Organizers hope to revive off-road racing in Cebu

From left: lone female off-road racer Mayla Alibia, top raked Michael Cerin, Adventure 4X magazine publisher Neil Palabrica, Nasfor president Ramon Toong and race director Bernie Bayani.

Off-road racing gets a boost as the 15th National Association of Filipino Off-Roaders (Nasfor) Extreme Off-road Series revs off today in Talisay City.

A total of 30 off roaders from around the country will be competing in the two-day event that will be held in a lot fronting the Talisay City hall.

Leading the list of contenders is Davao City’s Michael Cerin, who is leading the current rankings for the Driver Of The Year plum. Also competing is 2011 Driver Of The Year Reynan Jayme of Waig Adventure Team and Tonton Dungca of Pampanga, who is the defending back-to-back Driver Of The Year.

The race will have two divisions: novice and the professional. Organizers said the course will be very technical, featuring obstacles such as mud pits, sand, rocks and logs.

The event, according to organizers, hopes to revive the off-road racing in Cebu.

Nasfor President Ramon Toong, who is a Cebuano, said Cebu was the first place to hold an off-road extreme 4×4 race back in the early 1990’s.

He said Cebuano off road enthusiasts regularly held races in Cebu but it faded as years passed by.

But there were still some who continued to follow the sport, particularly the Cebu Off-roaders Club and some big clubs from Manila. This is the reason why the group was able to sustain and continue the Nasfor Extreme Off-road Series for 15 years.

Now that a major off-road race will be held here in Cebu, Toong hopes that the motorsport will be revived in Cebu.

“I am very happy because for the first time in history of Nasfor, the final leg of our nationwide series will be held outside Luzon,” Toong said in a press conference yesterday at the Citi Park Hotel.

Toong also revealed that they are planning to hold races in Mindanao soon.

Joining Toong yesterday was Neil Palabrica, the publisher and editor of the Adventure 4X Magazine, race director Bernie Bayani, Cerin and lone female driver Maila Alibia of Isabela City.

“As a competitor, I make sure everything’s prepared from the biggest to the smallest aspect. I make sure to set aside pressure because that will drag you out of focus. I just hope that I will do well during the race,”  Cerin said.