The Generation 2 Vios OMR race car of Cebuano Lord Seno at the starting grid. | contributed photo
Cebu City, Philippines—A perfect start to the leg’s final race gave Toyota Team Cebu City a fantastic kickoff in the Toyota Vios Racing Festival 2019 Circuit Championship on Saturday, June 8, 2019, at the Clark International Speedway in Pampanga.
However, it almost got scuttled after race officials initially adjudged that veteran racer Lord Seno, who claimed the checkered flag to win the Sporting Class title, made a false start.
“In Race 3, I was told that I jumpstarted after I crossed the line first. So we had to appeal the 10-second penalty that would have relegated me to third. True to what I said, the videos on the track showed a perfect start and I didn’t really jump the lights,” said Seno in a talk on Sunday, June 9, 2019, the morning after the win.
Read more: Hot start for lean Toyota Team Cebu as Lord Seno tops sporting class in kickoff leg
After getting in limited practice time with the brand new Generation 2 Vios One Make Race (OMR) car and Seno and the rest of the team having just finished setting the car up, the cagey racer finished the qualifying race in seventh place.
Then, in Race 1, Seno moved up to fifth.
“I felt comfortable already although we lacked the straight line speed that we needed to compete with the Manila teams,” he said.
In Race 2, Seno continued his surge and climbed to third place to set the stage for his fantastic start in Race 3 that netted him the win and the championship.
“Perfect start, I took off at near perfect time the lights went off,” added Seno. “So we kept the championship.”
TTCC’s other racer in the event, Julian Neri, also showed great promise as he immediately got a taste of the podium in his first foray into this competition.
The youngster finished second in Race 2. Seno reports that Neri would have also won the Promotional Class title had he not gotten a 30-second penalty for a jumpstart and a warm-up lap infringement.
TTCC, now with a three-man team with the season debut of Clive Fermin, jumps back into the competition with the next leg on August 29, 2019, at the same venue. /bmjo