Luis Gono to represent the PH in Formula Vita Fuji Champion Race Finale

The GITI-Formula V1 Challenge has looked out for raising grassroot talents in the local racing scene. Not that everyone is an amateur, but it seems that all the organizers' and drivers' efforts have brought us to yet another international stage. After bagging the chanmpionship, Luis Gono will be the lone driver carrying the Philippine flag into the Fuji Championship Race this month. After a commendable performance in Formula V1, the young driver will be battling against Japan's top Formula Vita drivers at the Fuji International Speedway from November 17 to 18.

At only 15 years old when he first entered the Toyota Vios Cup, Luis Gono was the youngest competitor or the grid. Not only that, but he also managed to be crowned the first overall champion in one of the country's highly publicized motorsports events. Now at 19 years of age, we saw a wheel-to-wheel battle between him and Team PartsPro driver Tyson Sy in the last three races of Formula V1, where his penultimate win sealed his seat in the Japan race.

The GITI-Formula V1 Challenge is a collaborative effort between Tuason Racing and West Racing Cars Japan. Using the VITA-01 platform, the drivers are given a single-seat, open-cockpit race cars that are secured by a tubular steel frame chassis that is covered by a composite body. With a good number of participants coming from other local race series such as the aforementioned Vios Cup, Formula V1 aims to provide the next step for drivers who want a shot at the racing in the global arena. Tuason Racing plans to roll out into more ASEAN countries in the coming years following GITI-Formula V1's current success.