Racing 101

I consider myself a fairly competent and conscientious driver. I never speed (my five-year-old Kia Pride is rarely inclined, anyway),

I overtake on the left, and I know how to use my turn lights. Maybe that’s why I take it very personally when confronted by a road hog or some similar heathen behind the wheel. But even when road rage gets the better of me, I try to limit my actions to an ice-cold stare at the offending driver – though a middle finger or flowery stream of expletives occasionally lets loose.

Yep, after more than a decade driving these mean metropolitan streets, I thought I was an A1 driver – and I don’t mean the driving school. I was comfortable in the front left seat that I felt I needed no further education or even those darned "refresher" courses. In fact, I have become so accustomed to driving that I become dizzy whenever I’m not at the wheel.

But I sure became dizzy when Roadwise Motoring School’s Vip Esada (who also happens to be one heckuva rally driver) lectured to our wide-eyed bunch of journalists at the start of the fifth season of the Honda City Media Challenge a couple of months back under a tent near the PICC grounds.

It was like learning to drive again, I mused to Young Star scribe Paulo Subido (who also pens for Rev Magazine), as Vip showed us the correct hand positions on the steering wheel, how to make a turn, how to apply power correctly, how to... well, you get the idea.

The daunting challenge for Vip and his fellow pros was to equip the lot of us, fellows with not the most ideal of driving habits, with enough savvy and skill to be able to coax one of four 1.5 V-Tec Honda City cars around a marked out track of concrete, gravel, earth and grass in the shortest time possible.

The fifth installment of Honda’s treat for its press pals sees a lot of newcomers (this wannabe Schumacher included). Many of the old (veteran, I mean) hands were "graduated" to make room for the greener hued. STAR motoring ed Junep Ocampo, one of the graduates, must have figured I needed to up my driving quotient, so he generously gave me the slot.

So following an afternoon of training and test runs, Vip adjourned our session with an admonishment that we ought to practice our newfound skills on our everyday commute (except the handbrake turn, of course). Don’t forget the middle-finger turn, too, eh?

Now, after two rounds of our four-epic, lo and behold! My team, Satin Silver, now finds itself tied for first with Formula Red’s dudes (and one girl) with 51 points apiece. Don’t ask me how this happened. I call it divine intervention. But bear in mind that attendance is half the fight. At least three members of the four-man team have to show up for the team to be able to score points and remain competitive. So, I tip my hat to my teammates Ferdie Baja of DZEC, Lester Dizon of Gadgets and Philippine Star, and GMA-7’s Jay Taruc. Let’s hang in there!

An eventful second round saw the competition heating up, and I continuously grappled with my ingrained tendencies for safety (i.e, wimpy driving style) in an attempt to shave seconds off my time which were very unlike another Aguila (Dodjie, that is) of Today (nope, not related, as far as we know). This other Aguila is comfortably on top of the individual leaderboard.

Frustration mounted as I desperately wanted to squeeze in a quick heat. After completing my practice lap, I saw my girlfriend Joyce pumping her fist in the air. "Bilisan mo daw, pare," smiled the pro beside me. Afraid of a tongue-lashing from her (kidding!) I managed to clock 1:08.28 – still way off the mark, but a two-second improvement on my previous best. And it was just enough to move us into third place in the second round, and tie Jons Crisostomo (dragracingpinoy.com), Iris Cruz (GMA-7), Raul Virtudazo (GMA-7, DZBB) and Lito "Da Man" German (Standard) for first.

But a day’s worth of racing (and waiting) ended on a somewhat sour note. Arlene dela Cruz of Motoring Today discovered her Accord’s hubcaps had been filched by a thief – under the supposedly watchful eyes of the PICC security guards. Tsktsk. And we were told these creeps even had the temerity of charging parking fees! What the hell is this country coming to?

Well, the next round is set for September 14, and so we have to content ourselves with watching Schumy on TV scorching the F1 tracks and imagining it was us on those mean machines. Our media group of racer wannabes wait for the rainy season to finish its customary drenching before we once again strap on in our mean Citys and push the pedal – not necessarily to the metal.

Photos By Joyce L. Reyes