MANILA, Philippines – JeT Racing’s Christian Gaddi relied on vast experience as a defensive rider to dominate the pre-final and final races of the Magnolia Karting Super Series’ fifth leg at the kart track of the Enchanted Kingdom in Sta. Rosa, Lagun.
Proving his worth as a two-time Golden Wheel and Automobile Association of the Philippines (AAP) awardee, Gaddi timed 9:20.936 in the final race to beat his closest pursuer Kali Carcel by a mere 0.284 of a second to grab the lead in the Mini ROK class with 312 points.
What made Gaddi’s wins mpressive was his under-powered kart which also had a crooked chassis, compared to the state-of-the-art machines of his rivals. Compounding his woes was the wet track, which made maneuvering difficult.
Shrugging off the handicap, the 10-year-old Gaddi used his astonishing defense to keep his rivals behind. He led from start to finish in the pre-final and final heats.
“He was more aggressive this time compared to his past races because I promised to get him an iPhone if he wins. And so when he grabbed the lead, he did not let go of it as he kept his rivals at bay,” said Gaddi’s mother Teena.
Based on computer records, Gaddi’s fastest laptime of 34.988 seconds was even a bit slower to Carcel’s 34.853, but the JeT Racing star driver still won the 16-lap race by the skin of his teeth.