Car racing phenom Iñigo Anton has quickly made a name for himself in the virtual world of sim racing since he joined his first virtual race during the start of the Covid-19 pandemic last year.
In just a span of one year, the 16-year-old Baguio boy has become the top Filipino contender in the ongoing Eracing Grand Prix (ERGP) Global Edition and E1 Championship Series organized by former Formula 1 driver Alex Yoong.
Anton’s main rivals in both championships are considered the “best of the best” professional sim racers in the region and he has proved to be phenom not only in real racing but also in the virtual world of racing.
He has qualified on pole position in several rounds but he has yet to clinch a first place in the races.
In the fourth round of ERGP last weekend at Ciudad del Motor de Aragón, also known as Motorland Aragón, Anton finished a strong second. Clinching the first spot was wild card entry Italian sim racing champion, Allesandro Ottaviani, while Muhammad Thasbeeh of Singapore came in third.
Anton has shown a tremendous pace in the races, and he admitted he was quite surprised with how fast he was able to adapt to the virtual world of racing.
“Real racing and virtual racing are very similar in so many aspects but I did not expect to be up there with the best professional sim racers of Asia. I am just happy that I am still able to produce good results even in the virtual world. I still have a lot to learn and I know that my experiences in sim racing will certainly develop my skills in real ra-cing,” Anton said.
Anton was picked up by the Obengers Racing Team to be one of their drivers for the 2021 Toyota Vios Cup which will hopefully commence mid-year.
As for now, Anton is busy training with his team, GT Radial Eurasia Motorsport, for the remaining rounds of ERGP and E1.
Eurasia Motorsport team Principal Mark Goddard commended the young Filipinos saying, “Iñigo really made a name for himself last season and Joaquin has shown tremendous potential. They are both still on an upward learning curve, while most of the other front-running drivers have reached their performance plateau already.” – Harley F. Palangchao
