Nerve-wracking 2017 Vios Cup sees Obengers emerge on top

A more gung-ho second leg of the 2017 Vios Cup entertained spectators on June 9 and 10 at the Clark International Speedway.

Intermittent rains kept the tracks wet, which may have added “wild” to the action.

From Race 1 of the Promotional/Celebrity Class, to the final race between the Super Sporting Class, there was metal-to-metal contact.

Front and rear bumpers fell off here and there, and a collective roar from excited spectators could be heard every so often, directed as much to daring overtaking moves as to the frequent fender benders.

Promotion Class racers Marc Soong (#77) and Arbie Jacinto (#64) were at each other’s tails in Race 1.

Soong bagged the Fastest Lap Award for the Promotional Class (2:27.91) from sponsor Denso, and placed fourth overall.

Actor Dominique Roque (#10) spiced up the second round (Race 4) of the celebrity/promotional class.

Damaged front bumper and all, the young racer figured in many near-collisions that kept the crowd at the edge of their seats.

For the risks he took, Roque bagged first place for the Celebrity Class, as well as pocketing special awards such as overall best male celebrity driver (from sponsor AVT), and the Adrenaline Rush award (from Bridgestone).

Mike in hand, Roque apologized to his fellow racers for his “reckless abandon.”

Fellow celebrity Jasmine Curtis Smith was not as fortunate, however. Her car suffered structural damage early on in Race 1.

Although classified as DNS (Did Not Start), she still bagged the Overall Best Female Celebrity Driver from AVT and the “Catch Me If You Can” award from Bridgestone.

It was also an action-packed final race of the second round (Race 6) of the Super Sporting Class, highlighting the head-to-head race between wonder boy Daniel Miranda (#20) and Andres Calma (#97).

Miranda, who flew in from Australia and started last in a reverse-grid format, crossed the line first, completing a sweep for the Obengers racing team for the three categories.

For his feat, Miranda bagged the Driver of the Day award from Brembo. He also recorded the fastest lap in his class, at 2:24.154.

The Sporting Class also dished out its fair share of nail-biters. The second round race for this class (Race 5) saw a “bumpy” 12 laps that ended in a first-time win for Sen. JV Ejercito of the Obengers. Ejercito led from beginning to end of the race.

Awards

Special awards were handed out to the following:
Celebrity Driver of the Day—Jake Cuenca (awarded by AVT).
Most Improved Celebrity Driver—Ella Cruz (awarded by Brembo)
Fastest Lap (Sporting Class)—Aira Medrano (2:26.55)
Slingshot Award—Rey Bunag of the Super Sporting Class, and Evelyn Coseteng of the Sporting Class (awarded by Motul)
High Performance Racer (male and female)—Jake Cuenca and Aubrey Miles (awarded by Total Excellium)
Round 1 Team Awards—Team Alabang (65 points) composed of Allan Uy, Aira Medrano and Evelyn Coseteng
Round 2 Team Awards—Team Obengers (84 points) composed of Daniel Miranda, JV Ejercito, Paolo Agregado and Marc Soong.

(The awards for the two teams were given by OMP and Tuason Racing.)

The winners for the first round are:

Dominique Roque (1st), Ella Cruz (2nd), and Gretchen Ho (3rd) for the Celebrity Class

Dan Vic Portugal (1st), Evelyn Coseteng (2nd), and Red Diwa (3rd) for the Rota Promotional Class

Paulo Agregado (1st), Mark Sy (2nd), Aira Medrano (3rd), Paul Lomax (4th), and Tonton Ramos (5th) for the Bridgestone Sporting Class

Daniel Miranda (1st), Andres Calma (2nd), Gerard Loy (3rd), Jette Calderon (4th), and Mike Maristela (5th) for the Total Excellium Super Sporting Class.

The main awards for the second round went to:

Dominique Roque (1st), Ella Cruz (2nd), and Gretchen Ho (3rd) for the Rota Celebrity Class
Red Diwa (1st), Gel Napat (2nd), and Dan Vic Portugal (3rd) for the Rota Promotional Class

JV Ejercito (1st), Tonton Ramos (2nd), Mark Sy (3rd), Paul Lomax (4th), and Aira Medrano (5th) for the Bridgestone Sporting Class
Daniel Miranda (1st), Gerard Loy (2nd), Ramon Tanjuatco (3rd), Jette Calderon (4th), and Mike Maristela (5th).