The CASTROL POWER 1 12-Hour Motorcycle Endurance Races — The Toughest and Longest in the Philippines and in Asia- May 31, 2008, Batangas Racing Circuit

“This was more than we expected!”

Thus happily exclaimed an executive from BP Philippines, the mother company of Castrol Lubricants, when they personally came and watched the staging of the just concluded CASTROL POWER 1 12 Hour Motorcycle Endurance Races held last May 31, 2008, Saturday, at the Batangas Racing Circuit.

The event was just one of the many high-profile launching pads for the newest 4T motorcycle oil to come out from Castrol’s product line — POWER 1, packaged in a striking gold bottle and featuring the company’s signature shades of red, white, and green.

The venue was in fiesta mode as it practically swam in Castrol’s red and green colors and most everyone was seen wearing Castrol jerseys, shirts, and caps. Some even commented that they haven’t seen an activity of this caliber for quite a while at the BRC.

The 12 Hour Endurance Races, the longest and first of its kind in the Philippines and in Asia (the longest annually held in the region is the Suzuka 8-Hour in Japan) was organized by the National Racing Association (NRA) and was granted national status by FIM-affiliated National Motorcycle Sports and Safety Association or NAMSSA.

Yamaha Motor Philippines, Inc., racing for the first time in a national level motorcycle event since establishing the company in the country only last year, and Kawasaki Motors Philippines, Inc., one of the strongest factory teams in local underbone road racing, proved just how tough (and dependable) their machines were, by capturing the 110cc SuperStock and 125cc SuperStock Championships respectively.

Team Yamaha, riding on a Crypton Z 110, with local idol Maico Buncio, champion underbone pros Jaime Barcial, Jr. and Anthony Roman, and managed by YMPI’s Adrian Duran, blew past the field by winning the 12-hour competition by going around the 3.7 kilometer Batangas track in 279 laps — nine laps ahead of fellow Japanese constructor and second finisher Suzuki Philippines, Inc., which featured its Smash 110 and the trio of John Lery Enriquez, Paul Mark Doblada, and Iraq Bauzon. Suzuki clocked in a total of 270 laps.

China-made Sinski Motorcycle Philippines, Inc., on its Vivamas 110, and ridden by Emil Magtalas, Gino Tayag, and Paulo Garcia, also accomplished the race by crossing the checkered line with 260 laps. Co-China brand Philippine Motorcycle Resources (PMR) Corporation, starring its Racer 110 and backed-up by riders Gabriel Siochi and Alexander Suarez, rounded out the group with an impressive 238 laps.

The 125cc SuperStock Championship, meanwhile, showed a different, but interesting, scenario.

Kawasaki Philippines fielded two of its Aura Nexus 125s with the squads of Raniel Resuello, Geoffrey Aguisanda and Shervy Paul Soyangco for Group A; The Soyangco siblings, Neil and Tracy, and Mark Anthony Chua for Group B. Both were under the able management of Mr. Jomar Arcega. Little did they know, however, that what awaited them at the end of the day was a 1-2 finish (at 280 and 273 laps respectively) due to a technicality — and at the cost of another team.

Spyder Motosuit, a privateer line-up consisting of John Allen Mendez, Josh Reuben Tan, and lone female rider Joanna Arreglado, riding on a Suzuki Shogun Pro, was supposed to have taken the second spot by equaling the Kawasaki Aura’s 273 laps — but in faster time. The team and bike, however, were later disbarred from the official list of finishers due to a modification on their race machine. After the standard tear-down by the chief technical steward, a drum brake and spoked wheels was found to have been used on the motorcycle instead of the original rear disc brake system and alloy rim wheels — a violation of the event’s super stock rules.

With this development, Taiwan make Kymco Motorcycle Philippines, using its Jetix 125 and represented by Superbike titlist and u-bone expert Roderick Chua, rookie Jigger Callanga, and endurance scooter specialist Edwin Buenaventura, benefited from this affair and went up from fourth to third with 262 laps of the BRC track.

But Suzuki’s woes in the 125cc battle did not stop there.

After years of dominating the NRA endurance races since 2001, it was apparent that luck was not on Suzuki’s side this time. An official Suzuki factory team, led by national champion Jolet Jao at the helm, together with wunderkind Dashi Watanabe, Dannie Rei Daquigan, and riding on a Shogun R, broke down just minutes approaching the 6-hour mark, completing only 128 laps, due to machine trouble. This further ended Suzuki’s quest for supremacy in the 2008 event.

