Wins boost Marcelo's Euro bid

MANILA, Philippines - Clinching a double-title feat in the Philippine leg of the 2009 Asian Karting Open Championship provides a big morale booster for Stefano Marcelo of TonyKart-San Miguel Corporation-Marcelo Racing as he leaves anew for a series of prestigious karting competitions in Europe.

First, the 17-year-old Marcelo proved himself the finest in the Philippines and Asia as he also got back at Thai champ Tin Sritrai who denied him the Asian Karting crown last year.

The feat also served as a tribute to his late grandfather and racing legend Eddie Marcelo who has been the biggest supporter of his racing career.

Likewise, it also drew out the best in him as he claimed the overall KF2 crown despite joining only two of the four legs of the 2009 Pagcor Sports KF2-KF3 Series.

Lastly, it served as a good tune-up for his coming stint in the highly-competitive final leg of the European Championship set July 31-Aug. 2.