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Pilipinas, start your engines! Philippines off to NASCAR RaceEX 2013

I am really looking forward to the upcoming tenth edition of the Golden Wheel Awards where the best and brightest in the field of Philippine motorsports will once again be honored and the identities of who the automotive industry selected as Driver of the Year will be unveiled. While that ceremony is still about two weeks away, Yahoo! Sports Philippines was informed of something that will bring the heroes of Philippine motorsports to a whole new level of international acclaim.

Recently, information was obtained that a crack group of six of the finest Filipino race car drivers will be taking part in one of the most prestigious circuits in the world: The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) in the 2013 NASCAR Race Experience (RaceEX).

The Moñozca Foundation—a long-time staunch supporter of the development of Philippine sports—has gone full throttle to help place the first Filipino drivers in the American classic and this coming April 25-27 that ambition will finally become a reality as Team Philippines will officially take part in the international event which features twelve countries on an invitation-only basis.

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“The Moñozca Foundation has been doing its best to champion the Filipino sportsman throughout the years,” declares Paul Moñozca, the chairman of the Moñozca Foundation. “Among other things, we’ve done it in basketball by helping people like Kevin Alas and Smart Gilas get much needed exposures in the ABA (the American Basketball Association), and now the best in our motorsports industry get this chance to shine in the premier racing circuit in the United States. This is an undertaking whose time, I believe, has finally come.”

The country has long been known as a significant player in the Asian racing scene with such legends as the late Pocholo Ramirez, Dante Silverio and Francisco Ventura paving the way for a new breed of motoring sensations that continually make dents in the regional circuits. Now comes the unique opportunity to showcase what the Filipinos can do in a high octane setting.

“It’s been a dream of mine since I started racing,” explains Pia Boren, one of the elite local female drivers who had successful stints in the Asian Formula 3 (AF3) circuit. “But I’m also a bit nervous because I’ve never driven a car that powerful before.”

Boren, who was a student of mine in a broadcasting workshop in 2004, was already an up-and-comer in the racing scene before delving into television work as San Beda’s Courtside Reporter (CSR) in the NCAA and a regular sports host for ABS-CBN Sports. She never left her devotion for motoring, though, and has been active in the industry despite her numerous television stints.

“This is a great chance for all of us to show that the Filipino can be world class at anything,” the 30-year-old Fil-Finnish stunner states. “We aren’t a big racing country like Japan, Italy or even the US, but we can now make the world aware of the talents of the Filipino racer through this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

All competitors will be piloting the standard NASCAR Full-Scale Sprint Cars with the following specifications:

  • Chassis: Steel tube frame with safety roll cage, must meet NASCAR standards.

  • Engine Displacement: 5.86 L (5,860 cc) (358 in³) Pushrod V8

  • Transmission: 4 Speed Manual

  • Weight: 3,200 lb (1,451 kg) (without driver, fuel); 3,400 lb (1,542 kg) (with driver, fuel)

  • Power Output: 865 HP (645 kW) unrestricted; 445 HP (332 kW) with restrictor plate (2007)

  • Torque: 720 Newton Meter (530 foot to pound).

  • Fuel: 98 octane E15 provided by Sunoco.

  • Fuel Capacity: 17.75 US gal (67 L) most tracks.

  • Fuel Delivery: Port Fuel Injection

  • Fuel Injection type: McLaren

  • ECU Provider: Freescale Semiconductor

  • Compression Ratio: 12:1.

  • Aspiration: Naturally aspirated.

  • Wheelbase: 110 in (2,794 mm).

  • Steering: Power, recirculating ball.

  • Tires: Slick tire provided by Goodyear.

  • Length: 208 in (5,283 mm).

  • Height: 53.5 in (1,359 mm).

  • Width: 76.5 in (1,943 mm).

  • Safety equipment: HANS device, Seat belt 6-point supplied by Willans, Sabelt. Optional: 7 point Seat belt

Of all of the data supplied above, it’s the 865 horsepower (HP) engine that has Boren reeling.

“That kind of power could break my neck,” Boren, now a Drifting mainstay says. “That’s why we will all undergo extensive training first in Las Vegas before we head on the Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina for RaceEX itself.”

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The six-person contingent is divided into teams of two for this event.

Boren will actually be in an all-female tandem with Gaby de la Merced, who gained prominence in racing first before dabbling into the showbiz realm. She is back to her first passion and teaming up with Boren pairs two attractive young ladies together and could easily steal the thunder from the competition. The Boren-de la Merced duo is affectionately called “Team Femme Fatale”.

“We’re gonna knock ‘em dead,” Boren exclaims.

The other four members of Team Philippines reads like a rap sheet of the veritable who’s-who of the present racing elite: “Team Prodigies” is composed of Europe-trained Stefano Marcelo (2007 Golden Wheel awardee for Best International Driver) and Michelle Bumgarner (two-time Golden Wheel winner of Driver of the Year) while “Team Jedi Masters” has veteran international campaigners Mike Potenciano and Carlos Anton defaulting as the contingent’s leaders.

The Philippine team, with the backing of Coral World Park, Goodyear Racing, the Moñozca Foundation, Cebuana Lhuillier, Marcelo Racing, Prestone, STP, Philippine Airlines, ABS CBN and FoxSports, depart on April 10.

“There are so many people to acknowledge in this endeavor,” Moñozca says. “However, we want to make special mention of the efforts of Mr. Ed Peña, whose vision we are continuing.”

Peña is what many in the motorsports industry consider the “unsung hero” of Philippine motoring due to his tireless efforts in bringing the country to prominence in the AF3 circuit. He has infused more funds into Philippine motorsports than most people actually know and, according to Moñozca, is one of the true inspirations of this undertaking.

“We will continue Ed’s work through the NASCAR and the recent acquisition of the Formula Green electric racing circuit where the foundation will also place a Philippine team,” bares Moñozca.

According to press releases leading up to the event, the biggest representations come from Asia and host country USA. From Asia, Team Philippines and Team Singapore are touted to be favorites, with the Singaporeans being led by their nation’s top driver in Denis Lian.

Team USA will field a powerhouse squad led by prodigies Bryan Ortiz, the 2012 NASCAR K&N east series Rookie of the Year and Daniel Suarez, a member of the NASCAR next 9, the nine drivers under 21 that NASCAR has identified as the future of the sport. The US team is also counting on Ryan Gifford, a top finisher in the NASCAR K&N Pro series and Mackena Bell, the highest finishing woman in the NASCAR Whelen All-American series last year. All US team racers are part of the NASCAR diversity program.

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For Team Philippines, however, it’s more than a mere competition; it’s the dawn of the next chapter in Philippine motorsports.

“I feel like I’m in the Philippine version of ‘Cool Runnings’,” Boren confesses, referring to the 1993 Hollywood flick depicting the Jamaican bobsled team that took part in the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Canada. Jamaica, a tropical country, made international headlines with their participation in the quadrennial sports spectacle. Although motorsports in the archipelago is way past its infancy stages, the Philippines has not truly been known as a major force in the world stage. That all could change this April.

“We want to show the world that we CAN compete internationally in this sport,” Boren professes. “Given enough support, doors can be opened for us. I personally want others to continue believing in themselves and in their dreams because it will all fall into place (one day).”

Ramirez, Siverio and Ventura blazed the trail so that future motorsports practitioners may succeed. Gentlemen, start your engines because it looks like the future has arrived.

Follow Noel Zarate on Twitter (@NoelZarate)

Editor's note: The blogger's views do not represent Yahoo! Southeast Asia's position on the topic or issue being discussed in this post.