Baguio’s racing phenom Iñigo Anton joined the ranks of elite Filipino racers who were honored during the recent 17th annual Golden Wheels Awards in Pasay City after clinching the overall champion in the Philippine Autocross Championship Series (PACS).
The 19-year-old Anton was conferred the Golden Wheel Award trophy after emerging on top of his class, who saw the participation of more or less a hundred racers.
“It is such an honor to receive this award and be recognized by the Golden Wheel Foundation. I grew up watching my father (Carlos) being awarded Golden Wheel trophies and now I get to put mine beside his,” Anton said after receiving the award.
Anton is the youngest racer in Philippine history to take home the overall PACS title out of more or less a hundred racers who participated in the autocross series. It was his dad, Carlos, who was his closest rival.
The younger Anton won three of the eight rounds for overall best time and won all eight rounds in the open class of the series using his Mark Young Racing/Carsunlimited/Yokohama-sponsored Honda EF prepared and modified by Mohspeed racing.
Anton is now focused on what is yet to be the most prestigious virtual race he has ever joined, which is the 24 hours of LE MANS virtual, an elite esports race and a part of the official FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile) World Endurance Championship.
Anton will race with team Axle Sports which is owned by former Formula 1 driver Alex Yoong. His team will be up against no less than two Formula 1 champions Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonzo.
The two real life Formula 1 racers have confirmed to join the 24-hour finale of the iconic global endurance series, which will be a live, televised event within the 2022 Autosport International motorsport show in Birmingham, United Kingdom on Jan. 15 to 16.
“Just to be racing in the same event as real life F1 drivers and world champion sim racers is really a chance of a lifetime and an amazing experience. We are training hard with our team and we hope we can make it again to the top 10,” Anton said.
The lone Filipino racer will be joined by fellow Axle sports racers Aleef Hamilton and Mikko Nassi of Singapore, Naquib or Azlan and Alister Yoong; and Nabil Azlan of Malaysia, Josh Purwien, and Cian Butler of Australia.
Axle Sport recently won nine rounds of endurance racing in the 2021 HM Engineering Endunesia where they clinched a 1-2 finish in the final team standings. – Harley F. Palangchao
April 19, 2024
