EXCLUSIVE: Learning to race can help you save fuel and drive more safely!

We are still reeling from fluctuating fuel prices, which skyrocketed to record highs this year amid the weakening peso and the war in Ukraine.

Perhaps the last thing we want to do is drive our cars at full speed on a race track, an autocross course, or a rally circuit.

But what if the skills from racing can not only help you save money but also drive more safely on the road? 

The Automobile Association of the Philippines (AAP) thinks so.

"We're trying to see how we can make motorsports relevant to using that life skill on the road," said AAP Motorsports Manager and rally champion Ivan Isada in an exclusive interview with AutoFun Philippines.

"So not the racing, but the skill itself in terms of being more safe, being more efficient in their driving, especially now with the increased gas prices," he added.

To achieve this, the AAP is pushing through with its acclaimed Motorsport Development Program (MSDP), which has been training drivers throughout the country over the last seven years.

Internationally funded and recognized

The MSDP was established in 2015 with a grant from the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), the governing body of global car-racing events. 

It offers nine core modules covering car control, building a race car, developing the racing mindset, and even getting sponsors.

The FIA granted two more grants to the MSDP in 2018 and 2022 in recognition of the program’s success.

AutoFun Philippines was able to get a look at MSDP Module 1, which focuses on developing critical car-control skills like braking and maneuvering.

But before hitting the test track, the drivers had to sit through lectures conducted by Ivan’s father and MSDP lead instructor Vip Isada, a sports coach and racing legend with 10 National Rally Championship titles.

Drive to stay alive

Even with gas prices heading into the stratosphere, “Coach Vip” – as many of his students call him – believes the program is more important and relevant than ever.

“All the training that you get from motorsports, which is the highest form of driving, can also be applied to increase your road safety,” he said. 

“So if you ask us about the relevance and why we are still doing it, it is actually because we still believe that we have to improve road safety,” Isada added.

The 2018 World Health Organization (WHO) Global Status Report on Road Safety found that road crashes killed 1.35 million people worldwide in 2016, with an estimated 12,690 deaths coming from the Philippines.

Meanwhile, data from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority’s Metro Manila Accident Reporting and Analysis System (MMARAS) found that 58,447 road crashes occurred in Metro Manila in 2021, of which 385 were fatal.

This converts to around 160 crashes and one death every day.

Robots behind the wheel

Coach Vip said part of the problem is that the country’s driving standards aren’t high enough.

MMARAS data showed that over one in 10 road crashes in Metro Manila in 2021 were caused by human error, which includes loss of vehicle control.

“Everybody learned how to drive in terms of mechanically driving, so you were taught how to operate a vehicle, but not to drive a vehicle,” he said.

“I start the vehicle, turn it off, I step on the clutch, put into first gear, release the clutch, Coach Vip added. “After that, no more. So I think the MSDP goes there: you understand more, then the higher your knowledge, the higher your safety is.”

Start ‘em young

Coach Vip also noted the importance of tapping the youth early on – this is why the program is free for participants who are 19 years old and below.

The WHO found that road crashes, rather alarmingly, are the top killer of people aged 5 to 29, beating out tuberculosis and HIV and AIDS. 

“If we do something for the young, then we will have a better society and better disciplined drivers,” he said. 

One of the youngest participants at the MSDP Module 1 is 10-year-old Axel Nocom, a career karter making waves in production-car racing. He was accompanied by his father, Mike Nocom, who consented to interview his son.

“I joined to improve my road safety and to improve how I drive,” he told AutoFun Philippines.

“I think it really helped me understand driving in the street,” Axel added. “You have to turn your wheel really big because our everyday cars are like that and it's really different from race cars.”

For 18-year-old Evans Susano, an autocross title holder who just got his non-professional driver’s license, joining MSDP helped him develop the right mindset.

“I joined because I saw the performance of the drivers that were graduates of the program,” he told AutoFun Philippines.

“Having the right killer instinct or ‘Mamba Mentality’ in racing is beneficial as it, in my opinion, takes the driver to the next level,” Evans added. “And knowing how to do steering and pedal inputs correctly can make my road driving smoother and more economical.”

Putting theory into practice

Following the classroom sessions, the students rode with the MSDP instructors to learn how to brake, negotiate a chicane and drive through a tight driving course.

MSDP emphasized the importance of driving smoothly to ensure maximum control at all speeds.

“If you think that there is a special way of going fast, there is none,” Coach Vip said. “It's more about driving efficiently.”

For Axel, who drives a race-prepped Honda Civic FD, the exercises helped him develop a better sense of driving a regular car.

“I think the most important lesson was for the braking to be really smooth and to be really smooth on the gas,” he said. “Because if you step on the gas and the brake really too early, it will cause the car to suddenly transfer weight.”

Meanwhile, Evans discovered the importance of being precise with vehicle inputs.

“Brake modulation was something that I struggled with and learning the proper way to do it from MSDP helped me to improve,” he said. “Additionally, being able to know the limits of the car, such as the grip of the tire, helps me to become more acclimated to the car.”

Developing paths for all drivers

Coach Vip said MSDP aims to help racers and non-racers alike.

“From MSDP, where will you go?” he said. “You will compete. And then, from a national championship, you go to an international competition.”

“The other one is you just want to be a good driver,” Isada added. “We also look at it that they know how to drive safely. They might be employed overseas, so they become better drivers outside and it will be good for them and the country.”

Coach Vip also noted that MSDP will roll out more special modules to accommodate different types of driving conditions.

“For example, if car clubs are the ones who are going to join and they have no intention to go racing, then those special modules are the ones that are important to them,” he said “We also offer special modules for race drivers because we cannot teach it in a way that is 'one size fits all.’”

Are you interested in joining the MSDP? You can contact the AAP directly or message the program’s official Facebook page.