FAST Times, the motoring section of The Manila Times, first started as a once a month section devoted to motor sports.

However, it was not yet known as Fast Times when it was first launched in 2003. Vernon Sarne headed the motoring section and eventually, in 2006, Brian Afuang took over the section that evolved to also cover motorbikes, a pioneering effort for a daily newspaper at the time.

Under Afuang, Fast Times had exclusive coverage of the Ducati Week 2007 held in Misano, Italy, punctuating the motoring section’s claim to fame as also devoted to two-wheeled motoring besides featuring cars.

In 2010, Fast Times evolved once again, and became the definitive motoring section of The Manila Times, and started to get published weekly and covered a wide array of subjects like motor sports, motorbikes, car launches, and car reviews in one section. And the weekly motoring section was published in full color.

New sections were also added during this time like Glovebox, which was dedicated to vehicle accessories, modifications, and even cars that are not sold locally. Fast Times was also one of the sections that featured watches through Time Machines.

Award-winning

Fast Times’ continuous innovation and improvement of its content made the section win a number of Henry Ford Awards, one of the most highly respected award-giving bodies in the automotive media circle. Fast Times won Best Motoring Section back-to-back in 2011 and 2012, and then once again in 2015 and 2016 under the helm of Anjo Perez, who would become the concurrent Fast Times editor.

Sarne had another stint as Fast Times editor followed by The Manila Times columnist and former race car driver Ben Kritz.

In 2018, veteran motoring writer Dino Ray Directo took over the reins of Fast Times and introduced innovations and improvements that could still be seen today in the section. By catering an everdiverse audience, Fast Times once again won the Henry Ford Awards for Best Motoring Section in 2019.

In 2021, however, motoring journalists in the Philippines mourned the untimely demise of Directo at the age of 51. His legacy was carried on by the next editors of Fast Times, veteran motoring writers Armin Amio and Conrad Cariño, who both would also usher in the “mobility” theme of the section.

And with Perez leading Fast Times anew, expect the motoring section of The Manila Times to accelerate to new apexes.