In a recent interview with Mr. Pochollo "Tito Poch" Ramirez on the history of motorsports in the Philippines, he had told me about the greatness that was the Manila Grand Prix and touched briefly on the idea of building a race track at the reclamation area near where the SM Mall of Asia is.
It was quite interesting to learn from one of the country's foremost car racing legends that the Manila Grand Prix (which ran the length of Roxas Blvd. to Del Pan Bridge on A. Bonifacio) had been one of the events signalling that the Philippines had shined a beacon as a power in motorsports. (You can get a fuller account of the Manila Grand Prix in Fast Lane, the first coffee table book on Philippine Motorsports and is written by my former boss, Junep Ocampo.)
Tito Poch said that it gathered a crowd of about 50,000 spectators and at that time, this was a huge number. That's like the entire crowd at the Araneta coliseum during a major PBA game and people watched the Manila Grand Prix under the glaring heat of the tropical sun. The Manila City Government, then led by my Dad's beloved boss, Mayor 'Yeba' Villegas, had given his full support to the race despite opposition from certain quarters.
In anycase, I felt I had to ask Tito Poch if this could still be achieved today. He pointed out that government support would be crucial to creating and promoting the Philippines as a car racing capital. Currently, his own race track (the Subic International Raceway) is thoroughly being buggered by Fedex and because of changes in the area where the race track is, the SIR lost its FIA accreditation -- an accreditation that would enable it to host international racing events such as the AF3. Subic, rather than the Batangas Racing Circuit, would be a better venue for hosting international racing events -- even F-1 or maybe even just the World Tourinc Car Championships -- because of its proximity to hotels and resorts that could accomodate thousands of foreign tourists who flock to these events.
Junep Ocampo, still did one better by saying that a racing circuit was in the works and that it would be built at the reclamation area near where the SM Mall of Asia is right now. The plan was to make use of the existing road system but with the addition of bleachers and other amenities. Hotels and casinos could be built up around the area, pretty much like Macau.
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That certainly would be the answer to the current latent crisis affecting the motorsporting industry where there are few sponsors willing to funnel in the millions of pesos that it requires to develop into a major crowd and tourist draw.
Even Race Fans Inc., organizer and promoter of the Philippine Touring Car championships, is having a heck of a time convincing companies to fork over part of their advertising budget to help support the sport.
---
Then again, I really have to ask, if I were an advertiser and my company was engaged in either the sale or manufacture of automotive products, would I really benefit from supporting the PTCC?
Showing posts with label car racing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label car racing. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Saturday, June 17, 2006
PTCC Drivers' Meeting
Pretty much all of the drivers of the Philippine Touring Car Championships (PTCC) met up at the Valle Verde Club on Thursday June 15 to sort out what -- as in, 'what more' -- should be done after the smash up at the Subic International Raceway during the June 4 morning race.
I had been blogging about the incident days after it happened and I had been saying that Miguel Lazaro had caused the smash up.
I had a chance to hear Miguel's side of the matter and for one reason or another, I just didn't buy his side of the story. You better just watch Round 3 of Group three which will be showing soon on Studio 23 next Sunday June 25. The show is on at 12 noon.
This is, of course, not to pass judgement on his character as a person and as a race driver. He is among the nicest guys on the track and he is a darned good race driver, fiery and fearless.
Then again, others had passed judgement on him and first among them had been the racing stewards who already meted a fine and other penalties. Miguel has since made moves to appeal the decision but I have no idea about how this is faring right now.
The other drivers, (Peewee Mendiola and Niko Montinola) had their piece to say about the incident and the way it seemed to be going, it seemed as if they wanted the organizers of the PTCC to stop Miguel from racing. I am not sure if they were or are part of the group of drivers who were petitioning for the organizers to either stop Miguel from running, threatening to stop racing with the PTCC if their demands were not met.
The organizers explained that under AAP and FIA rules, Miguel had already been penalized and barring any further incidents, that would be that.
I had been blogging about the incident days after it happened and I had been saying that Miguel Lazaro had caused the smash up.
I had a chance to hear Miguel's side of the matter and for one reason or another, I just didn't buy his side of the story. You better just watch Round 3 of Group three which will be showing soon on Studio 23 next Sunday June 25. The show is on at 12 noon.
