To whoever doubted that there could be a home-grown single-seater series in the Philippines, the Giti-Formula V1 Challenge surely proved them wrong. The fine men and women at Tuason Racing School (TRS) worked tirelessly to get the inaugural season off the ground last year and what a success it was. And now, they’re gearing up for another year of racing with the 2019 championship set to begin in May.
Built by West Racing Cars Co. Ltd. In Japan, TRS began selling their Formula V1’s (also knows as the Vita-01) in late 2017. Each one had a mid-mounted 1NZ 1.5L 4-cylinder engine, 5-speed short shift box, Wilwood brakes, TEIN coilovers, and wheels supplied by ROTA.
TRS then sold 15 examples (as far as we know) for P2.1 million each.
After months of preparation, the inaugural season eventually got underway in May 2018. 2 more events followed to complete a full championship, which was won by Luis Gono of CleanFuel Racing by a single point. They then staged a 4-hour endurance race in November to wrap up the year.
With TRS’ recent announcement, 2019 is shaping up to be yet another exciting year for the Giti-Formula V1 Challenge. No entry list has yet been published, nor do we know if more V1 cars will join the grid. But what’s confirmed is that there will be a total of 5 events this year and that the race calendar is FINAL.
3 rounds will be held at either the Batangas Racing Circuit (BRC) or Clark International Speedway (CIS), which counts as part of the 2019 championship. There will also be a 4 hour endurance in November and finally a prize race at Suzuka, Japan for whoever wins the title.
2019 Giti-Formula V1 Challenge Race Schedule
Round 1 | May 18 – 19 (Batangas Racing Circuit)
Round 2 | July 20 – 21 (Clark International Speedway)
Round 3 | October 19 – 20 (Clark International Speedway)
Ultra 4Hr Endurance | November 16 – 17 (Clark International Speedway)
FV1 Japan | December 7-8 (Suzuka Circuit, Japan)
