Racing phenom Iñigo Anton of Team Obengers and another Baguio boy racing champ, Gerard Loy, of R Racing Team clinched top spots in their divisions in round one of the Toyota Gazoo Racing Vios Cup 2021.
Loy’s comeback in the Vios Cup, which was held July 9 to 10 at the Clark International Speedway in Pampanga, was quite impressive.
Loy bagged two first places and a second place in the Super Sporting Class of round one. Joining him on the podium were Estefano Rivera and Red Diwa in race one and two, while Bryan Co and Marc Song came in second and third in race three.
Also a multiple champion in competitive shooting, Loy was pleased to be leading in the championship points early in the series and hopes to continue his winning streak in the rounds to come.
Anton, meanwhile, did not disappoint his supporters as he got off to a flying start in his first circuit race in his career.
Race commentator and motorsports journalist James Deakin could not hide his excitement as he watched Anton dice it out on the track with veteran circuit racers.
“I’ve seen Iñigo grow up and his level of maturity, on and off the race track, is inspiring. They say it takes a village to raise a child and for Iñigo, it took the whole Baguio to raise him well,” Deakin said.
Anton took pole position in the qualifying round for the Sporting Class over teammate Julian Tang and Jacob Ang of Eagle Cement. He won race one over Tang after a fierce battle in the last five laps.
Anton and Tang’s teammate Joaquin Garrido took the final step of the podium, making it a clean sweep for the Obengers Racing Team.
Race two saw a reshuffling of podium places with Tang on top spot, Garrido on second, and Anton finishing third.
In race three, Anton made his way to the front of the pack and cruised to a commanding four-second lead over Jacob Ang and Julian Tang.
Obengers Team Owner Cosco Oben also commended Anton and gave a special mention to their sporting class driver after having such a phenomenal weekend on his first ever Vios Cup experience.
“I’m so proud of him not only because of his great racing talent but for being such a fine young boy with good moral values. He is a perfect fit to the kind of culture we are trying to promote in our team and in our group of dealerships. I see our eight core values fully embodied by this boy and that honestly makes me happy and proud that he is a part of Obengers,” Cosco said.
Anton was recruited to race for the bemedalled Obengers team after he wrapped up the Vios Autocross Championship in 2019. He spent most of the lockdown driving and winning racing in virtual races for team Eurasia and Alex Yoong’s Axle Motorsports.
The next round of the Vios Championship 2021 is scheduled on Sept. 10, as both Baguio boys hope for another victorious round. – Harley F. Palangchao
April 23, 2024