This is, of course, not to pass judgement on his character as a person and as a race driver. He is among the nicest guys on the track and he is a darned good race driver, fiery and fearless.
Then again, others had passed judgement on him and first among them had been the racing stewards who already meted a fine and other penalties. Miguel has since made moves to appeal the decision but I have no idea about how this is faring right now.
The other drivers, (Peewee Mendiola and Niko Montinola) had their piece to say about the incident and the way it seemed to be going, it seemed as if they wanted the organizers of the PTCC to stop Miguel from racing. I am not sure if they were or are part of the group of drivers who were petitioning for the organizers to either stop Miguel from running, threatening to stop racing with the PTCC if their demands were not met.
The organizers explained that under AAP and FIA rules, Miguel had already been penalized and barring any further incidents, that would be that.
Thursday, June 08, 2006
PTCC, turning into a demolition derby?
The smash up at the Subic International Raceway figured in by Group 3 during their morning race has prompted Race Fans Inc and AAP to hold a drivers meeting to sort out what was termed as ethical issues.
According to Lory Uy -- a member of the Race Fans organizing staff -- they are concerned that the Philippine Touring Car Championships might gain a reputation for being a demolition derby because of the incident and they are keen on hammering out a solution to prevent such incidents in the future.
During the morning race on June 5, Miguel Lazaro attempted to overtake Peewee Mendiola near the last turn before the straightaway leading to the start/finish line. Some say Lazaro intentionally nudged or bumped into Mendiola's rear bumper, causing it to spin out and slam into the concrete barrier, knocking the barrier out of its place -- one observer saying that this was the first time in 12 years that a smash up caused this to happen. When Mendiola's car finally rested, he got T-boned by Niko Montinola which caused his car to move backwards into the track where it was hit again by JP Carino in the rear.
Race officials, another observer revealed, had reviewed the tapes of the incident and concluded that Lazaro was at fault for wreckless driving. However, the decision had come in the afternoon, after Lazaro had already run the second race for that day.
At least six drivers have reportedly signed a petition saying that they will refuse to race in the next round if Race Fans and AAP allows Miguel Lazaro to race again.
According to Lory Uy -- a member of the Race Fans organizing staff -- they are concerned that the Philippine Touring Car Championships might gain a reputation for being a demolition derby because of the incident and they are keen on hammering out a solution to prevent such incidents in the future.
During the morning race on June 5, Miguel Lazaro attempted to overtake Peewee Mendiola near the last turn before the straightaway leading to the start/finish line. Some say Lazaro intentionally nudged or bumped into Mendiola's rear bumper, causing it to spin out and slam into the concrete barrier, knocking the barrier out of its place -- one observer saying that this was the first time in 12 years that a smash up caused this to happen. When Mendiola's car finally rested, he got T-boned by Niko Montinola which caused his car to move backwards into the track where it was hit again by JP Carino in the rear.
Race officials, another observer revealed, had reviewed the tapes of the incident and concluded that Lazaro was at fault for wreckless driving. However, the decision had come in the afternoon, after Lazaro had already run the second race for that day.
At least six drivers have reportedly signed a petition saying that they will refuse to race in the next round if Race Fans and AAP allows Miguel Lazaro to race again.
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
PTCC Rounds 3 and 4
Well, it was a smash. Literally.
Group 3's morning race wound up with at least two cars put out of commission as Miguel Lazaro of Team Shift made a disastrous bid for first, bumping into Doc Peewee Mendiola's car causing it to turn and smash into one of the concrete barrier leading out of the Subic International Raceway's hairpin just a few hundred meters from the last turn into the straightaway before the start/finish line. Big Chill's Mendiola, from various accounts, got the worst of the collission, with the right side of his body and head probably slamming on his car's dashboard after his seat came loose from the force of the impact -- which also knocked one of the thousand pound concrete blocks serving as part of the barrier. In the afternoon, Mendiola was seen with a swollen right arm and the right side of his face was badly bruised. The other car that figured in the collision was that of Akula Racing's Niko Montinola, who went through the incident with out a scratch but his car took the brunt of it. Lazaro was said to have been fined some P30,000 for wreckless driving. An observer, having watched several angles of video footage, said that it seemed there was no evidence that Lazaro made an attempt to avoid collission with Mendiola's car -- no brake lights went on. Montinola had remarked that Lazaro shouldn't even have tried anything in that area, specially when rookies -- referring to himself, probably -- were close by. "He should know better."
