I vividly remember my first meeting with Ramon S. Ang, the renowned leader of San Miguel Corporation. Let me travel back in time.
It was 2012 on a fine February morning. RSA, as he is popularly called, invited me to a whirlwind tour of the flagship’s HQ. He was dressed modestly but I could sense the gravitas in him. As he switched on the Toyota Vios’ car engine, he told me to ride shotgun with him and drove around the SMC complex. After a few minutes, he drove straight to a Petron station nearby where he gestured to an attendant as if saying “i-full tank mo”. Moments later, he resumed the gas pedal-to -the- metal footwork and stopped at the main entrance to the SMC offices. This was where he handed me the keys to a top-of-the-line Toyota Vios, a major raffle prize for the annual SMC Golf tournament. Out of gratitude, I should have embraced him but I was too shy. After a tight handshake, he went back to his office while I, feeling extremely elated, zoomed away with my new and shiny Vios. And this isn’t “beer talk”. Not at all.
Fast forward to the present, RSA, an unrivaled auto enthusiast, is now the exclusive Philippine distributor of BMW and Ferrari, the prestigious automobile manufacturer from Maranello, Italy. RSA is not just a car owner; he possesses a technician’s expertise under the hood and behind the wheel, skills that earned him the trust of his late mentor at SMC.
RSA often dedicates time to tinkering with cars, despite his demanding responsibilities as the head of SMC and its subsidiaries. His passion for automobiles now transcends mere ownership, extending to dreams of business ventures.
Now, RSA has drawn up a plan to build a racetrack with world-class amenities, aside from a car museum and theme park, scheduled for completion in 2026. The chosen venue is Bulacan, close to SMC’s ongoing project, SMC Aerocity, the New Manila International Airport. Plans include involving retired F1 driver Felipe Massa to assist in designing the racing circuit, as per reports.
Massa, to the uninitiated in the world of Formula One racing, was the Ferrari driver who ignited the thrilling finale to the 2008 F1 season in his hometown Brazil. Eventually, he won the Brazilian Grand Prix but lost the overall world championship by a whisker to rival Lewis Hamilton.
As a motoring journalist, I have covered numerous F1 races, such as those in Australia, Malaysia, and Singapore, as well as the Macau Grand Prix, where Filipino legend Arsenio “Dodjie” Laurel became the first back-to-back champion in 1962-63. I have a fairly good understanding of the preparation and mindset of F1 drivers and teams for race day.
With Massa’s involvement, there is great optimism that RSA’s racetrack will feature exhilarating turns and high-speed straight lines, providing an exciting racing experience for drivers and Ferrari fans. The track is likely to welcome not only Ferraris but also BMWs, another prominent brand under RSA’s wing.
While the theme park may not rival Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi, it is expected to offer facilities that align with the Ferrari lifestyle, albeit slightly less extravagant.
RSA’s race circuit could well be the crowning achievement of his journey as a car aficionado.
(Ramon Tomeldan is the former Managing Editor of Manila Standard)