Superbikes champ cops Golden Wheel top driver title

MANILA, Philippines - Superbikes champion Tadahito Watanabe bested three former winners to clinch the 2013 Golden Wheel Driver of the Year award in the 11th Golden Wheel Awards Night at the Samsung Hall of SM Aura in Fort Bonifacio Global City Taguig City recently.

Watanabe’s victory proved to be a surprise but well-lauded by the Philippine Motorsports community, which expected the top plum to go to any of the three previous Golden Wheel Driver of the Year winners, including GT champion Jody Coseteng, drag racing titlist Jonathan Tiu or Motocross winner Glenn Aguilar.

But the Golden Wheel Awards Judging Committee cited the feat of the 20-year-old motorcycle racing sensation as the youngest Superbikes champion, winning all but one of the six legs of the series to capture the coveted plum.

Watanabe also achieved the feat despite a two-year absence from the Philippine Superbikes Championship Series, underscoring his talent and skills that first impressed two-wheel racing followers when he debuted with a third place finish in the superbikes season behind the late champion Maico Buncio and the multi-titled Aguilar in 2011.

His comeback likewise sparked great impact that catapulted Philippine superbikes to new heights – generating more intense action and bigger interest from the jampacked crowd who keenly followed his much-talked about rivalry with former champion Raniel Resuello.

It paved the way for the entry of Aprilia as new player that opened a new chapter in the “Battle of Global Brands” in the Philippine racing scene between Watanabe’s Aprilia and Resuello’s Ducati.

Ducati and Aprilia had been in a battle to their respective Italian championship heritage that earned worldwide interest as it reached the World Superbikes Championship Series as their  main venue and triggered sub-chapters of the epic rivalry In various countries,

With World Superbikes Championship Series supporter Pirelli coming in as title sponsor of the 2014 Pirelli Philippine Superbikes Championship Series, the dawn of the world-renowned rivalry in the country is expected to ignite the boom of local two-wheel  racing and the Philippine Tourism industry as it could also draw the attention of worldwide followers to follow the hot trail of tthe two Italian factory superbikes brands here.

Golden Wheel Foundation Inc. chairman Johnny Tan and Singapore Motor Association deputy president Harold Netto conferred the trophy to Watanabe who copped the prestigious diadem against 10 other champion nominees, including Johnlery Enriquez (scooters), Niño Fabian (underbone racing), Daniel Miranda (karting), Gio Rodriguez (drifting), Peewee Mendiola, MD (slalom), Edison Dungca (4x4 off road), Bryan Bautista (classic cars) who all received their Golden Wheel trophies for their title feats in their respective racing disciplines.

Singaporeans Mohammad Nasri Naufal Bin Nasir and Gabriella Teo also received as Golden Wheel trophies for as the overall Asian karting champion and Asian karting Junior champ, respectively.