(more later)
Group 3's morning race wound up with at least two cars put out of commission as Miguel Lazaro of Team Shift made a disastrous bid for first, bumping into Doc Peewee Mendiola's car causing it to turn and smash into one of the concrete barrier leading out of the Subic International Raceway's hairpin just a few hundred meters from the last turn into the straightaway before the start/finish line. Big Chill's Mendiola, from various accounts, got the worst of the collission, with the right side of his body and head probably slamming on his car's dashboard after his seat came loose from the force of the impact -- which also knocked one of the thousand pound concrete blocks serving as part of the barrier. In the afternoon, Mendiola was seen with a swollen right arm and the right side of his face was badly bruised. The other car that figured in the collision was that of Akula Racing's Niko Montinola, who went through the incident with out a scratch but his car took the brunt of it. Lazaro was said to have been fined some P30,000 for wreckless driving. An observer, having watched several angles of video footage, said that it seemed there was no evidence that Lazaro made an attempt to avoid collission with Mendiola's car -- no brake lights went on. Montinola had remarked that Lazaro shouldn't even have tried anything in that area, specially when rookies -- referring to himself, probably -- were close by. "He should know better."
(more later)
Friday, May 26, 2006
PTCC Round 3 and 4 at SIR set for June 4 and 5
Rounds 3 and 4 of the Philippine Touring Car Championships are all set for June 4 and 5.
In rounds 1 and 2, Group One rivals Jody Coseteng and Kookie Ramirez battled it out with Ramirez emerging to sweep two firsts.
After round two Coseteng requested that all cars be checked out at scrutineering to make sure that everyone was within spec. It turns out that Coseteng's pistons was just a tad smaller than the rest, perhaps explaining his uncharacteristic sluggishness in the first two rounds. This, and perhaps the fact that Kookie Ramirez was really running faster with a more powerful engine (an EK3 Honda which my source says is the same as the rest which are Honda B16s) and a set up that was on the money as far as the Batangas Racing Circuit was concerned. Plus, may I add and this comes with all due respect, Kookie was having a good hair day as observers noted that he didn't commit any errors in both rounds.
There were a couple of spin outs and runs in the run-off, case in point would be the spectacular red gravel shower by Don Pastor at the double apex turn.
Group 3 was a bit more dicey as Francisco "Pacho" Blanco and Mateo Guidicelli rubbed quite a bit. Guidicelli comes from a victorious karting career but confesses to having a bit of trouble adapting to a much bigger car. He would have said that, compared to carting, driving a production car was like riding moby dick -- a water mammal with a fat ass, if it had one. In anycase, I am wondering if I should sell Guidicelli or Pacho some duct tape come next racing weekend as one of them invariably had a bumper hanging.
A car of note was Lory Uy's pink phantom done up by Auto dress code. It was a beautiful blur streaking the BRC. With some careful tuning by Velocity's Blanco Lory's car squeezed out 10 percent more horsepower, upping its asphalt ripping strength at the wheel to over 110 HP -- if I am not mistaken. She placed fourth in her group, which was not bad because last year she usually ran last -- which was fair considering she had to attend to a whole lot of matters including organizing work for Race Fans which runs the PTCC.
In rounds 1 and 2, Group One rivals Jody Coseteng and Kookie Ramirez battled it out with Ramirez emerging to sweep two firsts.
After round two Coseteng requested that all cars be checked out at scrutineering to make sure that everyone was within spec. It turns out that Coseteng's pistons was just a tad smaller than the rest, perhaps explaining his uncharacteristic sluggishness in the first two rounds. This, and perhaps the fact that Kookie Ramirez was really running faster with a more powerful engine (an EK3 Honda which my source says is the same as the rest which are Honda B16s) and a set up that was on the money as far as the Batangas Racing Circuit was concerned. Plus, may I add and this comes with all due respect, Kookie was having a good hair day as observers noted that he didn't commit any errors in both rounds.
