Everything that could go wrong went wrong for Ethan Ong during Round 2 of the 2024 Formula V1 Challenge – from suspension issues, to a cracked chassis, and even an engine that was down on power. But he fought through all these setbacks to secure his first Rookie win in a wet and wild Clark International Speedway (CIS).
Ethanworx Motorsports mechanics worked tirelessly just to get Ethan’s car to run decently for the weekend. Team Manager Edgen Dy-Liacco even had to leverage on his years of experience to solve the handling issues, but their engine woes persisted and was losing 10 km/h on the straights. Despite all of this, Ethan was able to muscle a fast lap during Qualifying and minimize his pace deficit to about a second off the fastest Filipino driver, earning himself P6 on the grid.
Run under clear skies, Ethan got off to a clean start in Race 1 and immediately gave chase after the leaders. While he was able to keep up in the opening laps, his engine gradually lost power midway through. This left him unable to fight as he watched the Rookie battle unfold up ahead. But as luck would have it, 2 of his rivals collided and allowed Ethan to cross the finish line 2nd in the Rookie Class.
As the heavens opened up just before the start of Race 2, the team was no longer able to adjust their #75 FV1 forcing Ethan to run with a dry setup. To make matters worse, he was in the wrong gear when the lights went out and dropped back to dead last. But the 15-year-old driver was not about to give up. He chased after the pack in the treacherous conditions, taming a car not setup for the wet. Ethan would gain places lap after lap as his closest competitors fell victim to the rain and found himself in the class lead.
With only a few laps to go, the young Rookie was now challenging for an overall podium. Unfortunately, he ran out of laps and took the chequered flag with the Rookie Class victory and 4th Overall.
After his 2nd and 1st place finishes, Ethan currently sits 2nd in the Rookie Standings with only 1.5 points separating him from class leader Jesse Garcia. His stellar performance also puts him 4th in the Overall Standings with 2 more rounds to go.
Ethan Ong: “It’s definitely a big boost to my confidence for the upcoming rounds and I’m really grateful for the win, even with all the car issues. But there is still room to improve, because even if I won in the Rookie Class, I didn’t get a podium place in the Overall standings. Now with a fixed car, I would be able to get more practice in for my overall race pace and be a lot more prepared for the upcoming races.”
Ethan Ong is sponsored by Auto Vault Speed Shop the distributor of Modesta Premium Glass Coatings, Autozkin Paint Protection, Repsol Philippines, Powel Chemicals, Fremuff, Tagaytay Viewpark Hotel, Siglo Modern Filipino, JRJ Windows and Doors, Pierre’s Reserve, and Devil’s Burger.
For more info and updates, Like the Ethan Motorsports page on Facebook and follow @ethan.ong.racing on Instagram.
[Photos by Matt Romualdez Photography and Kalbotography]
