Orduna, Turalba shine in Asian karting kickoff

MACAU, China – The Philippines’ Joey Orduna of R2R-TRS Racing Team captured the ROK Junior title recently in the kickoff of the 2008 Asian Karting Open Championship (AKOC) Series at the Kartodromo De Coloane Circuit here.

The 12-year-old, Grade 7 student of International School Manila bucked gruelling challenges as he staged a determined comeback midway in the race.

Orduna, running at an average speed of 83 miles per hour, wrapped up the 20-lap race in 17 minutes and 31.28 seconds. He is supported by TonyKart, HJC Helmets, AIM Racing Gauges, and R2R Racing Suits.

Teammate Juha Turalba made it a double for R2R-TRS Team when he also captured the ROK Seniors title.

“It was quite an inspiring experience that I was able to push the limit of my ROK junior engine against the much faster KF3’s.  I guess I was just too eager that I spun out but luckily I was able to bounce back and win the title,” said Orduna.

Even at the start, Orduna impressed the crowd as he qualified first in his class and third overall during the two-stage qualifying time trials to determine starting position in a combined grid of KF3, Rotax Max Jr., and ROK Jr. drivers.