ANTON SHINES ANEW IN SLALOM SERIES
CASTROL- YOKOHAMA champion racer Iñigo Anton, 14, set another milestone by taking the Overall Best Phoenix National Slalom series held recently in San Fernando, Pampanga.
Anton broke the winning streak of four-time Slalom King Milo Rivera of Tough Gear racing team. On board his trusty Mark Young- Mohspeed prepared Honda EF, Anton set the pace early on and never looked back in the front-wheel drive category.
“I’m so happy for Iñigo that he has consistently won the best time for the front-wheel drive class, but to win the coveted overall best time and beating the
opponents are all closer compared to last year,” Marquez said. “Tomorrow we’ll try and take another little step with the setup, because I’m not yet able to make the bike slide like I want.”
Yamaha struggled all day, though, as Maverick Vinales had to settle for the sixth-quickest time, with the 39-year-old Rossi all the way down in 17th place.
“When we try to put power on the ground we spin the tyre a lot and we suffer, because when we lose acceleration we lose drive,” lamented the nine-time world champion.
“We tried to do something about it this afternoon, but unfortunately we weren’t able to improve. We have to continue and try to be stronger tomorrow.”
Marquez’s Honda team- mate Dani Pedrosa, who announced on Thursday that he will end his 17-year usually faster rear-wheel drive machines is certainly a huge feat, ” Iñigo’s father Carlos Anton said after the race. It was
coach his son Iñigo during the morning practice because the older Anton was busy setting fastest times at the sixth round of the Philippine Rallycross Championship in Lubao, also in Pampanga. He joined his son late in the day to witness Iñigo’s exceptional win.
“I wanted to do well to show my dad that I have already learned how to read the track on my own and adjust my driving to it,” Iñigo said.
Iñigo also leads the National Novice Championship in the Philippine Autocross series after winning all four rounds so far. Although a novice in autocross, Iñigo battled it out in the rain-drenched fourth leg with Rivera and his father Carlos in the veteran/experienced class for the overall win. He narrowly missed out by 0.23 second to eventual winner Rivera but sneaked ahead of his father on the podium.
The Antons are now busy preparing for the fifth round of the Autocross Championship to be held in Meycauayan, Bulacan on July 22, and the sixth round of the slalom series in Cabanatuan later in July. The team of the Antons is backed by Castrol, Yokohama, Mark Young Racing, Cars Unlimited, Parts Pro Racing, Special Stage, Carporn, JSD Autosport, Mohspeed, MPTurbo, Kilton, and Kart Plaza.