With lessons learned from his first race in Sepang, Vincent ‘Enteng’ Floirendo aimed for a better finish at the second leg of the 2014 Ferrari Challenge Asia Pacific held at the Sydney Motorsport Park last April.
The 2-time Philippine GT Champion was once again behind the wheel of the No. 145 Ferrari 458 Challenge EVO. Vincent explains that this would be the first time for the entire grid to race on the newly-renovated Sydney Motorsport Park. This allowed everyone to race on an equal playing field as no one has driven here before.
He steadily improved his performance throughout the weekend, ending up in 9th and 14th overall in the practice sessions. Then in qualifying, Vincent was able to achieve a best lap of 1:35.106, which put him 7th on the grid and 3rd in the Coppa Shell class.
Although he lost a place during Race 1, Vincent was still able to claim a very important 3rd place in the Coppa Shell category finishing behind Indonesian driver David David Tjiptobiantoro and Australian Paul Van Loenhout. This would be the very first time in history for a Filipino to finish on the podium in the prestigious race.
The 46-year-old driver then qualified in 11th spot for Race 2. But some odd reason, he was bumped all the way down to 18th on the grid. Still, Vicente fought his way up the field to cross the line in 12th overall and 6th in the Coppa Shell class.
“We applaud Vincent for his amazing third place finish in the 458 Challenge. The Filipinos can excel in international racing, Vincent’s success is further proof of that. May he continue to inspire others to participate in motor sports. We are behind him all the way.” said Marc Soong, Executive Director of Autostrada Motore Inc., the official importer and distributor of Ferrari cars in the Philippines.
Vincent ‘Enteng’ Floirendo is now preparing for the third leg of the 2014 Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli happening on June 8 at the Shanghai International Circuit, China.
[Photos courtesy of Autostrada Motore, Inc.]
