Coming from a 2-year stint in slalom racing, Gabie Desales took on the Petron FlatOut Race Series (FORS) in 2018 as the next step in her motorsport career. She’s racing under Team Shell Helix Ultra and scored her maiden class victory at the Batangas Racing Circuit (BRC).
The young 20-year-old marked her first FORS outing back in April where she placed 4th in Bracket G at the Clark International Speedway (CIS). Gabie then returned for Round 3 last 19th of May in search of better results.
Though still a rookie in circuit racing, her experience in slalom proved to be advantageous specially on the technical layout of BRC. It gave her a competitive edge when she drove around the track for the first time, recording a 7-sec improvement from the morning to the afternoon sessions. The lone lady driver then set a best time of 2:12.322 driving the Shell Helix Ultra Honda Civic EK, which earned her 1st place in Bracket G.
Gabie is determined to improve her lap times in the next events and eventually join the grid races before the year ends. Her next goal is to compete in the Philippine Endurance Challenge (PEC) 4 Oras ng Pilipinas in June.
Gabie Desales: “Moving up to circuit racing this year is a stepping stone for me. I’m greatly motivated to hone my skills and work on some areas for improvement in this new discipline. The class win on only my second race is a big morale boost and I’m thankful for Team Shell Helix Ultra for guiding me every step of the way.”
Gabie Desales is supported by Team Shell Helix Ultra, Shell V Power, Team Big Chill, Motul, TS Tuning, , GLYL Printing Solutions, Time Attack Manila, Dynamics, Bendix, ROTA, Hazardboy, Race Motorsports, and AAP Motorsports Development Program.
For the latest info and updates, visit Gabie Desales Racing on Facebook and follow @Gabie_Desales_Racing on Instagram.
[Photos by Jordan Aparicio]