I ASKED Chris and Chris (Aldeguer and Tio) to comment on the third staging held last Oct. 14 to 16.
Chris Aldeguer, the chairman of PACE (Performance and Classic Enthusiast of Cebu), said: “The Tour de Cebu 2016 was successful. The Rally brought all of us to witness and experience so many amazing roads and places we never even knew existed. It was satisfying to see the participants have a great time. It is a goal of the event to have an element of competition while enjoying the drive and the camaraderie. The beautiful island of Bohol and our host BE Grand Resort made the whole experience spectacular.”
Co-organized by the Manila Sports Car Club (MSCC), the tour only accepts cars that are dated 1972 or older. The first two Tours required the enthusiasts to drive not only around the Cebu island but also to Bacolod, Dumaguete and San Carlos.
Chris Tio, a founding member of PACE and this year’s Grand Marshal, explained at length this year’s Tour (all quotes by Chris Tio):
What made this year different? “The route, as we decided to do all 1,000 kilometers in Bohol, and the breathtaking BE Grand Resort. This changed the atmosphere as it allowed a home to return to and encouraged families to come. Participating teams included married couples, fathers and sons, and even a father and daughter. Bohol is beautiful. They have roads that crisscross the island allowing us a different scenery and discoveries. The people are friendly and welcoming.
“The technical team led by five-time Formula Asia champion Pepon Marave also did a fantastic job of auditing and preparing the routes. This led to a very competitive atmosphere. The field was impressive as the Tour attracted several Historic Racing veterans: the current hill climb champion as well as the country’s current GT champion. We were also honored to have a veteran of the world’s toughest classic car rally, the East Africa Classic Rally with us. Another change was the debut of the Tour De Cebu Champions Cup, a more than two-foot high vintage racing trophy wherein the grand champions are etched into the trophy.”
What makes this event special? “This is the only classic car rally of this type in South East Asia. Patterned after the Mille Miglia, the Tour de Cebu prides itself on its role as a touristic rally, showcasing the beauty of the countryside as well as the ease of accessibility of our RORO system. For the participants, the camaraderie of like-minded enthusiasts and the opportunity to drive competitively their precious classic cars in a controlled environment.
“For the public, it’s the opportunity to see restored classic cars in full motion and not as a static display. To be able to see these magnificent machines run, hear them rev and smell the gasoline is quite an experience. A case in point: it’s different reading about the Toyota S800, the smallest car with a tiny 2-cylinder air-cooled motor. It doesn’t command the most respect from the general public, but seeing it attack the curves and showcase its maneuverability made a lot of new believers and fans.”
What “new” cars joined? “We had several: an extremely rare Matchless GT, a Triumph TR6, a trio of Datsun 240 Zs and the Grand Champion, Toyota S800. In total, we had 33 participants with the vehicles ranging from Porsche 911, Porsche 914, MGB, MGB GT, Pontiac GTO, Morgan Threewheelers, Mercedes 280 SL, Mercedes 350 SL.”
Is this event a competition? “It’s a competition based on Sampaguita Rally rules. It is a Time Speed Distance (TSD) accuracy test of man and classic machinery. To complete 1,000 kms. in the correct time, per minute early, penalized 2 points, per minute late, penalized 1 point. The winner is the most on the time all the time with the least penalty points.”
2017 plans? “We will be returning to the BE Grand Resort in Panglao and we are finalizing several international participants. We are planning to increase the field to 50 and hope to develop this into a world-class international motoring event that makes our country proud.”
(john@pages.ph)