SpeedFest comes to Subic
- CARS OF THE MILE. Supercars and high-performance tuner cars line-up for the ultra high speed mile run at the Subic Bay International airport.
- Ford Shelby GT500 vs Nissan GT-R
For one weekend, Subic International Airport came alive with the roar of well over 100 of the country’s most exotic supercars and high performance tuner cars, along with the cheers of nearly 1,000 race fans and car enthusiasts with the inaugural AutoIndustriya.com SPEEDFEST!
On February 25 to 26, 2012, AutoIndustriya.com took to the sprawling Subic Bay International Airport, opening it to the public and participants who wish to take part in the first ever SPEEDFEST.
The event was the vision of Brent Co, Editor-in-chief of the country’s leading automotive website, AutoIndustriya.com and its parent company, Double B Web Solutions.
“We really wanted to bring together some of the country’s wildest machines on four wheels for a weekeend of high octane action,” said Co. “So, for this weekend, we opened the Subic Bay International Airport for participants to race down the quarter mile, go sideways for the exhilarating gymkhana and drift exhibition, as well as take on the ultra high speed mile run.”
For the two day duration of the event, organizers and David Murphy Feliciano of DMF Drift set up a truly challenging gymkhana course.
Designed to test a car’s overall performance balance as well as the driver’s cornering abilities, the SPEEDFEST Gymkhana truly delivered thrills to participants and spectators alike, with various celebrity drivers and highly experienced race champions.
The main terminal building housed all the registration and event facilities, and on the 2nd floor, event organizers set up a viewing area so that VIPs and guests may catch the action as it unfolds on the tarmac outside.
The main draw of the event, however, was taking place on the main 2.7 kilometer runway. On Saturday, over 50 of the country’s most exotic supercars were entered by their owners to take part on the SPEEDFEST Mile Run.
The rules were simple: achieve the highest top speed over the 1.6 kilometer long runway.
The honor roll of supercars included a pair of tuned Ford GT’s, a trio of Shelby GT500’s, a rare Mercedes-Benz CLK 63 AMG Black Series, several Porsche 911’s of varying performance levels and highly tuned Nissan R35 GTR’s, and these are just some of the cars that took part in the SPEEDFEST Mile Run.
The next day, February 26, the runway was the venue for the SPEEDFEST Quarter Mile Drag Shootout.
Where on the Mile Run the cars were tuned for top speed, the Quarter Mile demands pure, off the line acceleration.
Extremely tuned machines made to take on the 1320 feet of the quarter mile took to the runway, hoping to be champion in the Pro and Hot Street categories.
The list contains a who’s who of the tuning scene, with a collection of highly modified Honda Civics and compact cars, as well as purpose built drag cars like a Mitsubishi Mirage and a 12-second Chevy Nova.
“Our goal for the AutoIndustriya.com SPEEDFEST is simple,” said Brent Co. “We as car enthusiasts through and through want to race, but not on the streets.So, we opened the airport to give everyone a chance to experience their high performance machines on a closed course safely and responsibly. And, of course, to just have a great time doing it!
” On Day 1, the Gymkhana was won by Carlos Anton driving the Mark Young Racing CRX while on Day 2, it was Chukri Prieto who took the win.
At the dragstrip, Arvin Millet took first place while Chris Cheever was a close second in his black Chevy Nova for the Pro category.
For the Mile Run, it was Autoplus that took the win as Carlos Gono, behind the wheel of his highly tuned Ford GT, blistered the SPEEDFEST Mile with a top speed of 205.49 miles per hour, or 330.7 kilometers per hour.
“Our first ever AutoIndustriya.com SPEEDFEST was a resounding success,” said Brent Co. “Rest assured, plans are being laid for the next SPEEDFEST, and we know it will be even bigger and better, and even faster.”
