Aguilar unleashes impressive stint in Johor Baru

Glenn Aguilar used to be just one of the region’s top riders.

Now, he is Asia’s best.

The Caltex-Revtex daredevil unleashed one of the most dominating performances by an Asian in the second leg of the FIM Asia-Pacific Motocross Championship in Johor Baru, Malaysia, where he ruled both the morning and afternoon races in grand fashion before a roaring crowd of 30,000 near the Plaza Angsana Mall.

The 27-year-old six-time Rider of the Year was dominant through and through. He took the initiative early by grabbing the pole position in the qualifying race.

He was No. 1 from there, and never let go of the top jersey. In the first heat, Aguilar crushed the challenge of Indonesian Aep Dadang by six seconds, before letting loose a bigger ride in the afternoon, when he trounced another Indon in Endrich PM by 10 seconds, which in motocross standards, is an enormous advantage.

He was particularly impressive in the second race, where he fiercely battled New Zealand’s Jayden Gray for control. But Gray couldn’t cope up with Aguilar’s furious pace and went down in vain chasing the Caltex star, crashing hard in the second lap of a 22-lap course and breaking his wrist in the process.

"I’m very proud of my performance here. Everything went according to plan. My bike performed very well and the track was good," said Aguilar, who outclassed a field composed of the best bikers from Singapore, Sri Lanka, Japan, Macau, India, Australia and host Malaysia.

Aguilar, who is also supported by Oakley, Dreambikes Superstore, Sidi Boots, Renthal, Sprains and Strains and Pro Grip, immediately felt the impact of his awesome show as he firmed up his hold on the FIM lead with a 47-point total.

China’s top rider Su Wen Min is a far second at 30 points.

"The effort underscores Aguilar’s skill and dedication as an athlete. Another constant in Aguilar’s accomplishment is his partnership with Revtex’s 2T oil, which has never let him down for years," said Caltex team manager Ner Marquez Dormiendo.

So awesome was Aguilar’s showing, that his feat took a half-page coverage in Malaysia’s No. 1 newspaper Berita Harian. He was also extensively featured by other dailies New Strait Times, The Sun and Utusan and cable networks ESPN and Star Sports.

Aguilar is the country’s lone representative to the FIM event through the efforts of Macky Carapiet of the National Motorcycle Sports and Safety Association. The next leg of the FIM series is in Macau.