Racing to the Future

The MotoGP this thing is not, and Loris Capirossi or Carlos Checa these guys aren’t, either. But at the Shell Super Scooter Series the competition is just as fierce, the passion, as intense. And well, gorgeous ladies hang around the paddock too.

Held last August 3 at the Carmona Racing Circuit was the fourth leg of this seven-race series, which is truly an octane-inebriated, adrenaline-powered gig that’s designed for small-displacement, single-cylinder, two-wheeled mechanical steeds. Scooters and "Cub"-type bikes (or underbone) — think Honda XRM or Yamaha Force 1 — to be specific.

Like in any race series, competition at the Shell Super Scooter Series was divided into classes, depending on the type of bike, and the degree of modification or level of equipment fitted into that bike. The field ranged from 50 cc scooters to the 110 cc bikes, which are often tweaked to churn out 125 cc. A participant, no matter the skill level, could opt to compete in any of the classes. But obviously, it’s the more experienced riders that run in the open divisions of both the scooter and bike races. And "experienced" here means exactly that. Motocross and Superbike ace Jolet Jao competes in the series.

A walk around the paddock also reveals more than just gorgeous ladies. The quality of workmanship on these babies is highly impressive. And the bikes are outstanding as well. Every single bike on the paddock was one highly-detailed piece of race machinery. To think that these bikes were supposedly products aimed at the low-end market. Plus, the sight of riders — especially the experienced ones — garbed in full-battle leather race suits attested to the degree this relatively young motorsport discipline has evolved into.

If fancy, brightly-painted machinery and equally loud race suits aren’t proof enough, then the sheer number of participants at any given race Sunday proves the popularity of the sport. Participants usually number around a hundred on race day. Now compare that with the eight or nine — maybe 12 tops — riders that usually make up the grid in local Superbike racing.

"It’s really a grassroots motorsport," says event organizer and motocross champ Ernie Leongson. "And it’s the affordability of the sport that attracts the participants," he continues.

A bike’s cost starts at around P60,000. Leongson figures one needs to spend around P20,000 on it to be competitive. "At that price, one can already get a taste of real racing on the track," he said. Needless to say, that’s peanuts compared with Superbike racing — or any other form of motorsport for that matter.

Apparently, the outstanding turnout on race days can also be attributed to the growing popularity of scooters, and lately, of the cab bikes, as Leongson is quick to point out. And because a huge chunk of these vehicles are bought for leisure riding and not exactly as workhorses — as opposed to the 100 cc "pantra" (pang-tricycle) bikes — racing is a logical route to take for most riders. Leongson laments, however, that most manufacturers of these vehicles do not support by way of sponsorships race series like these, which further popularizes their products to a phenomenal degree.

Sponsorship or not, though, perhaps the most important thing in the whole deal is that this race series is now a sort of bike racing petri dish, serving as a breeding ground for new talents that will eventually end up in the higher levels of bike racing. Just like kart racing, this type of bike racing is an excellent training facility and starting grid to launch one’s race career. And like kart racing too, the Shell Super Scooter Series proves that good things do come in small packages.