There were a couple of spin outs and runs in the run-off, case in point would be the spectacular red gravel shower by Don Pastor at the double apex turn.
Group 3 was a bit more dicey as Francisco "Pacho" Blanco and Mateo Guidicelli rubbed quite a bit. Guidicelli comes from a victorious karting career but confesses to having a bit of trouble adapting to a much bigger car. He would have said that, compared to carting, driving a production car was like riding moby dick -- a water mammal with a fat ass, if it had one. In anycase, I am wondering if I should sell Guidicelli or Pacho some duct tape come next racing weekend as one of them invariably had a bumper hanging.
A car of note was Lory Uy's pink phantom done up by Auto dress code. It was a beautiful blur streaking the BRC. With some careful tuning by Velocity's Blanco Lory's car squeezed out 10 percent more horsepower, upping its asphalt ripping strength at the wheel to over 110 HP -- if I am not mistaken. She placed fourth in her group, which was not bad because last year she usually ran last -- which was fair considering she had to attend to a whole lot of matters including organizing work for Race Fans which runs the PTCC.
Monday, February 20, 2006
UP AND AT 'EM! PNTCC Championship Rounds at SIR!
Well, well, well...Wouldn't you believe it? Jody Coseteng's last podium finish at the Subic International Raceway on February 12 landed him top spot points wise at the Philippine National Touring Car Championships 2005 season.
At 232 points, all he needs to do to ensure abolute victory is just to coast in 10th place in the final two rounds. Talking about this overwhelming lead over other championship contenders Kookie Ramirez and Louis Ramirez had led to several improbable upset scenarios, among which were the possibility of Coseteng suffering massive mechanical failure and thereby stop him from finishing the last two races. With Kookie currently at 2nd overall with 183 points, getting pole position in both of the last two races would win him a possible 50 points and beat Coseteng by just 1 point at 233. And while we're seriously considering this possibility, we might as well start buying thermal underwear because it'll start snowing in the Philippines pretty soon!
According to Lory Uy, the Queen of Team Velocity, Coseteng has never let up even in the face of a sure win. And even if the Abu Sayyaf or the Young Officers Union New Generation blew up Jody's car, no one would be surprised if Jody had a spare race car delivered via helicopter to Subic. HE-HE-HE!
One thing I am wondering about and quite a little sad about is that Jody will be winning the championship without Enzo Pastor in the grid. Oh man! Wouldn't I love to see Pastor's face. Last I heard of pastor was that he quit. Good bye, so long... Thanks for all the fish!
Oh, by the way, there was something the crew of Slipstream and other PNTCC race fans missed... The umbrella girls.... OOOOOOOOOOOOOOH baby... They are back.
It had taken Big Boss Richard Santos to round up our favorite honeys for that monthly trip to Subic, but they'll be there on March 4 and 5. We might even get them to wear bikinis and shake their thangs... Or then again, maybe not. We can all dream, can't we?
In any case, I promise to post better pictures of these girls or you could do yourself better by going to the Subic International Raceway.
This is me, Paul Farol, signing off for now.
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
PNTCC 2005: Philippine Racing at its best
In the 1960's the Philippine racing scene was massive, with corporate sponsors pumping in enormous amounts of money to fund their racing teams.
Just when things were getting great, martial law came down and with that came the ban on Philippine motorsports during the 70's oil crisis, killing what could have been one of the greater tourist attractions in the country and could have made the country a mecca for motor sports.
Philippine racing went underground for a while.
After Marcos' ouster, in the mid 1980's, the Philippine racing scene began showing signs of life again and in 1994 big money started coming in again, but sadly the enthuasiasm of sponsors have since begun to wane a bit.
This year, the Philippine National Touring Car Championships (PNTCC) 2005 makes a bid for another resurgence in the racing scene.
Races in previous years had been small, but with the new set up and rules, more teams have joined in the fray.
Racing out from both the Batangas Racing Circuit and Subic International Racing Circuit, the PNTCC dishes out more hardcore racing action with rivalries on and off track flaring in bouts of serious clipping, bumping, grinding... spills and spin-outs... dramatic recoveries... etcetera... etcetera... You know the gig...
