It was a near-perfect debut for Danzel Waytan in the Minutes Endurance Race (MEC) 120. Sharing the #51 Team Hero v.Granz with Shunji Okumoto, the pair secured a podium finish despite qualifying a lowly P17 at Twin Ring Motegi.
The 17-year-old quickly found his footing around the 4.801 km circuit despite limited experience on the track. He also had to master the new machinery with only a handful of practice sessions. However, this didn’t seem to be a major concern, as Danzel and Okumoto-san ended up 8th out of 20 v.Granz entries in Saturday practice.
Unfortunately, the team made the wrong tire choice for Qualifying, sending the car out on wet tires just as the circuit began to dry up. This prevented them from setting a fast lap, leaving them in P17.
Starting positions, however, are less critical in endurance racing, giving the #51 Team Hero’s entry 2 long hours to make up for lost ground. But Danzel, who took the start, had other plans. The lone Filipino on the grid immediately went on attack mode, gaining 5 places on the opening lap. He continued charging to the front, reaching P5 by lap 8.
After 30 minutes, the team made a scheduled pit stop, with Okumoto-san taking over. Although he rejoined in P15, they cycled back to P5 once all entries had completed their stops.
From there, the Super GT300 driver focused on closing the gap to the leaders, setting fast, consistent laps and extracting every bit of performance from the #51 car. He completed a full 60-minute stint and was up to P2 by the time he pitted.
It was now up to Danzel to bring the car home. Rejoining in P4, he quickly climbed back to P2. However, the gap to the leader was too large to close, forcing him to hold position and secure a solid 2nd place finish for Team Hero’s.
Danzel is sponsored by Gerry’s Grill and Sim Premier.
Danzel Waytan: “Racing here in Motegi was very fun especially since I’m now in the top class of the series. I’m up against professional GT and Formula drivers, so I’m expected to be fast immediately. But it also allows me to learn from their experience, plus it’s a big confidence boost when I’m able match or exceed their pace. Sadly our Qualifying hampered our result, but i’ll take 2nd place with a smile! We’ll work harder next time that’s for sure.”
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