Japanese kart ace threat for Pinoys

MANILA, Philippines - Ace Japanese karter Daiki Sasaki of Kuwayama Racing looms as the biggest thorn for the Filipinos in the championship round of the 2011 Petron Karting Super Series and the kickoff of the 2012 Denso KF2-KF3 Cup Series today at the Carmona racetrack.

Sasaki, a 20-year-old experienced driver, is campaigning in Japan’s Formula Challenge and the Asia-Pacific Formula BMW.  Last year, he joined two races and won both overwhelmingly.

Aside from Sasaki’s presence, six Australian karters will add excitement in the busy karting weekend as they will be bringing in the latest 2012 SQ model karts against the Filipino challenge in the first ever SQ international kart race.

But the Pinoys, led by defending KF2 champion VJ Suba of Fern-C Racing and four-time defending national champion Stefano Marcelo, are confident of their chances in two karting events sanctioned by the Automobile Association Philippines and sponsored by Petron Blaze, San Miguel Corporation, Motorstar and Aeromed.

Suba was a consistent polesitter last season despite using an old rented engine from Kart Plaza and won three of the six races. This year, he will be parading the Rubeni-tuned 2012 KF2 Vortex engine that will boost his chances for a back-to-back crown.

Rubeni has been responsible for memorable impressive feats like the runner-up finish of Alessandra Madrigal and Indonesian Senna Noor in the Asian Karting at Carmona, Kim Lagman’s runner-up feat in AKOC-Clark and Senna Noor’s winning feat in the AKOC Championship race in Macau against 55 drivers.

Marcelo, who was also using a three-year-old engine, bagged the overall runner-up honors after winding the series with three runner-up finishes and two third places.

Overall third placer Milo Rivera of FERN-C Racing is also racing to bounce back, especially after clinching the runner-up finish behind Sasaki in Race 4 and a few close neck and neck encounters with Marcelo down to the finish line.

Also expected to give them a tough fight is Franco Reyes of Industria Racing following his impressive feat as the top Filipino finisher of the Asian Karting Open Championship final leg in the Macau Kart Grand Prix.

Joining them in the hunt for the KF2 crown are the comebacking Bobby Domingo, reigning Formula SL Novice champion Sacha Feliciano, Archim Lagman, Roby Benito and Juha Turalba of One Racing, Ken Monzones, and Joseph Castelar of AUTS Racing,.   

Vrei-Ar Suba, VJ’s younger brother, aims to keep the KF3 title after wrapping up last year’s series with 177 points.

But his FERN-C Racing teammate Estefano Rivera is expected to step up this season with Jette Calderon of Industria Racing, Basti Escalante of Tuason Racing, Daniel Miranda of Cebuana Lhuillier-Marcelo Racing and Jaz Monzones of Natmo Asia-GP1 Racing in a wild chase for the  KF3 plum.

But the main highlight of the two-day affair is the quest for Karter of the Year and Junior Karter of the Year plums in the championship round of the 2011 Petron Karting Super Series.

Marcelo is set to formally claim the Karter of the Year plum as the focus shifts on the showdown for the runner-up honors among FERN-C Racing’s VJ Suba and Industria Racing’s Franco Reyes and Jette Calderon.

The Junior Karter of the Year award, on the other hand, will be a close fight among Industria Racing’s Franco Reyes and Jette Calderon, and FERN-C Racing’s Vrei-AR Suba and Stefano Rivera.

Reyes leads the ROK Junior class with 345 points with Calderon in close second with 309.  Suba is third with 270 while Rivera is fourth with 220 points.

For more info, interested parties may call the Carmona Racetrack c/o Rose Feria at 845-0745, 889-3389, 845-3287 and 845-4142 or visit the website www.asiankarting.com.