Mazda Philippines added some hardware to its trophy cabinet this past weekend, as it emerged victorious at the 2021 Petron Kalayaan Cup 12-Hour Endurance Challenge.
The competing Mazda was no less than a near-showroom-stock MX-5 Miata Spec Series car, which completed 274 laps of the Clark International Speedway during the 12-hour race. After only six pit stops, the MX-5 finished nine laps ahead of the second placer. It also bagged the fastest lap time of 2min 21.186sec.
Team Mazda Philippines was made up of racing veterans Allan Uy, Marc Soong, Aaron Guevarra, and Gaby dela Merced. Overall, the team nabbed six trophies with wins in the Class 1 and Open A categories for both the four-hour Kagitingan Cup and the 12-hour Makabayan Cup races.
The team was also on track to beat the 2019 lap number record set by a Mazda MX-5 Global Cup race car, but was only able to match it due to a late safety-car call in the last 10 minutes of the race.
“We are extremely proud of this achievement of the team and our Mazda MX-5,” said Mazda Philippines president and CEO Steven Tan. “The results this year show that aspeed, reliability and fuel efficiency all have to be present to ensure victory in this race. With all these on hand, the MX-5 allowed our drivers to confidently race and keep a competitive pace all throughout the 12 hours.
“Surely, this championship win was made possible with the hardworking crew, the amazing team spirit we demonstrated, and our belief that we have the best car in the field to give us the best results.”
