Review Race Driver 101: Driving The Trs-Ford Focus Ptcc Race Car Features & Specifications

Photos yesteryear Ulysses Ang

It’s non everyday yous acquire the chance to bound from a virtual race auto to a existent i without the difficult move in addition to perseverance. Ask whatever racing driver in addition to he or she tin tell yous that those years of preparation pays off at 0.1 of a minute at a time. So what happens when yous house me—a totally “green” racer but hardcore Playstation driving champion behind the cycle of a Philippine Touring Car-spec Tuason Racing-Ford Focus race car? Not the speak disaster that you’d expect, but non the fairy tale ending either. Let’s but say, I won’t live climbing aboard a race auto whatever fourth dimension soon.

The Early Bird Gets the Warning

With local racing guru J.P. Tuason scheduling this especial racing hospital at the Clark International Speedway, I had to move out extra early on to brand certain I acquire at that topographic point yesteryear the nine am telephone band time. After all, Fri traffic tin live tremendous given it’s getting mighty some the vacation season. To my surprise, I arrived at the venue first. Shaking hands amongst J.P., he opened our chat, “Have yous driven this circuit before?”

“Once or twice, but I estimate I’ve never been taught on how to stimulate it properly.” I rapidly replied, implying that if I sucked big fourth dimension today, I’m washing my hands construct clean this early.

“Well, you’re inwards for a treat. The long version of the circuit’s but been completed in addition to yous guys are i of the get-go to endeavor it,” J.P. said spell gesturing at the almost kilometer-long dorsum straight. “I certain James, Vince, Inigo in addition to the remainder of the gang’s going to taste it,” he added.

James Deakin? Vince Pornelos? Inigo Roces? Though they could live easily false for the motoring beat’s ‘The Three Stooges’, they’re absolutely swell on the race rail having won media racing cups in addition to challenges inwards the past. Great. This comes equally added pull per unit of measurement area on my part; equally long equally I don’t destination last, I should live fine.

The Car’s the Star

As the remainder of the participants arrived in addition to settled downward quite comfortably inwards our ain Tuason Racing-issued racing overalls in addition to helmets, J.P. gave a rundown on the auto we’re virtually to drive: the Philippine Touring Car Championship (PTCC) Ford Focus 1.8.

Based off a run-of-the-mill Focus 1.8 four-door, the PTCC Focus has been beefed upward in addition to strengthened spell remaining rattling truthful to its route auto origins. Under the hood, I was quite surprised to run into an almost stock drivetrain including the original air filter in addition to header. The alone move done was on a free-flowing exhaust organization in addition to on the ECU where it’s piggybacked onto a racing unit of measurement freeing upward 125 cycle horsepower inwards the process. Naturally, the remainder of the components such equally the steering, brakes in addition to pause lead hold been tweaked amongst racing bits spell the trunk work’s been lightened amongst fiber drinking glass in addition to polycarbonate pieces. In fact, amongst the exception of the Goodyear route tires (the existent PTCC cars run on slicks), these are the actual racers used inwards the PTCC.

For J.P., this is a first: allowing members of the media to handgrip his racing cars in addition to non but the racing school/training cars similar earlier in addition to a calendar week earlier a race no less! As such, J.P. emphasized security equally good equally the importance of bringing each in addition to every of these cars abode without a scratch. “Guys, whatever happens yous cannot overhaul an engine inwards iv days. Be careful in addition to stimulate inside your limit,” were J.P.’s concluding words earlier nosotros hitting the track. And for the remainder of the day, ‘driving inside my limit’ became my mantra.

Unlearn What You Have Learned

“Unlearn what yous lead hold learned.” This is in all likelihood i of the less quoted lines from Star Wars, but Jedi Master Yoda truly nailed it when it came to describing my get-go race auto experience. If you’re used to driving smoothly in addition to gently on populace roads, you’ll lead hold to erase all that in addition to rewire yourself when it comes to rail driving.

Seeing flashes of Yoda inwards J.P. (must live from the heat), he mentions that the telephone commutation to a fast rail fourth dimension lies inwards doing 2 things properly: braking in addition to cornering. Anyone tin crush the throttle in addition to alter gears at peak rpm, but the hole-and-corner to the extra measuring lies inwards the masterful command of the brake pedal. The initial braking forcefulness must live equally belatedly in addition to equally rigid equally possible but without locking the brake discs up. And reverse to pop belief, yous don’t but slam on the brakes—you’d but destination upward activating the ABS, extending the braking distance inwards the process. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 swell driver must live able to detect the 99 per centum in addition to expire along on hitting it, corner later corner, lap later lap.

Next, on the opened upward road, you’re taught non to swerve in addition to occupy 2 or 3 lanes at the same time. Again, this doesn’t move on the race track. Here, yous lead hold to purpose the entire width of the track; taking what’s called the ‘apex’—which is unremarkably the geometric centre of a corner. Hitting this sweetness spot enables yous to minimize the fourth dimension spent inwards the corner spell maintaining the maximum speed possible.

Not Born for Racing

After the lectures in addition to the demos, it was fourth dimension for me to hitting the Clark track. Buckling downward into the security harness, I adjusted my Oakley shades i concluding fourth dimension equally I barreled downward the long straight. I tried doing everything downward to the concluding missive of the alphabet in addition to punctuation grade from J.P.’s instructions, but it’s but difficult non to stimulate the PTCC Focus similar a route car. Even amongst a total scroll cage, I establish myself sometimes gingerly pressing on the gas instead of flooring it; or shifting likewise early on when I should lead hold hitting the cherry line.

Though I continuously improved at a measuring of upward to iv seconds a lap, amongst alone 2 do laps in addition to i officially timed lap, I all the same ended upward dead concluding in addition to almost twenty seconds off eventual winner, James Deakin’s pace. If this were Formula One, I would lead hold been lapped inwards but iv to 5 laps time! Even if I didn’t destination upward anywhere close the podium for this exercise, the sense of driving the Tuason racing-Ford Focus PTCC race auto was to a greater extent than than exhilarating enough. After those span of hours on the track, the stimulate dorsum abode felt somewhat mundane in addition to ordinary. Still, amongst the surprisingly calorie-free traffic, I got abode but inwards fourth dimension to create a span of rounds on my Playstation. Score some other win for me on the virtual Yas Marina circuit. I may non live a born racer (well, at to the lowest degree inwards the existent world), but I certain got a deeper appreciation of what these guys become through in addition to the wonderful mechanism they acquire to stimulate at work.