Tiu, Quimpo share nat’l drag racing final honors

Jonathan Tiu of JCT Racing and Ryan Quimpo bucked the odds and the heat to rule their respective divisions in the final round of the National Drag Racing Championships Southern Series at the Batangas Racing Circuit Drag Strip in Rosario, Batangas recently.

Tiu and Quimpo both overcame the tough and risky track condition to capture the Quick 8 and M&H Pro crowns, respectively, in the event sanctioned by the Automobile Association Philippines and sponsored by M&H, Sparco, Burlington Helmet Spray and Aguila Auto Glass.

Tiu bested the new batch of fast-rising drivers in his pet Quick 8 class, foiling Romualdo Vasquez in the first round then prevailing in the semifinal round over Rommel Dural, to seal a final encounter with Allan Ararao.

But Tiu pulled off the narrow win, clocking 10.450 seconds with Ararao settling for runner-up honors with 10.680 seconds.

Quimpo also struggled against equally talented rivals but survived Alvin Abrigo in the first round, hurdled his semifinal match against Ararao then beat Jonathan Young of JCT Racing to claim the M&H Pro Class plum in 12.199 seconds.

Overall, Tiu wound up with 41 points while Ararao and Quimpo tallied 31 and 18 points, respectively.

Quimpo pooled a total of 30 points in the four-leg series for the premier M&H Pro class plum over Romualdo Vasquez and Jonathan Young, who took the second and third place honors, respectively, despite ending up with identical 22 points.