Rain or shine, 21-year-old newbie racer reigns in cutthroat Formula V1 Leg 2
It was raining cats and dogs last weekend. But newcomer Rainy Medina did not take his foot off the pedal as he fought tooth and nail to outclass his rivals in the amateur class during the second leg of the Formula V1 Challenge held at the Clark International Speedway in Pampanga.
The 14-driver grid, consisting of both Pro Class and amateur racers proved to be challenging for the 21-yearold driver of Autoholic Garage. Yet, despite the lack of experience on the slippery race track, the late bloomer was relentless.
At first, it was a tough battle for the top spot in Race 1 as Medina had to duel it out against another newbie racer, Juancho Brobio of Obengers Racing. It was a tenacious blitzkrieg of attacks that allowed the latter to grab a commanding lead. Eventually, despite his tireless valiant effort, Medina had to settle for the last spot on the podium. Oliver Aquino of Tech 7 Project, meanwhile, took the second spot.
For Race 2, however, Medina was determined to regain back his supremacy. He had to jostle with Brobio in the opening laps before the latter sadly had to retire after a sudden collision. This gave Medina momentum. However, he still had to fight hard against Aquino who turned up the heat throughout the 12-lap race. In the end, Medina was able to secure the win after Aquino committed a crucial mistake in the dying laps.
Unforgettable professional racing debut
It was to be remembered that Rainy Medina likewise had an exceptional performance in his Formula V1 Challenge debut last June.
Here, he took home twin victories in the first two races of the first leg before capping with another podium in the third session of the AM class.
“Formula V1 is the entry-level formula racing which is what I wanted to get into,” Medina shared with Inquirer Mobility.
“My end goal is Formula 4,”he added.
The US-born Filipino is eyeing to make it to the top level of the feeder series in the near future.
“First, we have to finish Formula V1 this year. After this, next year, we’re targeting Radical, Formula VITA in Japan and probably Formula 1000 in the UK,” he continued.
Together with Medina, Iñigo Anton of the Pro Class also extended his lead in the series as they both approach the final leg of the Formula V1 on November 24-25, still at the Clark International Speedway in Pampanga.
