At Clark International Speedway, Car #150 and Car #214 line up behind the starting tree of the National Drag Racing Championship Series (NDRC).

Car #214 is much like many other drag cars in the Philippines – a ‘90s Honda Civic ESi with a ram-air intake. Its silver trumpet sticks out of the right headlight like a monocle. 

Car #150 is rather different – it has a bulky, gray hatchback body and a turbocharged inline-3 engine.

The lights descend the tree. Yellow, yellow, yellow, green! 

The Civic takes off in a furious cacophony of VTEC power and tire noise. Meanwhile, Car #150 launches smoothly and quietly.

The noises remain consistent as both cars hurtle down the quarter mile. Despite the Civic’s valiant, high-RPM efforts, it is eliminated by the silent, turbocharged might of a Geely Coolray.

Run what you brung

Behind the wheel was veteran racer GJ Caparros, who used the Chinese crossover because it was the only car available.

“After BRC NDRC race, biglaan binili ‘yung Nissan Sentra drag car ko and 'yung Yaris K-swap ko naman, hindi pa ready,” he told AutoFun Philippines in an exclusive interview.

[Translation: After the NDRC race at Batangas Racing Circuit (BRC), my Nissan Sentra drag car was purchased and my Honda K-Series Yaris was not yet ready.]

The Coolray is powered by a turbocharged, 1.5-liter, twin-cam, 12-valve inline-3 gasoline engine that produces 179 PS and 255 Nm of torque. This is mated to a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission.

In our long-term review of the Coolray Sport SE, we found that it had a very punchy powertrain, at the expense of terrible fuel consumption and lackluster stock brakes.

Air-conditioned daily

GJ said his Coolray is much like any other Coolray, except for upgraded mags, brakes and exhaust. 

But he knows the crossover can deliver so much more.

“Yes, meron siyang potential sa drag, kahit weight reduction at tires lang,” he said. “Pwede rin remap para mas malakas.”

[Translation: Yes, it has potential in drag racing, even with just weight reduction and tires. The engine computer can also be remapped to make the car more powerful.]

GJ said his Coolray clocked a fastest time of 15.658 seconds at the strip, even with a 0.81-second reaction time. And despite a hard day’s racing, the Coolray didn’t experience any mechanical or electronic issues.

“Masarap nga 'yung aircon sa pila [the aircon was fantastic while waiting in line],” he recounted, evading the torturous heat that many drag racers experience with their stripped-out machines.

Racing for over a decade

GJ is not new to driving turbocharged cars in drag races.

He started competing in 2011 with his recently sold B13 Sentra, which had a 2.0-liter, twin-cam, 16-valve inline-4 SR20VET gasoline engine under the hood. 

This is the same motor used in the Japanese-market Nissan X-Trail, producing a healthy 280 PS and 309 Nm of torque without modifications. GJ said the SR20VET was installed in the Sentra in 2003.

In addition, he has been running trackdays since 2004 and even joined a practice session of the Philippine Autocross Championship Series using another three-cylinder car, a Suzuki Celerio.

GJ currently races with Team Powerhouse in his Honda-engined Yaris and with the racing division of the Geely Cooolray Club of the Philippines.

“Meron din pong naglalaro ng Coolray sa Cebu and Cagayan de Oro,” he said. “Sa drag din po sila.”

[Translation: There are also Coolray racers in Cebu and Cagayan de Oro. They also compete in drag-racing events.]

Just goes to show that if you have the guts and skill, you can race anything!

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