Being the first Chinese car manufacturer to make an entry into local motorsports, GAC Motors, under the management of Legado Motors, Inc., have made it a point to make a huge splash jumping in by going all out in one of the most tedious races in the calendar: the Kalayaan Cup 12-Hour Endurance Race.

With a solid factory-backed team of mechanics, managers, coaches, datakeepers, and six drivers (yours truly included), their GAC GA4 1.5L MT racecar was properly armed to take on the grueling race. Everyone's efforts during the race yielded solid results, and GAC Motors set up a thanksgiving party to celebrate the victory.

Finishing first in the Manufacturer’s Cup for both the 4-hour and 12-hour races as well as taking 1^st runner up overall for the 4-hour race, the GA4 Racecar proudly stood in the middle of the showroom with its three trophies as the evening program commenced.

All the staff, team members, friends, and media partners were treated to a sumptuous dinner as GAC Ortigas Branch Head Brennan Lim proceeded to thank everyone for their efforts in helping deliver the GA4 across the line. At the end of the day, the whole point of this exercise was to prove that their vehicles could handle the stresses of driving flat-out for 12-hours straight without so much as skipping a beat – winning in class was but a bonus.

With a properly beaten and tested race car sitting on their showroom floor, it looks like the folks from Legado Motors are not yet finished with their motorsports campaign. Plans for further development to be able to compete in upper classes were among the things discussed during evening chatter, but of course we will have to wait and see what and where the racecar could be competing in next.

All is well and good, but here’s to hoping they’ll still get me as a driver for the next race!