Pirelli Presents the 4th Tour De Cebu 1,000 Kilometers Historic Car Rally

The greatest annual Philippine historic sports car rally — Tour de Cebu is back on October 20 to 22 and is being co-presented by Pirelli, Chopard and BE Grand Resort. Now on its 4th run, the much-awaited event is the country’s only 1,000-km historic sports car rally across Visayas, which is inspired by the Mille Miglia, the 1,000- mile open-road endurance race in Italy.

Unlike speed races, Tour de Cebu is a regularity event which must be completed in a pre-defined time and not in the fastest time possible. Crossing the line early or late makes no difference since the participants will still gain penalty points. The declared champion is the car with the lowest penalty score, which was won last year by Marty Aguilar, driving a 1967 Toyota S800.

Big Global Name Brands and Tour de Cebu

With PIRELLI as the event’s presentor , the entrants for this year’s Tour de Cebu will be assured of reliability and performance even at high speed.Distributed in the whole country by Cebu-based Southgate Express Marketing, Inc., PIRELLI continues to be the high-end tire on which premium car brands roll out on.

The 4th Tour de Cebu is honoured to have CHOPARD as an event partner. Chopard has been the main sponsor of the legendary Mille Miglia since 1988 and is one of the first watch brands to associate its name with motoring. In addition, Chopard displays its sporting spirit by presenting an annual limited edition to mark the latest edition of the race. The inimitable design of Mille Miglia watches and the brand’s ability to renew the collection without ever betraying it, contribute to making these models authentic grand classics.

Promoting the Preservation of Historic Cars

It is interesting to note that the Tour de Cebu is a motorsports event that promotes the preservation of historic sports cars. For three straight years, the event has produced a grid of restored vintage and classic cars which look like they just rolled off from a car show. TDC cars are carefully chosen, restored and rally-prepared several months ahead to ensure that they survive the 1,000 kilometer endurance run and this has caught the attention of several motoring enthusiasts all over the world. This year, a 1959 Jaguar XK150 which has participated in various car rallies abroad most notably, the Louis Vuitton Classic China Run will be brought over from Singapore and driven by Rewind Magazine Editor, Eli Solomon with co-driver Angeline Khoo.

Another motoring media team from 9onceplus Magazine of Barcelona, Spain led by Oscar Perez and co-driver Stephane Vrinat will be flying over to drive one of PACE Club’s cars to experience Tour de Cebu and write about it, a definite plus for Philippine tourism.

Tour de Cebu is open to sports cars manufactured in 1972 or older. Limited slots will be open for cars 1973 to 1978 under the Sportsman Class, subject to approval and desirability. All entries are subject to technical scrutiny led by a committee headed by the Grand Marshall. A minimum pass rate is required in order for participation and the criteria includes authenticity, period correctness, mechanical soundness, and safety. Some of the cars to watch out for in this year’s roster include a 1959 Porsche 356A, 1955 Austin Healey, 1962 Triumph TR4, 1963 Corvette Stingray, 1967 Jaguar XKE, 1971 MGB, 1968 Alfa Romeo GTV, Lotus 7 and Lotus 11.

Three Days of Activities and Driving at its Finest

The Tour de Cebu activities will start at the MONTEBELLO VILLA HOTEL – the official Cebu residence of all the participating cars for the much awaited “Tour de Cebu Car Show” on October 19. Vintage car enthusiasts can marvel at all the participating cars displayed at the hotel parking area and will get a glimpse of the Drivers’ Gala Night where drivers don period clothing to match their vintage cars. The following day, Friday October 20, all participants prepare to go to Tubigon Port, Bohol via the new FASTCAT which is the Official TDC Inter-Island Carrier for the Official Flag-Off the rally . The rally is composed of a total of six stages covering various roads of Bohol. The participants will then be housed at the beautiful BE GRAND RESORT –TDC Co- presentor and the official Bohol residence . They are expected to be back in Cebu on October 22 at Montebello Villa Hotel and will have the awarding the following day.

To ensure that all entries are fueled and oiled up to finish the 1,000 kilometer rally, PETRON is coming in again as the official fuel sponsor and LIQUIMOLY as the official oil partner. NISSAN is the Official Support Vehicle Provider with the GTR serving as the TDC Lead car.

Tour de Cebu is more than just a rally of historic sports cars but also a celebration of tourism as the tour will once again highlight the most scenic routes in the Visayas. Tour de Cebu is organized by PACE Club (Performance and Classics Enthusiasts of Cebu) and the Manila Sports Car Club and managed by Tradeshow International, Inc. Tour de Cebu 2017 is sponsored in part by Johnny Air Plus, Fastcat, Philippine Span Asia Carriers and Nice Day Car Wash with C! Magazine, Rewind Magazine, 9onceplus Magazine, Jamesdeakin.ph, Autoindustriya.com as media partners.
For more information, you may call TRADESHOW INTERNATIONAL at 09178132694, (02) 571 7551, (02) 650 2195 or email tourdecebu@gmail.com.