Benitez Golden Wheel's junior karter of the year

MANILA, Philippines - Multi-titled karter Javi Benitez has added another award in his jammed trophy case – a second straight Junior Karter of the Year title – during the sixth Golden Wheel awards night at the Casino Filipino Theater in Parañaque.

The 14-year-old freshman from Xavier School was overall champion in the ROK Junior Expert class, becoming the only karter in Golden Wheel history to win back-to-back Junior Karter of the Year awards.

“This is a big honor that I will remember for the rest of my life. But I wouldn’t have achieved it without the support of my teammates, my family, sponsors and my school – all of which contributed immensely to another fruitful campaign in karting,” said Benitez.

The feat didn’t come easy for Benitez, who had to juggle his education at Xavier School and his television hosting, with his training and competition in and out of the country. But as they always say, no one can put a good, young man down, especially with his God-given karting skills in full display.

“I guess I just managed my time well,” said Benitez. “After last year’s Golden Wheel award in the same category, I did not rest on my laurels – I continued to strive for glory not just for myself, but for my country,” said the karting champ.

Benitez, who is also the skipper of the JeT Racing team and backed by Bingo Bonanza Corp., Henry Sy Jr. of SM companies, Willy Ocier of Pacific Online Systems Corp., Industria.com and Belle Corp, is gearing for another challenging battle in the new season of the Pagcor Sports National Karting Series, the KF2 Karting Championship and several major international races.

 “It has been another fruitful year for me,” said Benitez “But the important thing is the learning that is achieved in every race. The point is to get better with every race, because my biggest challenge is myself. You need to improve as you go on.”