Slalom Sunday

Typical Sunday Slalom waiting line. – Photo by Albert Narciso

I wasn’t really supposed to join any slaloms this year but a small reunion of sort happened with the old rally community. Among the veteran rally drivers were the next generation of rally enthusiasts who could only dream of rallying just like their fathers. With all the stories and old rally pictures being shared during this small event, the “young” ones (but old enough to  drive) decided on the need to start somewhere in motorsports. So we all started with our own get-together by joining the most accommodating grassroot event, which the local rally community also helped before… slalom racing.

Car rally veterans reunion held in Enchanted Kingdom- Photo by Raul Asuncion

So we set-up one Sunday to join a slalom event, re-live our fathers dreams, enjoy the motorsports atmosphere, and have fun with our simple beloved “race/everyday” cars. The second generation drivers consisted of David, son Albert Narciso, Louie son of Olson Camacho, King son of Raul Asuncion, and yours truly son of Vip.

Ivan pulling the handbrake of the stock Honda City. – Photo by Raul Asuncion

King Asuncion exiting the trademark 360 of slalom racing. – Photo by Raul Asuncion

The four of us headed to enjoy our race, trying to improve on times, enjoy the run, and learn along the way.

The rally kids getting pointers from the 10 time rally champion. – Photo by Raul Asuncion

First motorsport event as a competitor, David, with his daily drive Yaris. – Photo by Raul Asuncion

Louie with his “yellow minon” March was the fastest among us that day – Photo by Raul Asuncion

We all did go home satisfied and excited for the next race available. Maybe some day rallying will come back in our country now that the kids have grown-up!

2013 PACS Opening Round

The Philippine Autocross Championship Series finally started its season for this 2013 (July 28). The first round was held of the Luzon leg was held in Bradco Avenue, Paranaque City, Metro Manila.

The track layout was fast and had flowing chicanes. It was easy to get a rhythm except for the tight exits to “break” the speed coming from fast stretches of the track. There was a lot of loose dirt in the course which eventually laid a clean line after several competitors had made their runs. The track though became unforgiving if any of the car’s tires would be place on the pile dirt that outlined the track.

The successful stock Honda City would still be the weapon of choice for this year. The experience learned and gained using this car will still prove to be invaluable in the long run.

I was very pleased with the performance of the car. Yet, I was still hesitant in pushing the car as I could easily over drive it. There are still more to fine tune in my driving style with the car’s behavior in this kind of event and the many months of not having done a proper motorsport activity with the car.

Next PACS event is in SM Novaliches on the 11th of August.

Car Shooting in Singapore

What I really meant to say by the title of this post was about taking pictures of super cars,  fast cars, or of something with four wheels and hopefully fast, as I leisurely walked through Singapore during the GP weekend.

We all know there are many people who can afford a super car in this city. Thus, super cars and luxury cars are everywhere. If I remember right, given a certain time such as an hour sitting in Orchard Road, I’d already seen maybe an average of three super cars. In actual, that might even be offensive to the people in Singapore for me not noticing my surroundings of the many other super cars that pass by. Mind you, not all the cars in this post are all that I’ve seen. I certainly missed taking a shot of the Lambos and McLarens for many reasons. Anyway, I did get some pictures of the “common” super cars in Singapore.  Either they are common or they are just the same ones roaming around the city. So I hope I did some good, in a mediocre “speedhunter” style of way.

And just so you know, this idea came from a friend when he lent me his camera for the weekend. His only request was to take pictures like these since he couldn’t join the fun.

Up first is a Ferrari F430 taking a turn into Orchard Road.

Next up is a Porsche 911 Coupe sitting around.

The Law is always around and they have their Subaru Impreza Patrols to do some work if needed.

Another Ferrari, this time parked in front of one of the malls.

Last time I manned this post, there was a Porsche GT3 at that parking spot. A Mercedes owned the spot then.

One block away from the race track was a Maserati Gran Turismo MC Stradale heading the same way in front of the Carlton Hotel.

When I headed for the Marina Bay Circuit, outside City Hall parked a black and a white FIA officials Audi SUVs.

Inside the gates of the the circuit shown is the GP2 Formula car on blue Pirellis. It rained Friday afternoon.

That means a wet race official’s BMW 3 series had to be alert just in case of any unwanted collisions on the slippery track.

Meanwhile in Bishan, their community center held a speed carnival with displays and activities for the F1 weekend. Parked were Singapore’s Formula BMWs.

Also on display was a local race saloon, Honda Integra.

One of the most expensive rides around the city, but also probably the quickest… were these cabs driven by Romain Grosjean.

No way was I missing out on the Ferrari 458 Challenge during race weekend.

The winning Formula One car for the 2012 Singapore Grand Prix, the Red Bull of Sebastian Vettel.

HCLA Sport Honda City is Group 1 Champion for the 2012 Metro Hill Climb

The Honda City 1.3 of Honda Cars Laguna again proved its motorsport prowess. This time it was showcased in the Metro Hill Climb. Rounds 3 and 4 were held over one weekend in Mount Samat, Bataan. Round 3 was a night race going up Mount Samat, while the final round, round 4, was held at the break of dawn. The course for both rounds was 3.85 kilometers.

