Story & photo by Randy S. Peregrino
ONCE again, the country’s oil-industry leader Petron Corp. was chosen by the Formula 4 South East Asia (F4SEA) Championship organizers as the official fuel and engine-oil provider for the 2017 season. This year the F4SEA Championship series will feature and utilize the latest and advanced Petron Blaze 100 Euro 6 fuel and Petron Blaze Racing engine-oil products.
Being an avid motorsports enthusiast himself, Petron Corp. President and CEO Ramon S. Ang was delighted for the company’s involvement in the F4SEA race series. “We are proud to fuel the 2017 Formula 4 South East Asia Championship and welcome this opportunity to show how our proudly Philippine-made Petron Blaze 100 Euro 6 gasoline and Petron Blaze Racing engine oil meet the severe international competitive racing. We hope that the young Formula 4 drivers will appreciate the performance advantages of our world-class products,” Ang said.
Promoted by the Asian Autosport Action (AAA) group, the F4SEA offers a cost-effective program of an FIA-effective first step to an FIA-certified career ladder in formula racing. Likewise, the program focuses on driver experience and development by ensuring a level playing field in a one-make FIA single-operator championship series using homologated race cars and engines. All drivers have access to race and engine data, and learn from race engineers and coaches—so winning is based on race craft and not performance aids. Meritus GP, on the other hand, provides race engineering services supported by race engineers, winning driver coaches, and professional technicians and mechanics.
Petron’s Local Station Marketing Head Bong Paguia also shared his insights about the race program. “They’re [F4SEA organizers] concentrating in this region because they believe that there’s a lot of talents that they can get from the Southeast Asian car racers. And we’re proud that they’ve chosen Petron to be their partner for fuel and engine oil for the 2017 series,” he said. “I think that the best that they can get from this race series is the development of skills and, again, Formula 4 racing is a stepping-stone to the Formula One. This is their introduction to Formula racing,” he added.
Consisting of five exciting rounds, the 30-race F4SEA 2017 Championship kicked off last September 29 through October 1 with six support races at the Formula 1 Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix in Sepang. As for the second round, our country will host the upcoming leg at Clark International Speedway from October 20 to 22. Then, the third leg will move to Sentul, Indonesia, from November 24 to 26 before the series resumes next year with the Asian Le Mans at the Buriram United International Circuit in Thailand from January 12 to 18. The series will then go back to Sepang, Malaysia, for the final leg from February 9 to 11, 2018.
Certified by global standards
AS the largest oil refining and marketing company in the country and a leading player in the Malaysian market, Petron has made its mark as a fuel-technology innovator by creating a full range of gasoline and diesel fuels that deliver better power, better mileage and better engine protection. Also starting to gain ground in the Asean market are the Petron engine oils—formulated to optimize engine performance through superior lubrication.
Certified by international testing institutions, the latest Petron Blaze 100 Euro 6 is a 100-octane pure gasoline formulation that surpassed the most stringent global standards. Its superior qualities make it the best fuel for the highly competitive F4SEA Championship capable to deliver powerful engine performance and acceleration. In addition, it also offers improved combustion and fuel efficiency, plus significantly reduced harmful emissions for cleaner engines.
On the other hand, the F4SEA official engine oil Petron Blaze Racing is a fully synthetic high-performance engine lubricant proven and tested to deliver the ultimate engine stress protection needed with excellent performance on thermal stability and engine cleanliness. Moreover, it contains the Thermal Stress Stabilizing System, which aids in reducing engine stress even at high temperatures demanded by competition racing.