CEBU, Philippines - The father and son tandem of Siegfred and Ken Kerry Jean “Kenken” Ornopia displayed suave riding skills to top their respective divisions in the Philippine leg of the 2012 Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) Asian Motocross Championships last week in Puerto Pricesa City, Palawan.
Siegfred, an award-winning sportsman who is also the big boss of Keiz BJ Motors, emerged as the fastest in the executive division, edging out Palawan's homegrown bet Bel Basaya and Jojo Magan. Raymond Espinosa of Manila and fellow Cebuano racer Gener Sicad occupied the fourth and fifth spots, respectively.
Siegfred was also among the early favorites in the Asian Veterans class, but the 2020 Rider of the Year awardee retired along with Junjun San Andres of Manila after touching bikes in the first moto.
In that equally-exciting caterogy marked with dicing and side-by-side racing from the senior riders, the 50-year-old Roman Llorente from Iriga City pulled the rug from favorites San Andres and Siegfred Ornopia to earn the distinction of being the first ever Asian Veterans champion.
"I could have been a double champion had it not been for that mishap," said Siegfred Ornopia, who lost consciousness for about 20 minutes after that unfortunate incident that inflicted him a fractured left collar bone.
Nevertheless, it was still worth a celebration for the Ornopias as Siegfred's son Kenkenlorded it over in the Junior 50cc category.
Kenken outsmarted Zyden Buse and European rider Hans Walter Tschopp for the top spot in the said division. Kenken's younger brother Kerry Kizer finished fifth behind Partick Jose 'PJ' Galia.
"It was really a heart-warming present for me by my son [Kenken]," said Siegfred, who celebrated his birthday during the race day itself last April 14. "I gave him a brand new KTM bike, the first 50cc bike with inverted shock in Cebu and I'm so happy that he came out as champion the very first time he used it in a competition. And it happened on my birthday, I really couldn't ask for more."
Kenken also ended up fifth in the Junior 65cc division, while Kerry Kizer placed eight. Their other brother, Earl Jean Brylle Ornopia, landed at a decent fifth place in the Asian Junior 85cc category dominated by San Pablo City’s Mark Reggie Flores, who lived up to his billing as Asia’s top junior rider.
On the other hand, AP Honda Thailand’s Arnon Theplib blasted away the competition to clinch the top individual leg honors.
Backed by a team of topnotch factory mechanics and an equally adept teammate in the person of 16-year-old Thai motocross sensation Jugkrit Suksripaisan, the defending champion took the holeshot to score runaway victories in the two motos and reset the track’s lap record with a blistering clocking of 1:17.84 in moto 1 to send his title-retention bid on a high note.
Suksripaisan and Japan’s Tomoya Suzuki wound up second and third with identical scores of 42 points. Suksripaisan, however, claimed the first-runner up honors by finishing ahead of Suzuki in the payoff moto.
Mongolia’s Khaliunbold Erdenebileg and the Philippines’ Kenneth San Andres came in fourth and fifth to complete the podium cast.
Cebu's pride Jonjon Adlawan could only make it to sixth place followed by Jean Erick Mitra, Jovie Saulog, Jubenile Abellar and Lorenzo Rellosa. (FREEMAN)