Attaboy, Spike!

Wendel Mangahas must have had mixed emotions that day. He had just won the open-class Moped Drag Race in Puerto Princesa, the capital city of picturesque Palawan. Having been adjudged the overall champion, a title that came complete with a trophy nearly as tall as he is and a P5,000 prize money, he was given a double-your-money offer if he would only beat a new model of moped.

Sure, he may have told himself. Piece of cake.

But the diminutive Mangahas later realized that fast as he was in his previous races, he was still not fast enough on his bike compared to the rider of the Spike 125, the newest moped of S.C. Kymco Pilipinas. He did everything he could but his souped-up two-stroke mount was still a second too slow to the visitor’s bike.

Puerto Princesa’s race was the second in the series of drag meets which S.C. Kymco is holding this summer to show moped riders nationwide the power of the Spike 125. The first race, a katuwaan or fun event, was held in Tanay three weeks back and the next race is slated this weekend in Iloilo City. Races in Kalibo, Roxas City, Balayan (Batangas) and Tagum (Davao) will soon be held, leading to the finals at the Filinvest complex in Alabang in Metro Manila on June 15.

"This is our way of proving to the public the superiority of the Spike over other mopeds," said Manuel Sta. Cruz, president of S.C. Kymco, a partnership of Taiwanese motorcycle giant Kymco and Sta. Cruz’s Victorias company. "So far, our Spike has not been beaten in any of the race," he added.

The race in Puerto Princesa was held in a quartermile strip. Nine pairs of contenders were pitted against each other. There were no Christmas trees (staging lights), qualifying runs nor reaction times, just good, old wheel-to-wheel, honest-to-goodness, heads-up racing. It was just a between-you-and-the guy-in-the-other-lane thing. The winner got to challenge other winners in a knockout system that took losing riders out of contention.

After the first heat, the nine first-round winners were divided into four groups, with the fourth group becoming a drag race between three riders. The second heat produced four winners and the two pairs went out to show their machines’ capabilities. In the final heat, the two remaining contenders faced each other in a test of speed and acceleration.

When the cloud of race dust cleared, it was only Mangahas who was left standing. But then the Spike was still there waiting.

Mangahas was given a choice: He could call it a day and take home his prize money, or he could challenge the Spike 125 and double his winnings. If he loses though, he loses every cent, and will go home with nothing but the tall trophy and some bragging rights. Mangahas’s face was a picture of confusion until S.C. Kymco officials decided to make it a fun race instead of winner-take-all. They offered to double Mangahas’s earnings if he wins over the Spike and give him a thousand bucks extra if he loses. It was a consolation prize just for accepting the challenge.

Mangahas called the challenge and was pitted against a certain Rodel, who was an S.C. Kymco factory rider. The race saw Mangahas pulling away at the start only to be reined in by Rodel a few meters before the finish line.

Refusing to accept defeat, Mangahas challenged the Spike for a second race. He made a quick run at the start to place the Spike behind him, but Rodel squeezed the Spike past his Japanese moped near the finish line, capturing the checkered flag.

During the awarding ceremonies, Mangahas glanced at the Spike 125 on display at the stage while accepting his award. He still couldn’t believe that this stock moped beat his modified bike two races in a row. He must have been thinking of putting his prize money as down payment for the new Spike (he only needed P4,000). That is, if he could still save some of his winnings after giving out balato to friends. After all, it isn’t always true that the winner always gets the spoils.