Malaysian takes grid post in Asian karting

MANILA, Philippines - With impressive showing in the heats yesterday, Malaysian Wei Ron Tan of BHPetrol Racing Team takes the No. 1 grid in the penultimate round of the 2011 Asian Karting Open Championship at the Clark International Speedway today.

Filipino driver Milo Rivera of FERN-C Racing will be at No. 2 spot in the starting grid of this event sanctioned by the Commission International de Karting (CIK) and the Automobile Association Philippines (AAP) and sponsored by Petron as the official fuel, San Miguel Corporation, Yokohama Tires, Denso Iridium Power as the official spark plug and Clark Development Corporation.

Four-time champion Stefano Marcelo of Maranello-San Miguel Corporation-Marcelo Racing will be third. Figuring in an accident in the qualifying heat 3, however, could affect his chances in the races today.

Indonesian Yasuo Senna Iriawan takes the top spot in the Formula 125 Open Juniors with Thai Sasakorn Chaimongkol and Industria Racing’s Franco Reyes in second and third.

Clark Development Corporation (CDC) president Atty. Felipe Antonio-Remollo and Automobile Association Philippines (AAP) Motorsports Committee chairman Armando Eduque are the guests of honors in a short ceremony at 11:30 a.m.

Participants from neighboring countries Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, China, Macau, Hongkong, Japan and India will be presented in the traditional Parade of Nations with 2010 International Senior Karter of the Year Stefano Marcelo and last year’s AKOC International Overall Formula 125 Open Junior champion Yasuo Senna Iriawan of Indonesia leading the Oath of Sportmanship.

The Paradise Ranch Tribal Dancers will provide the cultural presentation.

A total of 92 karters from 30 participating teams vie for honors in the Formula 125 Open Seniors, Formula 125 Open Juniors, Formula Open Veteran, Mini-ROK, Yamaha Expert, Yamaha Novice, SQ Expert, SQ Novice and SQ Cadet classes.

They battle in the qualifying heats this morning that will determine their grid positions in the Pre-Final event.

With the no-show of Thai ace karter Kittitat Vongprai of CRG-Thailand, the Philippines sees better chances in the Formula 125 Open Seniors with top bets in Marcelo and Alessandra Madrigal of Alessandra Racing who staged an amazing rally from 17th place to finish runner-up behind Singapore’s Andrew Tang in Carmona last July.

Joining Marcelo and Madrigal in the hunt for the premiere Formula 125 Open Seniors are Juha Turalba and Roby Benito of One Racing Team, Vencer John Suba and Milo Rivera of FERN-C Racing, Fernando Villalon and Joseph Castelar of AUTS Racing, Franco Reyes of Industria Racing, and Archim Lagman of RP-1.

Estefano Rivera of FERN-C Racing, the lone Filipino champion in the AKOC leg in Carmona, will spearhead the campaign in the Formula 125 Open Junior together with Reyes, FERN-C Racing teammates Vrei-Ar Suba and Matthew Chan, Industria Racing’s Jette Calderon and CJ Tsui, and Tonyo Carcel of AUTS Racing against the tough foreign challenge led by Indonesians Yasuo Senna Iriawan of Red White Racing, Darma MH of Humpuss Junior Racing and Andi Tangguh Farid Faqih; Malaysians Timothy Yeo of IRU 1 Racing and Daniel Adam Woodroof, Thailand’s Sasakorn Chaimongkol of Maxima Motorsports and Singapore’s Bin Hishammudin

Though Kush Maini of India’s Gautama Maini Team is favored anew in the Mini ROK class, Thailand’s Veravich Wongsanganan is way ahead with 100 points while Malaysia’s Freddy Numan Lawan eyes another big win in the Formula 125 Open Veterans.

Also favored are Kush Maini of India’s Gautama Maini Team and Thailand’s Veravich Wongsanganan in the Mini-ROK class; Malaysia’s Freddy Numan Lawan in the Formula 125 Open Veterans; Sacha Feliciano of FERN-C Racing in the Yamaha Cup Juniors; Cebuano Joseph Marwin Rojo in the Yamaha Cup Expert; Don Batino in the SQ Expert class; Daniel Castaneda of One Racing in the SQ Novice; Raymond Cudala in the SQ Cadet Expert and Bryan Thorp of AUTS Racing in the Cadet SQ Novice.

For more details, call the Carmona Racetrack at 845-0745, 889-3389, 845-3287 and 845-4142 or visit the website www.asiankarting.com.