Anton draws 1st blood in hillclimb kick-off leg

  FIRST BLOOD. Multi-titled race car driver Carlos Anton is congratulated by Castrol team 

manager Ced Morales after a near perfect run in the Hills of Pias La Union. Contributed Photo.

INSPIRED by his recent victories in several races, Carlos Anton opened his campaign in the kick off leg of the 2011 Philippine Hillclimb Championship with a win.Anton, the defending title holder, bagged first place in group 5 and the overall best time for the day with a 1:31.18 second run up the La Union Pias Stage.

Anton led his Yokohama-Castrol team to a 1-2-3 finish with Alfie Concepcion posting the 2nd fastest time of 1:35.20 and Dennis Aoyong with a 1:39.17 run using his Lancer Evolution 5 racecar.

“It’s great to have a perfect start to the season, I hope we can continue our winning ways over the next rounds.” Anton said after his run up the mountain with his ever faithful 200 horsepower Honda CRX prepared by the Mark Young racing team.

Anton’s Castrol-Hornitex team mate and defending Group 2 champion Frankie Domingo (1:42.14) picked up where he left off last year and won the division over Edmund Dupo with a time of 1:42.94.

Jimson Balmeo lorded it over group 3 division while Ronnie Manalo ruled the Historic car class and BJ Frondoso won the “S” class. Over 35 racers participated in the event sponsored by Castrol Oils and supported by the La Union Government.

Anton was conferred the Driver of the Year award in the field of Hillclimb racing in the prestigious 2011 annual Automobile Association of the Philippines Awards Night earlier this year.

The Baguio-native backed up by Yokohama, Castrol, Hornitex, Autoshack, Home outlet, and Sizzling Plate, holds the rare distinction as one of the few racing drivers from various racing disciplines in the country to be feted by the AAP which is the local governing body for motorsports affiliated with the Federation Internationale de Automobile (FIA).

Published in the Sun.Star Baguio newspaper on July 07, 2011.