Buncio, Jao dispute title at BRC

The quest for the various titles at stake comes to an exciting climax as the country’s finest riders face the final verdict this Sunday in the championship round of the 2008 Shell Advance Superbikes Series at the Batangas Racing Circuit.

It will be a tight showdown between defending champion Maico Buncio of Yamaha-Elf-YRS Racing and 10-time former champion Jolet Jao of Shell Advance-Suzuki-Toyota Balintawak as they are just three points apart in the race for the coveted Rider of the Year award of this event sanctioned by the National Motorcycle Sports and Safety Association (NAMSSA) and sponsored by Shell Advance, Denso Iridium Power, San Mig Coffee, Inside Racing, and PagCor Sports.

Eager to regain his throne, Jao will be gunning for the crucial win to clinch the overall Superbikes Expert crown. Though winning only two of the past 10 races, Jao continues to lead the series with 222 points.

But Buncio, fresh from a stint in the American Motorcycle Association (AMA) Motocross of Nations in Laguna Seca, USA, looks forward to claiming his first back-to-back career title. He won seven of the past 10 races as he’s just three points away with 219.

Chances are, Jao needs only to win one of the two races for the plum while Buncio tackles the pressure of winning both races to achieve his goal.

“This is the perfect chance for a big comeback and hopefully we’ll pull through,” said Jao.

“It will be a tough championship battle, and to win both races up against one of my mentors and a 10-time champion at that will be a Herculean task. But I’ll give it my all and hopefully, all goes smooth with the machine and the race,” Buncio replied.

Glenn Aguilar of Yellow Cab-Ducati-Access Plus also looks forward to formally bagging the Superbikes Open crown against Jao and Buncio as he guns for his fifth straight sweep.

Among the other title hopefuls are Miguel Bichara, Ryan Medina, Aries Padiernos and Dave de Leon.

Bichara is already sure of the Superbikes Masters title with 250 points and aims to wind up the series with a sixth straight sweep against George Gerard and Christopher Ignacio.

Medina, who leads with 188 points, has to battle it out with Jayson Maligaya (167 pts.) and Christopher Ignacio (148 pts.) for the Superbikes Novice crown.

Padiernos is also gunning for a perfect season, eyeing his sixth straight sweep over Dave de Leon and George Gerard for the Formula 400 crown while De Leon seeks another big win to claim the Sub 400 cc title over George Gerard and Resty Lucas.

For full results and other inquiries, interested parties may log on at www.batangasracingcircuit.com or contact the Batangas Racing Circuit c/o BRC Operations Manager Rodini Rivera or Nelson Gayola at (632) 817-2241, 729-5365 or fax 815-1241 for further details.