The Honda City 1.3 came out having won both rounds in the Group 1 (up to 115hp) class. It was a very exciting and challenging race for Group 1 honors as HCLA Sport rally driver, Ivan Isada, fought out championship awards with the Baguio City based hill climb drivers, Imay Datu (Honda Civic Lxi), and Group 1 North Hill Climb Champion, Dennis Dupo, (Mitsubishi Lancer) who both came very close to gaining the top spot. In fact, round 3 found the HCLA Sport driver, Isada, down by 5 tenths of a second from Datu in the first heat. That was until engine trouble hounded the Baguio based driver which led to the Honda City and Isada catching up time with an improved .81 seconds to win the night round. The Group 1 championship for the Metro Hill Climb only had to be concluded for the HCLA Sport Team by having Isada finish at least one run out of the two given heats in round 4. The task was accomplished but it never came easy as other group 1 racers pressed on hard. Dennis Dupo gained first blood on the earlier run up, followed by Isada, while Datu right behind. Full focus and a smooth, fast drive up Mount Samat was the only tactic decided by Ivan Isada in the Honda City 1.3 to gain 1st for the Group 1 awards. The tactic then resulted to an official time of 3’02.18 seconds, which was a full three second improvement from the night race and a .08 lead to the next Group 1 contender. It was a successful weekend for HCLA Sport with a naturally aspirated 1.3L equipped Honda City.

Heat 2 of Round 4 2012 Metro Hill Climb. 

The Honda City has now made a historic mark in local motorsports with the 2012 Metro Hill Climb events together with last year’s 2011 RallyEKross (rallycross) Open Class and Group 1 awards as well. The Honda City 1.3 of Honda Cars Laguna will now continue to press on once again in the 2012 RallyEKross this coming 3rd of June, 2012.

Heat 1 of Round 4 2012 Metro Hill Climb.

Some Group 1 Rules, Guidelines and Restrictions from Hill Climb Club of the Philippines
4.3 Classes
GROUP 1 115 HP and below
4.4 Tires
4.4.1 Only STREET TIRES with treadwear above 180 are allowed for Group 1 and Group 2 cars. A Group 1 or Group 2 car fitted with tires with treadwear 180 or below will automatically be entered in Group 3.
4.5 Fuel
The use of any fuel is allowed.
4.6    Restrictions
GROUP 1
4.6.1    Swapping or exchanging of engine components from a different engine make or model is NOT allowed.
4.6.2    Only the original engine control unit (ECU) or computer box specific to the engine is allowed. Tampering of the ECU is NOT allowed.
4.6.3    The original (intake) air box must be used. RAM AIR is NOT allowed.
4.6.4    The original exhaust manifold must be used.
4.6.5    Replacing the body components with composite material or any light weight material other than the original is NOT permitted. The removal of passenger seats and carpet is permitted.

2012 Metro Hill Climb with the 1300 Honda City

Five years have past since my very first hill climb. Back in 2007 was the first year of the newly formed event by the Hill Climb Club of the Philippines. I participated the first two of three rounds, and if I am not mistaken, I won third in my category which was Group 1. Back in those days Group 1 were composed of cars with a 1600cc displacement. I brought a modified first generation local Honda City with a B16 engine.

This is a video of the very first hill climb with the 1st gen local Honda City.

Fast forward to 2012, I find myself bringing another Honda City again. This time, three generations older from the first one I competed in. The car was completely different from the previous, with only its name alike. I brought a 2011 Honda City with a 1300 engine. There was nothing modified in this car except for the safety requirements the organizer’s had set.

                                                                                                 Photo by Mark Villapando

I once again joined the Group 1 class just as I did before. With five years of the event running, the rules for this category have also changed. It was a class almost close to stock with very minor modification that could be done on the car. The car also had to be under 115hp in accordance to its advertised HP rating.

The first run was very challenging. My last competitive tarmac run was with a 2-litre Honda Civic FD. Moving to a category of production cars, and with everything stock, was going to be a unique experience. I have competed with the Honda City already before, but that was on the rallycross scene in dirt, mud, gravel, those kinds of loose surface. In tarmac, it was going to be faster and a bit scarier with the car not built to be an actual race car. The small engine could only do as much, and the gears maxed out right away. I found it difficult to match the gear to the power of the engine on the steep course we were running. Traction would be an issue as well with the tires coming standard with the car, as to the intermediate street-legal tires I have always used before. That was the learning I had to encounter. Learning and improving was the goal, and trying to make the least errors to maintain speed was the challenge. Challenge accepted, and a whole lot more to still learn.

Here is the first run up the hill in San Mateo, Rizal. A lot of mistakes being my first run on a competitive tarmac stage with the Honda City.

The second run was better with less mistakes. I cut my time down to three seconds from the first heat. I still had a few mistakes and for every mistake, it feels forever to recover.