For 2002 new novice class motorcycle races will be introduced at the Batangas Racing Circuit and the Subic International Raceway. These new races are dedicated towards developing the champions of tomorrow by having the new crop of riders sharpen their riding skills without having to unrealistically spend huge amounts of money to modify their bikes.
Racing can be safely done on a budget and you don’t have to worry about racing with riders who have more racing experience than you do. All the races, with the exception of the Maxi Scooters and Vespas, are for novices only, meaning your chances to win are better than joining the Superbike races.
These races will not happen at the same time as the Superbike races, allowing the riders to come and watch on a separate day or even participate to get more track time.
400cc Sport: Do you have a 400cc Sportbike and have you always wanted to play with other riders on equal footing? This is the race for you! Riding your bike under conditions that give you a fair shake at the podium allows you to safely test your bike’s limits. The 400cc Sport class allows novices to race without the outrageous expenses of the Superbike class. Rookies and beginning racers get a chance to test and sharpen their skills with riders of the same caliber and grow together. So show up at the track and earn your racing spurs.
400cc Standard Super Stock: Who says that only sport bikes can be raced? Standards are raced every weekend in the US and now here in the Philippines, too! The race allows riders who don’t appreciate the sportbike genre to still ride their standard designs and still enjoy the very capable performance levels of their bikes.
Though this race’s pace might not equal that of the Sportbike class, the skill involved in racing this very challenging class is the same.
Maxi Scooter Races: Playing with the little kids on the small track can be a big yawn. The biggest and fastest scooters in the country run only on the fastest tracks, namely the Batangas Racing Circuit and the Subic International Raceway which allow their riders to maximize their immense power. Carlo Yalo, the 2001 champion, is ready to defend his crown and everyone else wants to take it away from him. Power, speed and skill at their best.
Vespa Races Super Stock: They are classy and yet very fast. On it’s third season, the Philippine Vespa races and with the top three riders all jumping to the Maxi Scooter races, it’s anybody’s ballgame. After three hard and fast racing years, will seasoned racer Jovy Villar take the 2002 crown? The 3rd runner-up of the 2001 season Serge Javellana is making his comeback this season to maybe take the championship he nearly won in 2001.
With the race running on Super Stock rules, the Vespas will run on a shorter but more challenging track without compromising safety, while still keeping the excitement of this classic challenge.
Check in with your bike and find out if you can take the crown.
Vespa Races Super 125s: The record laptime for the 125 underbone class is 1:46, just as fast as some riders in the superbike Novice class, which demonstrates the skills involved in this kind of racing. Racing in the underbone class is one of the most affordable races in the new motorcycle classes and not necessarily the slowest as it’s filled with excitement and speed. It just goes to show that it’s not the bike, but it’s the rider who matters.
Thunder Twins Super Stock: For years twins have dominated the superbike races and we now can share this passion, too. This allows participation by Yamaha XZs, Ducatis, Suzuki GSs, Kawasaki EXs and Honda VFs. The details will follow soon.
Endurance Races: For the first time, a team motorcycle event is running in the Philippines. The 1st Philippine Motorcycle Endurance will sparkle with a collage of experienced, intermediate and novice racers. Dozens of riders, mechanics and tuners will gain invaluable knowledge on how to work as a team. The riders aren’t the only stars in this event; everyone in the team is important to winning.
Teamwork is very important in this race. Even without a spot on the podium, all teams walk away from each race with inspired knowledge that they did their best and what they need to know to do better in the next race. This season, the length of races has been increased from three to four hours. The entire list of teams (Novices, Intermediate & Expert class teams) agreed that three hours was easily done and four is still easy to do allow the team members more time on the track.
This allows novice riders to participate, gain experience and learn the track in a racing environment without the pressures of an eight-lap race. This is still divided into two separate four-hour races, large-and-small displacement races. The small-displacement class is shared by the Maxi Scooters, Vespas and Super 125s, while the large-displacement class covers the rest of the other bikes.
Requirements: Registration fee of P1,500 per rider, per event. Riders are required to procure a racing license to participate in any races. All participants must have proper safety equipment to participate in any or all races. All race bikes must pass through a safety inspection before going on the track.
For more information, call Rey at (632) 817 2469 or the National Racing Association and look for Jake at (632) 831 9395. Visit www.motorcycle-philippines.com for more details.