Rivera, youngest slalom champ, named Golden Wheel top driver

MANILA, Philippines - Milo Rivera bagged the Golden Wheel Driver of the Year Award, besting seasoned rivals for the top plum during the 12th Golden Wheel Awards Night at the Samsung Hall of SM Aura in Fort Bonifacio Global City recently.

Rivera, the De La Salle University Mechanical Engineering sophomore, ruled nine of the 12 legs of the 2014 Shell Helix National Slalom Series to capture the overall crown, ending the long reign of Peewee Mendiola.

The 19-year-old Rivera thus emerged the youngest champion in slalom history with his victory expected to generate interest and inspire young drivers to take up the sport.

Rivera, who copped the 2012 International Karter of the Year Award with a victory in the KF2, is the first and currently the country’s Young Driver Ambassador for Motorsports and Road Safety to the Federation Internationale del’Automibile (FIA) after two successful stints in the 2013 and 2014 FIA Young Driver Excellence Academy- Asia Pacific Selection Event.

“I am very grateful that the Golden Wheel Judging Committee strongly considered the impact of my slalom feat in awarding me the coveted Driver of the Year plum this year,” said Rivera.

He bested 10 other strong contenders who likewise received their Golden Wheel trophies for winning their respective sides.

They are Tadahito “Dashi” Watanabe (Superbikes), Dondon Portugal (Grand Touring), Bobby Domingo (National and Asian Karting), Masato Fernando (Scooters), John Emerson Inguito (Underbone racing), Jon Eleazar Adlawan (Motocross), Gabriel Cabrera (Asian Junior Karting), Gio Rodriguez (Drifting), Edison Dungca (4x4 Off Road), and Jonathan Tiu (Drag Racing).

Gracing the event was Clark Development Corp. Tourism Department chief Naomi Garcia, who reiterated CDC’s support to Philippine Motorsports. She also bared plans to push Clark as the country’s haven for the two- and four-wheel racing events while AAP Motorsports Committee chairman Mandy Eduque lauded the Golden Wheel Awards and all the winners of the 2014 Motorsports season.

Golden Wheel Award Foundation Inc. chairman Johnny Tan awarded the Golden Wheel trophies to the nominated champions of various racing disciplines and later declared the winner of the coveted Golden Wheel Driver of the Year plum.

The Golden Wheel Foundation Inc. was conceptualized in 2003 to boost the development and popularity of motorsports racing in the country and at the same time upgrade the quality of driving skills of Filipino drivers. 

When Marlon Stockinger made it as the Lotus Team Junior driver in Formula One, the Golden Wheel Foundation Inc. shifted its focus on other goals like improvement on infrastructures, honoring  motorsports visionaries Ramon Rodriguez and Edgar Chua of Shell Companies  as this year’s Hall-of-Fame and Lifetime Achievement awardees.

Rodriguez built the JRC RAMROD Kartway which served as  the Philippines-Hong Kong Interport Kart Race, on March 2-4, 1979.

Chua is a known philanthropist and a prime advocate of building racetracks which is essential to the development of local racers and Philippine Motorsports.

The Boy Ochoa Award was conferred to Jomari Yllana for making it as second runner-up in the Superrace Championship at the Yeongam International F1 Circuit in South Korea and McKinley Kyle Paz who emerged the overall champion of the Asia Cup of Road Racing at the Motegi Twin Ring Circuit in Motegi, Japan.