Rally enthusiast wants to make local rallycross popular again
Rally Driving Immersion Program gives first-hand experience of what it's like to be a rally driver
Back in the day, rallying was one of the most popular motorsports series in the Philippines, particularly from the '80s to the '90s. There were numerous rally events held all over the country and even saw some international drivers participating. Unfortunately, the sport declined sometime after courses started becoming actual roads and Philippine motorsport shifted to circuit racing.
For nearly a decade, off-road rallying was somewhat absent from the motorsport scene in the Philippines. Only recently did the discipline experience a resurgence thanks to numerous avid rally enthusiasts who are staging rally events once more. In 2015, it was revived through the Philippine Rallycross Series (PRS).
The regular rallycross event made its comeback in 2015, and has since been a regular motorsport event sanctioned by the Automobile Association of the Philippines (AAP). From an initial 10 participants in 2015, there are now over 50 drivers regularly competing in the 12-Round series held in different venues. Most recent events saw the provinces of Pampanga and Cavite as host venues.
In hopes to attract more interest and understanding, rally enthusiast and veteran motoring journalist Anjo Perez recently launched the Rally Driving Immersion Project (RDIP), an experiential ride and drive segment which hopes to provide an easy to join arrive and drive program for future participants.
RDIP made its debut on July 7, 2019, during the 7th round of the PRS in Tanza, Cavite. In partnership with Isuzu Philippines Corporation, Black Rhino Wheels, Nitto Tires, PIAA, SONAX, CTEK, and Ichiro Motor Oils, an Isuzu D-max pickup truck has been commissioned to participate in the remaining legs of the PRS, with different motoring media drivers as participants.
Media drivers got to experience driving around the dirt track, which was composed of ditches and mud trails. The Isuzu D-Max finished the round unscathed, with all the media drivers posting decent times, even beating several long-timers.
The next round of the PRS is tentatively scheduled for July 27-28 with the venue to be announced soon.
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