Young Lachica bags Asian karting cadet novice crown

MANILA, Philippines - Young rider Jose Luigi Lachica bucked the pressure, the odds and near accidents in a dazzling display of speed as he captured the Formula Cadet Novice crown recently in the third leg of the 2012 Asian Karting Open Championships at the Carmona Racetrack.

To the eight-year-old Lachica, a Grade 3 student of Colegio San Agustin-Makati, giving up is never an option. He rallied after every fall to deliver the lone championship trophy for One Racing Team powered by MyPhone, Tony Kart, AIM Racing Gauges, ORG Racing Gear, Sparco, HJC Auto Helmets and the Active Group.

He finished fifth overall behind the four Expert drivers in the combined 15-lap final race in 15 minutes, 19.371 seconds or 2.723 seconds ahead of runner-up EJ Coseteng.

Teammate Mary Allison Julian, a Miriam High School student, copped third runner-up honors in the Yamaha Cup Novice while his father Jon Julian Jr. was second runner-up in the SQ Veteran class and third runner-up in the SQ Expert division.

In all three races, Lachica had more problems on his shoulders than a boy his age could handle. He started ninth in the qualifying heat and slipped to 11th place after jockeying for position with rival karters. He immediately got back into action and passed four others to finish seventh.

From seventh place, he started strong in the pre-final heat as he moved up two notches higher to close in on Novice frontrunner Francis Tanlu. However, his attempt to wrest the lead resulted in a spin-out that dragged him down to ninth place.

Again he staged a rousing comeback passing one karter after another. He landed fourth overall after the 10-lap race to claim the No. 1 spot in the Novice division.

In the final heat, Tanlu overtook him at the start while Coseteng persistently challenged him in the ensuing laps. They nearly figured in a collision as they touched once but kept control of their karts.

Lachica’s efforts later paid off when he wrested the lead from Tanlu for good with three laps to go. Tanlu tried to regain his post but spun out in the proceas. Lachica went on to claim the checkered flag.

 “This race was a pleasant surprise to us since Luigi did more overtaking in this weekend than he ever did in all his past races combined. He finally came out of his shell. I’m so proud of him. But more work is needed to prepare for the last race in Clark,” commented One Racing Team Manager Chito Benito.

For more info and inquiries on how to join One Racing, interested parties may contact Mariel Wong at 348-0278 .