An Exciting Saturday for Scooter Enthusiasts

April 16 proved to be a red letter day for motorcycle and scooter racing enthusiasts when two events complemented each other at the Filinvest Corporate City in Alabang.

In the morning, S.C. Kymco Pilipinas, the assembler and distributor of Kymco scooters and motorcycles, held its 5th Annual Kymco Cup with an exciting road course circuit race around the Filinvest Corporate City grounds in Alabang. With the support of Filinvest Alabang Inc., Batangas Country Club, The Manila Motor Show and Inside Racing magazine, this year’s event highlighted the new Kymco AXR Motard race won by Nathaniel Enriquez while the Kymco Top Boy 100 race was dominated by Ogie Callanga, who also won the Spike 125 class. Mark Christian Reyes won the Kymco Dink 150 class while the checkered flag in the Kymco Activ 110 race was claimed by Mark Vidallo. In the Open Expert Scooter class, Mark Chua bested other racers while veteran rider Jolet Jao showed his competitors he still lords the Open Expert Under-bone class. The 50cc Multibrand Scooter race plum was awarded to Arnold Tejada.

Another highlight of the 5th Kymco Cup, which is an annual event conducted by S.C. Kymco Pilipinas in thanksgiving for the support of Kymco dealers, riders and owners nationwide, was the Fun Race where members of the media raced against the clock and winners were determined by their best time around the road course. Richie Abrina of Inside Racing magazine took top honors with a 44-second lap time, followed by Bam Olivares of Philippine Tribune with a 45-second lap time and yours truly in third place, finishing the road course with a best lap time of 48 seconds. Aris Ilagan of Manila Bulleting and Inside Racing publisher and Editor Al Camba came in 4th and 5th respectively.

After the race ended around 5pm, scooter riders headed towards the Festival Supermall to party with Scooterista Magazine’s "Sagad Da Scoot" summer shindig. Sponsored by Festival Supermall and Castrol, the event treated scooter enthusiasts to a fashion show featuring the sporty, scooter-inspired fashion of Puma, Adidas and Action Hobbies, while leading bands Orange and Lemons and the Bloomfields belted out classic hits from the ‘60s and the ‘70s. During the party, Scooterista magazine launched the "Sagad Da Scoot" promo, which searches for the most trashed bike that will be given a make-over by the magazine’s sponsors and experts. Interested parties can join by sending SCOOTERISTA to 622 (Smart subscribers) and then sending MMS photos of their worn-out bikes. Screening for the promo will be until the end of June and the finished product will be unveiled in May 2006.

With the Kymco Cup series and promos aimed at scooter riders and enthusiasts, scooter riding has certainly gone a long way and has become more exciting than ever.