The Wildcards, on the other hand, had a field day testing the mettle of their machines, with Yamaha Motors taking most of the marketing windfall by proving to all and sundry that their bikes could be taken to the extremes.

Yamaha’s Sniper 135 and its business model, the STX 125, took the top two places in the non-classified category. The Sniper, with riders Masato Fernando, James Barcial, and Jeffrey Chan actually did the highest number of laps in the race — at 284. The STX, with only two racers in Noel de Mesa and Roel Bongon, showed that it was up to the challenge by clocking in 280 laps for the Japanese manufacturer.

But the Chinese were not about to be left behind as they, too, established a huge amount of credibility in their products by finishing the 12-hour race.

Team Motorstar (of Eastworld Industrial Sales, Inc.), which profited from the NRA’s 8-Hour event in 2006 with its Explorer Z250, repeated its triumphant run this year on the same machine. The Z250, guided by Japheth Chua, Mark Anthony Indiongco and Vermon Espiritu, went home with 279 laps and bragging rights to boot.

Pride could also be seen overflowing in the Sinski paddock after its Maton 150 — driven by Ivan Santiago, Mark Anthony Yamson, and Joji Ishida — lasted for 252 rounds. Another PMR squad, comprised of duo Odin Bautista and Jhun Lacson on a Hataw 150, also walked away with a strong performance of 241 laps.

The Media was also represented by two teams, both sponsored by Kawasaki Motors and Sinski Motorcycles.

Media Team 1 had for its line up television personality and Scooterista Magazine’s Manu Sandejas, Inside Racing Magazine photographer and ex-racer Richard Abrina, as well as Mo2rista Magazine road tester and come backing road competitor Jade Lazaro. This bunch endured a highly respectable 232 laps on a Sinski Vivamas 110. Media Team 2, which only began its run on an Aura Nexus 125 when the race was already well into six hours of the official time, took into its wing Ingemar Simpliciano of Mo2rista Magazine, Francis Natividad of motorcyclephilippines.com and Miguel Ripoll of motorcycleasia.com. This late start produced 82 laps from them out of the entire competition.

All participating motorcycles raced with full synthetic Castrol Power 1. By using Power 1, Castrol stamped its mark by proving its product can take the challenge — and the thrashing — of a 12-hour endurance race.

In attendance to show their support were officials from BP Philippines led by Mr. Mars Sota, Country Representative of Castrol Lubricants, and Ms. Erica Esguerra, Product Manager for Power 1. Company heads from Kawasaki Motors Philippines, Inc., Yamaha Motor Philippines, Inc. and Kymco Philippines, Inc. were also on hand to cheer for their teams.

The media present to cover the event were RPN News and Current Affairs (for NewsWatch), IBC 13, News Central (Studio 23), Stoplight TV (Studio 23), QTV 11, Inside Racing Magazine, Scooterista Magazine, Mo2rista Magazine, Playboy Magazine, ABS-CBN News Online, ABS-CBN Interactive, motorcyclephilippines.com and DZMM (Patrol ng Bayan)

The Castrol Power 1 12 Hour Motorcycle Endurance Races were also sponsored by Teknic Gear, Motorcycle Dealers Association of the Philippines (MDAP), Motorsiklo Trading, Inc., Motoworld (exclusive distributor of Zeus Helmet, Komine Leathers, and XPD), Caloocan Sales Center, Inc., (exclusive distributor of Pirelli Tires), Aktivade Sports Drink (distributed by New Age Beverages, Inc.) and Easy Trailer.

Media partners were Stoplight TV, ANC (the ABS-CBN News Channel), News Central (Studio 23), QTV 11, IBC 13 and RPN News and Current Affairs. Publications include the Manila Bulletin and its affiliates Manila Bulletin Drive, Cruising Magazine, and Manila Bulletin Sports Digest, Inside Racing Magazine, Scooterista Magazine, C! Magazine, Mo2rista Magazine, and Playboy Magazine; Websites included abs-abs-cbnnewsonline, abs-cbn interactive, motorcyclephilippines.com, lipacityonline.com, and motorcycleasia.com.

As the organizer declared, “It’s not just about winning the race. It’s about finishing it.”

Anyone ready for the 24 Hour?