12-hour endurance challenge up

MANILA, Philippines — Former Formula 3 Asia champion Pepon Marave, reigning national slalom titleholder Milo Rivera, GT hotshot Patrick dela Rosa and former karting ace Gabe Tayao backstop the premier teams vying for top honors in the Petron Kalayaan Cup 12-Hour Endurance Challenge tomorrow at Clark International Speedway in Pampanga.

Twenty-three car teams will answer the starter’s gun at 5:30 a.m. with Marave heading one of two Petron Blaze Racing Tora Tora teams and Rivera listed to drive for the pair of Shell Helix Ultra teams against a field that includes many of the country’s racing stars.

The number of drivers to a team varies and ranges from the two-man crew of Mike and Miguel Hortel for Team Cebu M&M MRAuto to the nine-driver operation of Marave’s second Shell team.

With much of the competition format patterned after France’s Le Mans endurance race, event promoters led by Batangas Racing Circuit, Inc. and Philippine Endurance Challenge expect a nail-biting race from start to finish.