Supercar Sundays: The Motul SuperFast Trackday

Every Sunday out here in the Philippines, the busy streets of Metro Manila tend to be less congested than it normally is, giving sports car and exotic car owners time to enjoy the company of their favorite vehicle and the open road ahead. We have become accustomed to the fact that every Sunday, chances of spotting a supercar will be significantly higher compared to any other day. However, the 3rd Sunday of March 2018 was sort of different - instead of these exotics being scattered around Metro Manila streets, most of them headed north towards Clark International Speedway.

Last March 18, Jose and I drove to CIS to attend the Motul SuperFast Trackday. We figured that this track day would give us a chance to photograph some amazing cars, hear stories about these exotics, and hang out with friends. Upon arrival, we were greeted by all these supercars parked along the pit lane. Our timing was perfect since there was a mandatory driver’s briefing taking place - which meant we had time to take photos without too much people getting in the way.

The cars in attendance were a mix of supercars from all over the world - Italy, Germany, and United Kingdom to name a few.

With most of the supercars coming from the other side of the world, it’s nice to see that Japan wasn’t left behind. A number of GT-Rs were in attendance - with this Nismo leading the pack.

A few examples from the United States of America could also be seen parked along the pit lane - including this widebody Dodge Challenger.

Upon reaching the end of the pit lane, we decided to head towards the paddocks where more special cars await - starting with these two Ferrari F430 race cars.

We found this GT3RS casually parked in one of the paddocks. Apparently, this Porsche set Clark International Speedway’s fastest recorded lap time (for a road car) last December 2, 2017 with a lap time of 1:57.870. Maybe we should feature attempts to beat this record in the future?

With the driver’s briefing complete, it’s time for the father and son tandem of Carlos and Luis Gono (who are also the ones behind the whole event) to do the final checks before giving drivers the green light. Luis took out their Lotus Exige V6 Cup for a few laps to look out for any potential track hazards and to check out the track conditions.

With the Lotus back in the pits, the signal was given to the marshal to let the rest of the cars through. Just like that, all of these cars drove past us (given the 30kmh pit lane speed limit) as we waited along the pit exit.

Some of the cars that headed out also had limited production numbers, like this Lamborghini Gallardo Super Trofeo Stradale and BMW M4 DTM Champion Edition - which were only limited to 150 and 200 units in the world.

This tastefully modified Porsche GT3RS we saw parked at the paddocks also saw some track time. Who would want to see more of this clean build on a separate feature?

With our cameras stationed at the pit wall in front of Clark’s main straight, we witnessed cars fly past us at full throttle.

Our fellow contributor Franz Gaw, along with his father Peter, were also in attendance for some father and son bonding at the track. They took their recently acquired Honda Civic Type R for some hot laps.

Remember the Top Secret R35 GT-R we featured during Skyline Week? The owner, Paolo Mantolino, took the car out for some hot laps and set one of the fastest lap times for the day. In addition to the R35, he also brought his Lotus Exige 380 Cup for a little fun at the track.

Since we only had half a day to shoot, the start of their lunch break was the perfect time to pack up, rest, and head back to the parking lot. There were more cars hiding in the back, which meant we had the chance to take a few more pictures before the long drive home.

Words and Photos by Jaime Miguel Echavez