Castrol Reg’l Autocross set

The Queen City of the South will once again serve host to a slam-bang autocross action as the Visayas leg of Castrol Edge 2013 Regional Autocross Championship Series unfurls on May 25-26 at the Sugbu grounds of the South Road Properties (SRP).

The two-day affair is the start of a three-leg series, race organizer Niel Labrador said in a recent press conference at Porto’s Grille in Escario Street, Cebu City.

Labrador said multi-titled and defending champion David G. Lim of DGL Motorsports, will be gracing the affair but not as a competitive racer.

“Yes, DGL will be there during the race but only as as guest driver,” said Labrador. “Aside from performing an exhibition run, he will also share some valuable driving tips to aspiring car racers.”0

Labrador foresees a wide-open race in the event presented by The Racing Line of Jong Uy in partnership with Castrol Edge Castrol Magnatech, Thirsty and Nature’s Spring.

“I expect a lot of new faces to take part in the race. This would be a good opportunity for them to grow and carve their own niche in Cebu motorsports,” said Labrador.

Labrador also revealed that he will be reviving his team, the DSM Racing Performance (Davaoeñong Sugbuanong Motorista), after a seven-year hiatus.

The other clubs set to take part are Club Fit Cebu, Club Nissan Sentra Cebu, Dub City, Group B Motors, Kartzone, MITSUGBO, NCR (No Care Racing), NOW12 and Toyota Auto Club Cebu among others.

Apart from the club race wherein team members will go up against each other, the other categories to be competed in are Beginners, Novice, Intermediate and Expert.

Participants will earn points for each leg. The athlete with the most points collected after three legs will be declared the “Driver of the Year.”

“With a new set of talents cropping up, I strongly feel that we will have a new overall champion this year,” said Labrador.

With a heavy heart, Labrador announced that this year’s leg will be his last stint as a race organizer.

“Since I started legal drag race in Cebu way back in 2003, my time frame really is good for only 10 years. It’s a tough decision on my part, but time has come for me to stop organizing races. I have to pass the responsibility to somebody else. I firmly believe that there are a lot of people out there who are capable of handling this kind of event. My only hope is that they could keep the fire of Cebu car racing burning,” said Labrador.