Talent-laden field competes in new Petron karting season

MANILA, Philippines – The Petron Karting Super Series kicks off the new season weekend with the country’s top racers clashing for top honors at the Carmona Racetrack.

Keen competition is seen in the battle for the overall crown with last year’s top junior karters moving up to the ROK Overall and ROK Senior divisions in the event sanctioned by the Automobile Association Philippines.

Defending champion Stefano Marcelo has also decided to hang his racing suit, leaving FERN-C Racing’s VJ Suba and Milo Rivera, One Racing’s Roby Benito, Archim Lagman and Industria Racing’s Franco Reyes to battle it out against the young batch led by last year’s Junior Karter of the Year Jette Calderon of Industria Racing, FERN-C Racing’s Vrei-AR Suba and Estefano Rivera, Daniel Miranda of Cebuana Lhuillier-Marcelo Racing, AUTS Racing’s Bobby Domingo and John Castelar and lady karter Sacha Feliciano, who also joined Marcelo Racing recently.

Also to be disputed are titles in the SQ Cadet Novice, the SQ Cadet Expert, SQ Novice, SQ Expert, SQ Veterans, Mini-ROK, Formula SL Novice, Formula SL Expert, ROK Novice and the ROK Junior divisions.

The Karter of the Year will be based on the final cumulative points on ranking for the ROK Overall and KF2 class while the Junior Karter of the Year will be based on the final cumulative points on ranking for ROK Junior and KF3 class.

Tipped to dispute the Junior Karter of the Year crown in the event sponsored by Petron Blaze, San Miguel Corporation, Motorstar and Aeromed are Rookie of the Year Sean Velasco and Novice champion Joseph Marwin Rojo of Industria Racing and Clubman Karter of the Year Matthew Chan of FERN-C Racing.

Cebuano karters Tonyo and Kali Carcel of AUTS Racing are also expected to contend for the crown in the Formula SL classes while new faces try to make an impression in the SQ Cadet Novice and the SQ Cadet Expert classes.

Don Batino, the first SQ National and SQ International champion, will defend his title against Peterson Lim, Raul Baretto, John Effinger, Nike Mora, Joseph Castelar, Roby Benito and actor Onemig Bondoc.

For details, 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.