I don't even own a car but with the help of Mikko David, people at Race Fans Incorporated, and others... I'll be blogging about the next few races when I get the chance and I am considering the option of coming out with a new blog for that with video clips, pictures, and some articles.
Hold on! It's coming.
Just when things were getting great, martial law came down and with that came the ban on Philippine motorsports during the 70's oil crisis, killing what could have been one of the greater tourist attractions in the country and could have made the country a mecca for motor sports.
Philippine racing went underground for a while.
After Marcos' ouster, in the mid 1980's, the Philippine racing scene began showing signs of life again and in 1994 big money started coming in again, but sadly the enthuasiasm of sponsors have since begun to wane a bit.
This year, the Philippine National Touring Car Championships (PNTCC) 2005 makes a bid for another resurgence in the racing scene.
Races in previous years had been small, but with the new set up and rules, more teams have joined in the fray.
Racing out from both the Batangas Racing Circuit and Subic International Racing Circuit, the PNTCC dishes out more hardcore racing action with rivalries on and off track flaring in bouts of serious clipping, bumping, grinding... spills and spin-outs... dramatic recoveries... etcetera... etcetera... You know the gig...
I don't even own a car but with the help of Mikko David, people at Race Fans Incorporated, and others... I'll be blogging about the next few races when I get the chance and I am considering the option of coming out with a new blog for that with video clips, pictures, and some articles.
Hold on! It's coming.
Monday, October 03, 2005
Race action with PNTCC at BRC
Scratch up another for the Philippine National Touring Car Championship (PNTCC) because the sun came up yesterday on perhaps one of the hottest races in the season.
Veterans Enzo Pastor and Jody Coseteng were at it again with some serious nudging. Novice Tok Corpuz rubbed Danny Daquiag raw. If you want to see this, you better tune in to Slipstream which is on at Solarsports Plus every Wednesday at 8:00 pm. (I'll post another entry on the racing action and results later.)
Veterans Enzo Pastor and Jody Coseteng were at it again with some serious nudging. Novice Tok Corpuz rubbed Danny Daquiag raw. If you want to see this, you better tune in to Slipstream which is on at Solarsports Plus every Wednesday at 8:00 pm. (I'll post another entry on the racing action and results later.)
Off-track, there was also some serious action to be had. Remember I mentioned something about Slipstream's sweethearts (a.k.a. Richard's Angles)? Here they are.
I would be lying if I told you guys that these girls didn't give the men stirring at the paddocks some serious wood.
(That's it for now, gotta go.)
Saturday, September 17, 2005
PNTCC Race Results for Leg One
As promised, herewith are the results for the Philippine National Touring Car Championship Leg One, Rounds 1 and 2 which ran on September 11 at the Batangas Racing Circuit.
Group 1 Top 3 Overall – Round 1 Group 1 Top 3 Overall-Round 2
1.) Enzo Pastor 1.) Jody Coseteng
2.) Jody Coseteng 2.) Kookie Ramirez
3.) Kookie Ramirez 3.) Philipp Alvendia
Group 1 Top 3 Class C- Round 1 Group 1 Top 3 Class C- Round 2
1.) Jonathan Buxton 1.) Jonathan Buxton
2.) Buddy Rutledge 2.) Buddy Rutledge
3.) Philipp Molina 3.) Philipp Molina
Group 3 Top 3 Overall- Round 1 Group 3 Top 3 Overall-Round 2
1.) Renan Morales 1.) Renan Morales
2.) Peewee Mendiola 2.) Peewee Mendiola
3.) Dominic Tan 3.) Miguel Lazaro
Novice – Round 1 Novice- Round 2
1.) Tok Corpuz 1.) Tok Corpuz
2.) Jon Mark Ong 2.) Jon Mark Ong
3.) Rico Esguerra 3.) Rico Esguerra
Jody Coseteng and Enzo Pastor figured in great duelling action as both men trade places through out the race track for the lead with Pastor finally grabbing the checkers. It was during Round Two that Car 18 bowed out due to engine trouble, with Coseteng getting first place and Kookie Ramirez getting second.
Highlights of the September 11 PNTCC race will be broadcast on Slipstream which airs on cable channel Solar Sports Plus (that's channel 35 on Sky and Home, 42 on Destiny) Wednesday night at 8:00PM.
