FIA SC 2018 motor sport demos open to the public

By Aida Sevilla-Mendoza Philippine Daily Inquirer May 16,2018

Heads up for motor sport fans: the FIA Sport Conference 2018’s demonstrations of four motor sport disciplines on June 5 and 6—drifting, cross car, eKarting and gymkhana—will be open to the public.

The annual Sport Conference of the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), the Paris-based organization that governs all four-wheel motor sport including Formula One, will be held in Asia for the first time, with the Philippines as the venue.

The Automobile Association Philippines (AAP), with the support of the Department of Tourism, won the bid in 2017 to host the sixth FIA Sport Conference (FIA SC) on June 4-6, 2018 in Pasay City.

Petron Corporation, BMW Philippines, San Miguel Corporation, Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc., and Philippine Airlines are the conference’s major partners.

The gates to the SM MOA concert grounds will be opened to the public at 1 p.m. on June 5, and at 10 a.m. on June 6. Admission is free.

Drift show, June 5, 4:00 to 4:40 p.m., SM Concert Grounds

Drifting is the fastest growing form of motor sport in the world. Drift racing was born in the 1990s on the winding mountain roads of Japan. Last year, the FIA recognized drifting as a motor sport discipline.

In drifting, drivers force their car to slide sideways through a turn, but it is more complex than power sliding. At the professional level, drivers can drift through several opposing turns without their wheels ever gripping the road.

Instead of a drifter causing a drift and then countering to straighten out, he will over-counter so his car goes into another drift. A good drifter has the ability to take five or six opposing turns without having traction at any point in time.

Multiple, tight, S-type turn configurations allow drivers to display the most advanced drifting skills.

Featured drivers who will show off extraordinary driving skills and car control in the drifting demo are Audel Sison, Jay Lazaga, Luis Gono, John Boban, and Boodie Dabasol.

Dabasol is a finalist of AAP’s nationwide Motor Sport Development Program (MSDP) for young drivers ages 16-19.

Cross Car demo, June 5, 4:40 to 5:40 p.m., SM Concert Grounds

Cross Car is a derivative of Autocross in which all-terrain vehicle (ATV)-like buggies race over a gravel circuit.

Slalom Driver of 2016 and 2017 Milo Rivera and National Rally Driver of 2004 Ivan Isada, both AAP MSDP instructors, will burn rubber until sundown in an exhilarating driving display with race buggies.

E-karting Show, June 6, 2:00 to 5:00 p.m., Bay Shore Avenue

For decades, the karting track has been the proving ground for history’s greatest race drivers. Every driver wanting to advance to Formula One has to start from karting between the ages of 5 and 8 .

Go-karts are powered by combustion engines, but now there is a move to develop small electric vehicles since ion battery technology makes it possible to construct eKarts for children’s and junior categories.

In May 2016, an electric kart built under the watch of the FIA by German manufacturer Mach 1 with a powertrain by Bosch was demonstrated ahead of the Berlin Formula E round.

FIA is proposing an eKarting Cup based around a single chassis and single powertrain concept. This indicates that electric car racing, as proven by the highly successful FIA-initiated Formula E, is the future of motor sport.

For example, this year, the FIA-sanctioned Electric Supercar Series main event will be contested by fully race-prepared Tesla Model S P100D vehicles.

A grid of 20 young challengers in two categories (teen-agers 13-15 years old, and plus 15s) will race lightweight 50 hp eKarts at speeds up to 150 kph on circuits around the world, competing to secure a future race seat in the Tesla Model S EGT P100D.

The organizers say they are offering an eKart championship to nurture and excite the future talent pool of electric racing drivers. They envision a future where children will grow up aiming to be the next electric racing champions.

Karting requires lightning-quick reflexes and expert skill, which is why many of the best drivers still return to karting to perfect their racing technique.

Former Formula One driver Felipe Massa is joining the eKarting demo on June 6 not to sharpen his skills, but to benchmark an official time that Filipino karters John Dizon, Dylan Arambulo, William Go and Gaby Garcia will try to beat.

John Dizon, an AAP MSDP student, is the AAP Karter of the Year 2017.

Massa is now the president of the Commission Internationale de Karting (CIK), which joined the FIA in the year 2000.

Gymkhana Race, June 6, 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., SM Concert Grounds

Gymkhana is an umbrella term for a timed event on a small one-way track with obstacles like cones, barriers, puddles and sandy sections.

The track is twisted back on itself so drivers have to double back, and even crisscross the course at predetermined points.

Drivers are required to reverse at certain points, drift in the corners, and employ grip driving as well as handbrake maneuvers and left-foot braking skills, among others.

The fastest time wins. A driver attempts to defeat rivals and beat his own personal best time, too.

The emphasis is on precision, sharp turns and flawless timing. Gymkhana combines speed with driving skill, intricacy and subtlety, a blend of mental gymnastics and machine skills.

At the gymkhana demo, the battle for the fastest time will engage Jevoy Moreno, Richard Gallardo, Carlos Inigo Anton, Carlos Marzo, Robert Tan, Kody Ng, Paolo Arespacochaga, and Armand Marcaida.

Anton, Marcaida and Marzo are MSDP finalists, bringing to seven the total number of drivers in the FIA SC motor sport demos who either underwent training or are teaching in AAP’s MSDP.

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