GAC Motor Race Team is 2nd in 2021 Kalayaan Cup endurance race

MANILA: The GAC Motor Race Team pulled off a strong performance at the recently concluded 2021 Petron Kalayaan Cup 12-hour Endurance Challenge held at Clark International Speedway in Pampanga.

The team, composed of Andre Tan, Milo Rivera, Kody Ng, Patrick Mendoza, and Brennan Lim, took home the championships in the Open B categories of the Kagitingan Cup six-hour race and the Kalayaan Cup four-hour race, aside from bagging runner-up honors in the premier 12-hour race.

The four drivers alternately took turns at the wheel of a GA4 1.5 MT. From 11^th place, they managed to climb up to second spot of the 12-hour race.

In the last two hours of the Race, Rivera was able to maintain the team’s four-lap lead over Mike Potenciano of Mark Young Racing Cars.

In a statement, Rivera said, “We knew they had a faster car, and had a faster pace. They were really pushing to catch up to us since they were a few laps behind. When Mike was approaching, the plan was to try to delay his charge as much as possible, and buy us more time especially with the race on its closing stages. He used his power and the car’s power to take advantage of it, but the objective was attained, that was to buy us some time, and give, I guess, people something to enjoy for quite a while.”

Meanwhile, Lim said, “This year’s race had a lot of safety risks and challenges due to the pandemic. It’s a new car that we’ve raced in a 12-hour endurance challenge so basically, it is a whole new experience for us. Through hard work and dedication, we were able to overcome these challenges and managed to win 1st in our class, and 2nd overall champion.”

The reliability of the GA4 has significantly helped the GAC Motor Race Team dominate in the endurance challenge. It was able to reach the finish line without any mechanical issues and pitted only for refueling and tire and driver changes.

“Going into the race, we knew we had a car that has much less power compared to everybody else on the field, probably, a car that has the least power at that. The car made us maximize our stints, not just by how fuel efficient it was, but by how reliable it was. It is sturdy, it was still even in tip-top condition even though we're down at the late stages of the race. It felt like it was at Hour One,” Rivera added.

The GAC Motor Race Team will be back on the racing track this November as it participates in the 2021 Bonifacio Cup 8-hour Endurance Race at Batangas Racing Circuit.

Since 2019, the GAC Motor Race Team has been doing well at the  biggest endurance races in the country. It won the championship titles in the 2019 Kalayaan Cup 4-hour Endurance Challenge (Manufacturer’s Class), 2019 Kalayaan Cup 12-hour Endurance Challenge (Manufacturer’s Class), and 2019 Bonifacio Cup 4-hour Endurance Challenge (Manufacturer’s Class and Open Category).

Photos from GAC Motor Philippines

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