Ribbon Arc Motorsports has confirmed that they will be fielding a Formula V1 and a pair of Toyota Yaris at the upcoming 12 Hour Kalayaan Cup. What makes them stand out is their star-studded driver lineup, which consists of a number of sim racers who have now jumped to real-world competition.
The all-Filipino crew in the #17 blue-liveried Toyota Yaris is headed by Team Manager and Chief Strategist Jamil Lacuna and Gav Quintos. They are one of the pioneer sim racing drivers in the country and will start their third 12-hour race this weekend. Joining them is fellow sim racer and Tuason Racing instructor Paul Monastrial. Despite his young age, 14-year-old Rafa Caceres is already a seasoned driver in the Thailand Super Series (TSS) and will make his local endurance race debut with Ribbon Arc Motorsports.
Their knowledge should help guide Paulo Medina, Ringo Abadicio, and sim racer Enzo Ison as they all embark on their very first endurance race at the Kalayaan Cup. The trio has gained experience in slalom, autocross, and circuit events such as Super Sprint, PACS, 1NZ Cup, and Vitz Challenge.
Ribbon Arc Motorsport’s #525 Formula V1 and #26 silver Toyota Yaris, on the other hand, will be shared between real-world and sim racing drivers from North America, UK, Japan, and the Philippines.
Winston Graham (UK) has been competing since the ’70s, working his way from karting to single seaters, sports cars, to ovals in Europe. He brings with him one of his junior trainees, Montoye Baker (UK) who will be the lone female entry in the team. Despite being diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain syndrome and Ankylosing Spondylitis, it didn’t stop Jonathan Ogden (UK) from fulfilling his racing goals. Not only is he an established sim racing driver in Europe, but also has podium finishes in the Ford KA Endurance.
Clifton Lipple (USA) also brings a wealth of racing experience with achievements that include class wins in the PCA (Porsche Club of America) Club Racing as well victories in WRL and ChampCar events. Gino Manley (USA), on the other hand, has made a name for himself in TCR USA and the Clio Cup at the Nürburgring.
Masami Orita (Japan) is notable for his podium finish at the Enjoy 7H Endurance in Motegi and consistent Top 6 finishes in the T4 Series in Japan. Rounding up the lineup for Ribbon Arc Motorsport is professional sim racer and race car data analyst Russel Reyes (Philippines) who’s now making the transition from sim to real-world racing.
These drivers will shuffle between the #26 Toyota Yaris and #525 Formula V1 over the 12 hour race. This means everyone will get at least 2 stints in the V1 and 1 stint in the Yaris.
Founded by (now) husband-and-wife tandem Quattro Adriano and Elysse Menorca in 2017, Ribbon Arc Motorsports traces its roots in sim racing competition with both making it into the Nissan GT Academy program. They then transitioned to real-world racing after working their way up in Touge Battle, Sparco Cup, Vios Cup, and up until recently, Endurance Races.
The 12-hour Kalayaan Cup takes place this weekend at the Clark International Speedway (CIS). Qualifying is scheduled on Saturday (June 15) followed by the Race on Sunday (June 16) which will get the green light at 5:30 AM.
Ribbon Arc Motorsports is supported by EMS Group, Atom Tech by HG Autoworks, Tuason Racing, Sim Racing Ph, Pinky Parts Ph, East Side Collective, Bendix Philippines, Bluechem Philippines, Hardex Philippines, Technowheels, Ever Since, Carbon101, Isla’s Garage, JMMotorsports, Aguila Auto Glass, JD Motorsports, Vitz JDM Surplus Parts, Rota Wheels, Productivv Crew, Kalbotography, Reel Memoria, Nu Com Digital, Daryl Brady GP, MD Motorsport, My Cars Manila, Flicker Tech, Reap Sight, C&C Motorsport, and KS Racing.
For more info and the latest updates, visit www.ribbonarc.com and follow Ribbon Arc Motorsports on Facebook.
