Reyes dominates Macau Asian Karting

MANILA, Philippines - Filipino standout Franco Victor Puey Reyes stamped his class in the opening round of the Asian Karting Open Championships, seizing the lead with 40 points at the Kartodromo de Coloane in Macau recently.

The 13-year-old Reyes, fresh from his stints in the World Cup in Suzuka and Thailand, dominated his field in the 125cc Junior Open class as he set pole in the time trials, the qualifying heats as well as the pre-final and final races to surge ahead with 40 points in the race for the Asian Junior Karter of the year.

Reyes, a seventh grader at Ateneo, crashed into the tire wall in the first corner when his kart slid in the dirty part of the track in Heat One, prompting a red flag to stop the race.

He was pulled out by the ambulance team and given a thorough check-up before he was cleared to race again from the pit lane at the back of the 14-man grid. He worked his way up to sixth place at the end of Heat One won by Sasabone from Indonesia but posted fastest times in the next two heats, setting himself up for the final phase.

Pressed on by Rahul-Mayer of Malaysia, who took second place from another Filipino Joey Orduña, and Indonesian Rahardjo in the closing stages, Reyes poured it all out on a track made tougher by the sudden downpour and outclassed the field to win by about two seconds.

For complete results and pictures of the races log on to www.kartingphotography.com.