tenth. He recorded quick times to gain ground and eventually finished the 14-lap race in 6th place.
“The incident early on, I felt, was very uncalled for and really could have been avoided if not for some poor decisions from the others, but it is what it is. We had to catch up and Praise God I was able to recover positions and finish at 6th. A few more laps and we could have probably challenged for the win but we’ll take it as it is and be thankful for the points we earned. Plus I can say I’m already happy from this weekend considering the great race win earlier today,” added Rivera, who has now caught up in the overall standings and has a big chance to capture the 2018 crown.
Race 2 also saw Ronquillo and Haw score podium finishes with 3rd and 4th again, respectively, allowing Haw to take the overall lead in the Super Sporting standings with one round to go. Another Obengers driver, Paolo Agregado, finished 7th behind Estefano.
Another winner for Obengers racing was Elysse Menorca who finished 4th and 2nd in Race 1 and 2, respectively, for the Promotional Class.
All Vios Cup teams are now setting their sights on the championship round this Sept. 22, back at the Clark International Speedway. The competition will surely further intensify as the race to the 2018 crown is onto its final stage.
“Our team is in a very good position to capture titles this 2018 in all categories. With Keith and Estefano now taking over the Super Sporting standings after very impressive results here in Alabang, and with Elysse being consistently quick in the Promotional Class, we hope we can carry this momentum to Clark and emerge as champions at the end of the season. We know a lot is at stake and we will do everything we can to come out on top,” said Oben.