MANILA, Philippines - Seaoil karter Gabe Cabrera gears up for a repeat of his feat in the new premier class of the Petron Blaze 100 ROK Karting Super Series when the second leg is held on April 18-19 at the Batangas Racing Circuit.
Cabrera bucked the odds to beat Lean Lina in the Final race and top the ROK Shifter Senior Max Diesel at the Carmona racetrack recently, setting in motion the 15-year-old karter’s bid for the Karter of the Year award.
It was the first time that Cabrera raced with a ROK Shifter, a fast growing event in Italy and other European countries. It was introduced here last year and is now a premier class serving as basis for the Karter of the Year plum to keep Filipino karters at pace with the level of world karting.
While still familiarizing himself with the new engine, Cabrera still dished out top form as he dominated the Qualifying heat and the Pre-Finals.
Linao actually fought Cabrera in a neck-and-neck battle in the final race but the latter found a way to foil the former’s bid.
The event is sanctioned by the Automobile Association Philippines and sponsored by Petron, Petron Blaze 100 Euro 4, Petron XCS, Petron Ultron, Petron Xtra, Petron Sprint, Magnolia Pure Water and Yokohama the official tires.
Cabrera completed the 20-lap race in 16 minutes, 29.360 seconds, edging Linao by 0.475 seconds. VJ Suba came in third.