Orduna zooms in on Asian ROK jr title

Joey Orduna of Ready2Race unveiled his greatest performance yet this season as he staged a rousing comeback win recently in the 2008 Shell Helix Karting Super Series at the Carmona Circuit Philippines.

The 12-year-old Orduna, a student of International School-Manila, impressed the crowd as he took the lead from the Expert drivers before clinching his win in the ROK Jr Novice class over runner-up Andres Calma and Renz Pazcoguin.

The victory provided a big boost to his title campaign as Orduna moved up to second overall with 419 or just 19 points behind Pazcoguin.

Orduna is supported by Tuason Racing School, Tony Kart, OTK kart parts, HJC Auto Helmets, Sparco Racing, AIM Racing gauges, Oakley Race Gear, Golden Harvest Integrated Services & Shipping, BANPU, Barwil-Smith Bell Shipping, Rio-Tinto, FARM and Ford Batangas.

Orduna is also setting his sights on the Asian ROK Junior crown of the Asian Karting Open Championship. He leads the series with 102 points and another sweep in the Thailand leg on Nov. 1-2 will further fortify his bid for the Asian ROK Junior crown.

Even at the start, Joey already ruled the Novice class in the first heat, finishing third overall in the combined race with the Expert karters. He posted one of the fastest laptimes of 44.680 seconds. 

He again posted the fastest laptime of 44.639 second in Race Two, faster than all the Expert karters as he checked in second overall behind teammate Roby Benito.

The two continued their exploits in the Final Race as they quickly pulled ahead of the pack at the start. And more surprisingly, Orduna controlled the lead for the first six laps.

Clutch problems forced Joey to slowed down a bit and slipped to fourth just behind the three Expert karters. Despite that, he still managed to hold on to his post with his imposing defensive moves that kept his rivals behind down to the finish line.

Joey wrapped up the 20-lap race in 14:53.994 seconds or just a slim 0.827 seconds over Andres Calma.

‘ “It’s nice to get back with a big win. I was also surprised to see my self in front and it feels good although the pressure to stay on top was really tough. After my clutch problems, I was forced to slow down but I made sure I won’t be denied the win this time,” said Orduna.

“The win just boosted my chances moving up to second place just 19 points behind for the overall crown. I know will be tough, but I’ll go all out to achieve another sweep to capture the overall ROK Jr. Novice title in the championship leg next month,” he added.