The Philippine National Touring Car Championship Series is a National Series of the Automobile Association of the Philippines (AAP); the AAP being the representative of the Federation Internationale L’Automobile (FIA) which is the governing body of world motorsports and is also the sanctioning body of Formula One (F1).
Group 1 Top 3 Overall – Round 1 Group 1 Top 3 Overall-Round 2
1.) Enzo Pastor 1.) Jody Coseteng
2.) Jody Coseteng 2.) Kookie Ramirez
3.) Kookie Ramirez 3.) Philipp Alvendia
Group 1 Top 3 Class C- Round 1 Group 1 Top 3 Class C- Round 2
1.) Jonathan Buxton 1.) Jonathan Buxton
2.) Buddy Rutledge 2.) Buddy Rutledge
3.) Philipp Molina 3.) Philipp Molina
Group 3 Top 3 Overall- Round 1 Group 3 Top 3 Overall-Round 2
1.) Renan Morales 1.) Renan Morales
2.) Peewee Mendiola 2.) Peewee Mendiola
3.) Dominic Tan 3.) Miguel Lazaro
Novice – Round 1 Novice- Round 2
1.) Tok Corpuz 1.) Tok Corpuz
2.) Jon Mark Ong 2.) Jon Mark Ong
3.) Rico Esguerra 3.) Rico Esguerra
Jody Coseteng and Enzo Pastor figured in great duelling action as both men trade places through out the race track for the lead with Pastor finally grabbing the checkers. It was during Round Two that Car 18 bowed out due to engine trouble, with Coseteng getting first place and Kookie Ramirez getting second.
Highlights of the September 11 PNTCC race will be broadcast on Slipstream which airs on cable channel Solar Sports Plus (that's channel 35 on Sky and Home, 42 on Destiny) Wednesday night at 8:00PM.
The Philippine National Touring Car Championship Series is a National Series of the Automobile Association of the Philippines (AAP); the AAP being the representative of the Federation Internationale L’Automobile (FIA) which is the governing body of world motorsports and is also the sanctioning body of Formula One (F1).
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Slipstream: Races, Cars, and hot babes
Just want to update you guys that the TV show which I scriptwrite for, Slipstream, airs today Wednesday (GMT + 8) at 8:00 PM on Solar Sports Plus (cable channel).
Catch Dominic Uy and Carlo Tirona as they check out the Philippine National Touring Car Championships (PNTCC) 2004 and give you a peek into the most recent PNTCC action this year. We're also featuring a couple of cool rides such as a souped up EVO VII and Martha Daniels aka Donna Dizon, our hot babe of the week.
Grabe ang kulet nang show namin!
Catch Dominic Uy and Carlo Tirona as they check out the Philippine National Touring Car Championships (PNTCC) 2004 and give you a peek into the most recent PNTCC action this year. We're also featuring a couple of cool rides such as a souped up EVO VII and Martha Daniels aka Donna Dizon, our hot babe of the week.
Grabe ang kulet nang show namin!
Monday, September 12, 2005
PNTCC rips one out
When it rains, it pours... And right now, I might as well be stuck in the middle of a typhoon.
I've been shooting in and out of Manila every couple of days as the demands for scripting 13 episodes of 'Slipstream' have kicked up a notch with the Philippine National Touring Car Championships (PNTCC) 2005 beginning its new season.
Yesterday was a red letter day for race fans and circuit racers in the Philippines as the first leg of the PNTCC races were let loose and we covered it in between shooting segments for 'Slipstream' at the Batangas Racing Circuit. (I'll post the results later.)
The race was thrilling in a big way... Just hearing the race cars roar out from the starting line, shifting gears out of tight bends, the drivers cutting each other and over taking, the spin outs, the nudges and fender benders...
Serously, if you have seen any kind of motor racing on TV, watching it live is far more exciting!
It is a bitch trying to get to the BRC, if you don't have a car it is next to near impossible. (Maybe some local government official can do something about that, its a seriously awesome tourist attraction and much better than staring at the wonders of nature in the Philippines.)
