GAC Motor PH repeats dominance at Kalayaan Cup 12-hr Endurance Challenge
GAC Motor Racing Team once again proved the GA4 sedan’s durability and outstanding performance following a dominant showing at the recently concluded 2021 Petron Kalayaan Cup 12-hour Endurance Challenge.
Driven by Andre Tan, Milo Rivera, Kody Ng, Patrick Mendoza, and Brennan Lim, the GAC Motor Racing Team bagged the 2021 Kagitingan Cup 6-hour race Championship and the 2021 Kalayaan Cup 4-hour race Championship both in Open B Category, aside from earning runner-up honors in the premier 12-hour race.
Driving a GAC GA4 1.5 MT, the GAC team, with the four drivers alternately taking turns at the wheel, performed flawlessly and managed to climb up from 11th place to 2nd place in the 12-hour race.
With over two hours left on the clock, Rivera kept the GAC team’s 4-lap lead over Mike Potenciano of Mark Young Racing Cars all the way to the finish.
“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,” said Milo Rivera.
Apart from earning the 2nd spot at the 12-hour race, GAC Motor Racing Team also bagged the 2021 Kagitingan Cup 6-hour race Championship and the 2021 Kalayaan Cup 4-hour race Championship Title both in Open B Category.
“This year’s race has 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,” said Brennan Lim, branch head of GAC Motor Metrowalk, Pasig.
GA4’s durability, fuel efficiency: keys to GAC Motor Racing Team’s success
For a 12-hour endurance race, it was a criss-cross of race positions and a battle of strategy, but it was the reliability of the GA4 that ultimately made GAC Motor Racing Team dominate in the 2021 Kalayaan Cup Endurance Challenge. The GA4 1.5 MT made it through the checkered flag without any mechanical issues and pitted only for refueling, 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,” lead driver Milo Rivera shares. “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 an hour one,” Rivera added.
GAC Motor Racing Team will return to Batangas Racing Circuit for the 2021 Bonifacio Cup 8-hour Endurance Race this November.
The GAC Motor Race Team is slowly turning endurance races into its own playground. Two years ago, the team bagged four championships in the 2019 Kalayaan Cup 4-hour Endurance Championship (Manufacturer’s Class), the 2019 Kalayaan Cup 12-hour Endurance Championship (Manufacturer’s Class), the 2019 Bonifacio Cup 4-hour Endurance Championship (Manufacturer’s Class) and the 2019 Bonifacio Cup 4-hour Endurance Championship (Open Category).
