By LoQal.ph
ROSARIO, BATANGAS—Motorsports is expected to gain more support from Filipino enthusiasts ensuring that the sport will continue to grow in the coming years.
According to Marc Tagle, general manager for Philippine Allied Enterprises Corporation (PAEC) that distributes Bridgestone tires, although motorsports is expensive, more and more Filipinos are being drawn to the sport.
The popularity of televised events, such as F1 racing, is one of the factors that continue to help propagate racing among Filipinos, the executive said.
He also said many Filipinos now go into motorsports not necessarily to compete professionally but to have a hobby and satisfy their need for speed.
Tagle said one of the major factors that enthusiasts usually face is the maintenance of a race car which can be costly. The tuning and upkeep of a race car is totally different from the usual car used for city driving.
“But with more sponsors, I believe that the sport will continue to grow,” Tagle said.
Recently, PAEC conducted the third leg of the Bridgestone Cup at the Batangas Racing Circuit (BRC). The “eco-race” drew several teams from different media outfits.
The first leg of the Bridgestone Cup, held last August 26 at the BRC, was composed of a timed circuit race wherein drivers rode on the new Toyota 86 that are set on Bridgestone's race-ready Potenza S001. This was followed by a drag race where drivers took a nearly one-kilometer stretch on the latest BMW 118d series.
The second leg, held at the Clark International Speedway, emphasized on off-roading. The vehicles featured were Suzuki Samurai 4x4 and the new 4x4 Isuzu D-Max 2012, which were brought to its paces using the Bridgestone Dueler A/T 697 and M/T 673
Tagle said with the good turnout of participants for the three events, Bridgestone hopes to conduct a similar themed race next year.