Montecillo sets Fastest Nissan record at PDRF April drag tilt

Dondi Montecillo set the Fastest Nissan Record at 10.71 seconds at the Manila Harbor Center Dragway at the PDRF X-Drags Power Festival event. The new Fastest Nissan record run was backed up with a 10.76 at 134.20 mph and another 10.82 @ 134.70 mph pass. The 0.08-second chopped off from the previous record run was achieved through added shots of nitrous oxide and replacement of all the Skyline's glass windows with thin plastic.

Montecillo is PDRF's first national record holder at 11.057 seconds @ 125 mph. The historical drag racing feat was made on a nitrous oxide-fed Redline Racing Evo IV in March 1999 at the Clark-Omni Dragway.

Bragging rights for the "Fastest Car" in the country is still held by Autoplus Sportzentrium's Raymond Go (Silver Bullet Civic HB @10.672 and 10.971 in Jun Go's Evo VI), with Montecillo a blink away. Waiting in the wings are Matonetics' Marverick Tan (Just Two Civic HB @ 10.83), Clark-AHRA's Chevy Camaro racers Rob Hyde (10.969), Ken Kepner (11.20) and John Rizya (11.30). Autoplus crew chief Francisco Blanco (Eclipse), Ron Poulter and Subic Power Plant's Frank Wilson are also serious applicants, with their Ford Mustang Fastbacks, to the elite PDRF Ten-Second Club.

The PDRF's fourth X-Drags Festival, which mustered 73 entries, saw Montecillo, for the third time, win back-to-back championships in the Quick VIII heads-up and Pro bracket eliminator classes, with his son Marvin in second spot. Father and son went home with P5,000, P2,000, Motolite batteries and Nodalos freebies.

Baguio City residents Tonton Roxas and Jonnef E. Calimlim (Civic HB @14.33) captured the 13.00 to 14.49 seconds Sportsman Eliminator bracket. Roxas drove Mario Dipasupil's Rotary-engined Sprinter with a 13.15-second best run.. Gaspeed's Vanni Garcia (Civic HB @ 14.34), for the second time, finished third.

Fastest Toyota record holder Herbert Hollero (15.54), resting from his Pro class wins, tried his luck in the 14.50 to 15.99 seconds Hot Street cars bracket and steered the IJ Corolla to its first championship win. March 23 champ Manuel Ubas (15.20) of Revspeed, ended up as runner-up, followed by Edzel Inumerable (15.52).

Coming strong from his previous runner-up win, San Pablo City's Jeffrey Pesigan (16.55) took the 16.00 seconds and slower Street Stock cars bracket in his Honda Accord. StreetSpecs' Gabby Gonzales (16.80) and GM Bugayong (18.2 seconds) settled for second and third respectively. DAG Racers' Christopher Gomez of Dagupan city cut a perfect 0.500-second reaction time to the green light that earned him an extra P1,000. Racing fan Milo Besana went home with a Motolite battery.

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