THE PHILIPPINE Rallycross Series (PHRX) and the Philippine National Rally Championship (PNRC) celebrated the top rally drivers of the 2024 season in an awarding ceremony held recently at Oriental Palace, Quezon City. The event honored the top finishers in each category, recognizing their “skill, endurance, and dedication to one of the most challenging motorsport disciplines in the country.”
The PHRX and PNRC are the only rally events sanctioned by the Automobile Association Philippines (AAP), and aim not only to recognize top drivers but also to expand the sport by attracting new participants to the world of rally racing.
Here are the winners per category: Group 1 champion: Caloy Calica, second: Ricxie Dela Cruz, third: Rolando Tecson; Group 2 champion: Louie Camacho, second: Paul Santos, third: Peewee Mendiola; Group 3 champion: Louie Camacho, second: Paul Santos, third: Ricardo Dy-Liacco; Group 4 champion: Paul Santos, second: Ricardo Dy-Liacco, third: Peewee Mendiola; Open Class champion: Mike Reyes, second: Paolo Santos, third: Ricardo Dy-Liacco; AWD Class champion: Mike Reyes, second: Paolo Santos, third: Ralph Ramento; UV Class champion: Louie Camacho, second: DJ De Guzman, third: Aven Tongo; RWD Class champion: EZ Ligaya, second: Devor Andres, third: Jun Magno; Pickup Class champion: Louie Camacho, second: Aven Tongo, third: Boboy Rabe; Novice Class champion: Ricardo Dy-Liacco, second: Aven Tongo, third: Ricxie Dela Cruz; Ladies Class champion: Gabie Desales, second: Pauline Bautista, third: Hazel Ramirez.
The 2024 PHRX season took place over seven rounds, featuring races at Parklinks in Pasig City, the CCP Complex in Pasay City, and the Arden Botanical Garden in Trece Martires, Cavite. The CCP and Arden rounds were full-dirt rallycross events, while Pasig featured a combination of tarmac and dirt, creating a diverse and unpredictable competition format. Each two-kilometer rally course tested the drivers’ adaptability and skill, with both day and night races adding to the challenge.
Meanwhile, the PNRC consisted of three rounds, each pushing competitors to their limits in grueling rally conditions. The “Kagitingan Rally” in Capas, Tarlac, featured 12 Special Stages over 49 kilometers of gravel and dirt tracks. The “Unang Sigaw Rally” followed with 55 kilometers of intense terrain, split into eight Special Stages. The season concluded with the “Rally Nueva Ecija 2 — Tribute to Jun Espino,” where drivers tackled 10 special stages covering 50 kilometers of challenging dirt and gravel roads.
The 2025 season will feature seven rounds of the rallycross series and four rounds of the national rally. For the national rally championship, two rounds will be held in Nueva Ecija, one in Cavite, and a first inter-island rally in Lubang, Occidental Mindoro, marking a significant expansion in the Philippine rally scene. Meanwhile, the rallycross series will build upon last year’s success by holding seven rounds, ensuring more thrilling competition and testing drivers across longer and more complex rally stages.
According to race organizers Olson Camacho and Ronnie Trinidad, these expansions are aimed at bringing rally racing to more regions in the country, growing its fanbase, and providing new and seasoned drivers more opportunities to compete.
Media partners have played a crucial role in bringing rally racing back into the spotlight, said the organizers, who listed the supporting publications: Manila Times, Manila Bulletin, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Philippine Star, Business Mirror, BusinessWorld, Auto Review, Motoring Today, Auto Focus, Turbo Zone, Ignition PHL, Visor, Top Gear PH, and Carguide.
