SUBIC?Two years of hard work and dedication paid off well for British expat Stuart MacDonald, who recently emerged the overall champion in the Group 3 division of the annual Philippine Touring Car Championship at the Subic International Raceway.

MacDonald, a 34-year-old British financial and marketing executive, only finished second in the final race, but it was enough for him to capture the PTCC crown, thus making him one of the most accomplished graduates of Tuason Racing School powered by Ford, Goodyear Racing, Petron Ultron, Petron E10, Standard Insurance, Bioactiv, Rota, Fremuff, Aguila Auto Glass, K&N, Timezone, OMP, Starbright Body Kits, Dupont, Bilstein, FCP, H&R, Unichip, Tradeshow, and media partners Business World, Winner, Speedlab, NU 107, Mr. & Ms. and C! Magazine.

He finished the series with a total of 133 points, 29 points ahead of teammate Mike Tuason, who ruled the last two races to clinch the overall runner-up plum with 104 points.

Dominic Samson made it a 1-2-3 sweep for Tuason Racing Team with 79 points as Jeff Borja was disqualified due to unregulated parts discovered after scrutineering.

?It is indeed a great joy winning my first career championship crown,? said MacDonald who once won a race under heavy rain, with one hand on a damaged door that kept on opening upon hitting the curves, while he was steering and changing gear.

Years back, MacDonald had always enjoyed speed and watching motorsports events, but he never imagined seeing himself in the actual racing scene, much more win.

He went to TRS to enroll his son in one of its karting clinics, but his son?s ineligibility turned out to be an unexpected chance of a lifetime for MacDonald.

?I really had no thought I?d be in racing then, especially for someone who just came from England. But TRS made it possible through its clinics that taught me the skills and then made it economically feasible,? he related.

?I?m very proud of what the team has been able to achieve, which really exceeded expectations,? quipped TRS president JP Tuason. ?From the team management headed by Mike Tuason, the team engineer, Francisco Blanco, the drivers and the mechanics, and especially the Ford Focus, they all performed exceptionally well as expected and more.?