Philippines stages 2nd leg of Asian kart series

MANILA, Philippines - Top Asian karters slug it out with the country’s best in the Asian Karting Open Championships firing off Friday at the Carmona Racetrack in Brgy. Bangkal, Carmona, Cavite.

Karters from Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong and Macau are set to arrive today in time for the three-day event where they will vie for top honors in the ROK Senior, Rotax Senior and Junior, the Shifter KZ, Formula 125 Open Junior, Formula Open Veteran, Mini-ROK, Formula Cadet Novice and Expert, X30 Senior and the Formula SL classes.

Jacob Ang of Eagle Cement will banner the local challenge as he guns for his second straight triumph in the Formula 125 Open Junior class of the annual series sanctioned by the world governing Commission Internationale de Karting- Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (CIK-FIA).

Other backers of the event are Petron, Petron Blaze 100 Euro 4, Petron XCS, Petron Ultron, Petron Xtra, Petron Sprint, Magnolia Pure Water and Yokohama the official tires.

Ang dominated the field in the circuit’s kickoff leg in Macau last June as he swept the pre-final and final races to emerge the Asian Junior champion. He beat Flynn Jackes, Mikey Jordan and Charles Leong Hon Chio of Macau.

But the Filipino ace will have his hands full in the Restricted class category, which also features other local aces, including former Cadet champion Tai Zulberti, John Dizon, Vince Rojo of the Cebu Racing Team and Formula-E Racing’s Larco Cortez and Mikey Jordan with Ang’s Eagle Cement Racing teammate Eduardo Coseteng and Robert Redpath.

Coseteng, who swept the Pre-Final and Final races in Macau, beating Hong Kong top bet Huang Xi Zheng, will be up against City Kart Racing bets Constantin Reisch and Joaquin Garrido, Rap Rap Gutierrez, and three Formula-E Racing young aces Troy Cortez, Jarred Kim and Zach David.

Another top Filipino karter Gabe Tayao Cabrera is also tipped to contend in the Shifter KZ class, led by Macau champion Joao de Jesus Afonso of CKS Racing Team, brothers VJ and Vrei-AR Suba of Kart Plaza Racing, Peter Kim and Michael Jordan of Formula-E Racing, Lean Linao, William Tan of Palawan Racing Team and Paul Lawrence Tan of Fraga Racing Team.

Afonso will also be gunning for the X30 crown as he races alongside ROK Senior karters Jerry Choi of AUTS Racing, Ben Stone of City Kart Racing, Raul Baretto, the Hulganza brothers from Cebu Rhett and Jerrick, Chris Bendel, Julius Milla, Rainier Te, John Tan and Eleutherius Edualino.

For details, call the Carmona Racetrack c/o Rose Feria at 845-0745, 889-3389, 845-3287.