MANILA, Philippines – Ready2Race pulled another stunner behind the impressive performances of Roby Benito and lady karter Jennifer Tumambing recently in the third leg of the 2009 Pagcor Sports KF2-KF3 Series at the Carmona Circuit Philippines.
Benito ruled Race 5 of the KF3 division and ended second runner-up in Race 6 while Tumambing got rousing cheers from the crowd with her first runner-up finish for the Ready2Race team supported by Tuason Racing School, Tony Kart, OTK 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.
Earning 32 points for the weekend, the 14-year-old Benito maintained the overall lead in the KF3 class with 82 points or just a two-point advantage over Franco Reyes.
He was unstoppable in Race 5 where he topped the time trials, the qualifying heat and the final race, where he posted the fastest laptime of 43.484 seconds.
Benito controlled the tempo from start to finish as he completed the 15-lap race in 10 minutes and 56.355 seconds or four seconds ahead of runner-up Franco Reyes.
Tumambing, who emerged a surprise package in Race 6, rose to the occasion as she escaped the traffic to wrest the lead and got cheers from the crowd while holding on to her post all the way to the finish line.
Tumambing bagged the runner-up finish on her very first KF3 race, clocking 11:1.7, 0.127 of a second ahead of Benito.
“She was very consistent the whole race and did not let the pressure get to her,” said Ready2Race manager, Chito Benito.
Benito suffered an engine breakdown in time trials of Race 6 and was left with no choice but to use a problematic substitute engine. Though starting fourth in the final race, Benito stormed his way to the top and dictated the tempo until his engine started to malfunction on the 11th lap when Reyes wrested the lead.
Benito could not keep up with Reyes as Tumambing, impressing the crowd with her personal fastest laptime of 43.826 seconds, rushed in to snatch second place right at the finish line.
“I’m proud of Roby for a fantastic drive during the weekend that maintained the overall lead in the KF3 division. And Jennifer (Tumambing) was a big revelation for never giving up and eventually capturing a strong runner-up finish on her first KF3 race. I think we will see her as a serious contender in future races,” Benito added.