Our being there felt like a big to do, at least from where I am seeing things -- which is usually from a hunched position on one of the curbs trying to chisel out a few extra lines of script as they are taping some of the episodes.
We had the babes, not famous but we hope to make them famous... There was Martha Daniels, Xeah Atillano (and mommy), Liz Festejo... Karen Vicente wasn't there but that's quite okay, she's like a work of art like the Mona Lisa, better to be seen than heard.... The babes, in their umbrella costumes (which were reminiscent of anime cheer leader costumes) and high cut boots really turned some heads and gave a couple of drivers some pre-race whiplash. What really amazes me about women sometimes is the amount of time it takes for them to put on skimpy clothes... The skimpier the clothes, the longer it takes for them to emerge from the dressing room.
You should have been there... But what the hey, we're showing them at 'Slipstream' (catch it at Solar Sportsplus on September 14, our maiden airing date).
Over the course of taping Slipstream, I had a chance to see up close some really radical rides... Oh, like the 2003 Thunderbird (only two in the Philippines), a couple of Porsches (911/996 Carrera and the Cayenne), the 2005 Rangerover, a fully tricked out Honda vti with a bomex body kit (the only one in the world, I think), and a couple of others -- not to mention the handful our big boss Rich Santos was good enough to show from his own collection.
What I would ask people to look out for on Slipstream is the Porsche 911/996... I had a chance to sit in the cockpit of this beautiful car and man, I swear, it was like everything I imagined it to be -- this is coming from someone who has to commute to work everyday. Throttling the engine and feeling the powerhouse rumble through my seat was awesome. Too bad I wasn't able to driver it anywhere, not even around the parking lot.
Oh well...
More later!
I've been shooting in and out of Manila every couple of days as the demands for scripting 13 episodes of 'Slipstream' have kicked up a notch with the Philippine National Touring Car Championships (PNTCC) 2005 beginning its new season.
Yesterday was a red letter day for race fans and circuit racers in the Philippines as the first leg of the PNTCC races were let loose and we covered it in between shooting segments for 'Slipstream' at the Batangas Racing Circuit. (I'll post the results later.)
The race was thrilling in a big way... Just hearing the race cars roar out from the starting line, shifting gears out of tight bends, the drivers cutting each other and over taking, the spin outs, the nudges and fender benders...
Serously, if you have seen any kind of motor racing on TV, watching it live is far more exciting!
It is a bitch trying to get to the BRC, if you don't have a car it is next to near impossible. (Maybe some local government official can do something about that, its a seriously awesome tourist attraction and much better than staring at the wonders of nature in the Philippines.)
Our being there felt like a big to do, at least from where I am seeing things -- which is usually from a hunched position on one of the curbs trying to chisel out a few extra lines of script as they are taping some of the episodes.
We had the babes, not famous but we hope to make them famous... There was Martha Daniels, Xeah Atillano (and mommy), Liz Festejo... Karen Vicente wasn't there but that's quite okay, she's like a work of art like the Mona Lisa, better to be seen than heard.... The babes, in their umbrella costumes (which were reminiscent of anime cheer leader costumes) and high cut boots really turned some heads and gave a couple of drivers some pre-race whiplash. What really amazes me about women sometimes is the amount of time it takes for them to put on skimpy clothes... The skimpier the clothes, the longer it takes for them to emerge from the dressing room.
You should have been there... But what the hey, we're showing them at 'Slipstream' (catch it at Solar Sportsplus on September 14, our maiden airing date).
Over the course of taping Slipstream, I had a chance to see up close some really radical rides... Oh, like the 2003 Thunderbird (only two in the Philippines), a couple of Porsches (911/996 Carrera and the Cayenne), the 2005 Rangerover, a fully tricked out Honda vti with a bomex body kit (the only one in the world, I think), and a couple of others -- not to mention the handful our big boss Rich Santos was good enough to show from his own collection.
What I would ask people to look out for on Slipstream is the Porsche 911/996... I had a chance to sit in the cockpit of this beautiful car and man, I swear, it was like everything I imagined it to be -- this is coming from someone who has to commute to work everyday. Throttling the engine and feeling the powerhouse rumble through my seat was awesome. Too bad I wasn't able to driver it anywhere, not even around the parking lot.
Oh well...
More later!
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