Toyota Team Cebu pulls historic win
The spirited Cebuano racers led by Sean Velasco dominated Race 2 of the Sporting Category in the Vios Cup Season 4
Leg 3 at the Clark International Speedway in Pampanga. Velasco finished 2 seconds ahead of teammate and team captain, Lord Seno while Oscar Suarez
placed third.
It was an emotional win for Velasco after he was disqualified and stripped of his championship trophy in race 1 for bringing his mobile phone in his pocket while racing. It is stipulated in the rulebook of the Toyota Vios Cup that no electronic gadgets whatsoever can be brought in to the car when racing.
“It was very painful but it was my fault. I just didn’t know they would be so strict about it. In Race 2, I drove my hearts out coz I wanted to redeem myself and I wanted to pay back the team, especially my dad who got so angry,” said Velasco.
John Velasco, team manager and dad of Sean, said initially that he had doubts about his son redeeming himself. “I was so mad at him for neglecting the rule on bringing his phone in the car. But considering that the teammates were very encouraging, and the wet weather was actually in our favor, I let him be,” John said.
Velasco stormed past 6 racers from last in the opening lap of a wet Race 2. By lap 3, Velasco was already 3rd, storming past Seno. Towards the end of the race, Velasco overtook race leader Suarez.
Seno, on the other hand, was gaining positions quickly in Race 1 as he jumped from 8th to 5th. A collision in lap 2 damaged his front left wheel and tire, forcing him to slow down in the long straights. He finished a dismal 10th.
In Race 2, Seno had a good start, storming from 10th to 4th in the opening lap. He slowly climbed up taking 3rd position off Rhaffy Latorre of Toyota San Pablo and then attacking the 2nd position held by Toyota San Pablo’s Mark Sy. Seno was behind Suarez when Velasco overtook both teammates. Seno ended up in second place, overtaking Suarez in the later parts of the race.
“It’s a historic win for Cebu Motorsports. We wanted to finish strong, especially that Sean was DQ’d in Race 1 and he wanted to redeem himself. Our prayers were answered with a historic 1-2-3 finish. I guess driving our gokarts in the rain with dry weather tires because we didn’t have the budget to buy rain tires really helped us with the training. Thank you Kartzone! I just want to thank the people behind this, the team, the sponsors, our car clubs supporters, Cebuanos!” said an ecstatic Seno.
Suarez, who had an impressive 5th place finish in race one, was in a position to finish strong in Race 2. He did not disappoint his team as he made a lightning start in Race 2, leading the pack of 18 racers for the first time. He held on to the lead for 4 laps until both teammates Velasco and Seno caught up with him.
“Winning in a very competitive class is like a dream. I don’t know what to say. I knew the fast guys were after me, but when I saw the yellow cars with gold stripes at the back, I knew we were there for a good finish” Suarez said.
Jette Calderon, the lone entry in the Super Sporting class, climbed from 14th to 3rd in Race 1 as he positioned himself for the Top Podium in Race 2. Calderon, a multi awarded international karter, gave the team its second win in the Super Sporting Category in 3 years.
“Calderon drove with tactical precision. He patiently waited for the drivers in the front to make mistakes and open. He is truly a work of art and Team Cebu is truly proud of him,” Seno said.
Toyota Team Cebu is now leading in the Team Championship followed closely by rivals Team Obengers/Toyota Balintawak and TSF/ Toyota San Fernando. As of the moment, all results are provisional pending technical scrutineering.