Turalba stuns Thai ace, rules Bogor kart leg

BOGOR, Indonesia – Ready2Race ace karter Juha Turalba emerged champion in the Indonesian leg of the 2009 Asian Karting Open Championship at the Sentul Kart Track here.

The 15-year-old Turalba, a 10th grader at International School-Manila, beat Thai defending Asian champion Tin Sritrai aboard a KF2 engine for the first time in the Formula 125 Senior Open Class and prevailed over a talented field of 17 karters from host Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Hongkong.

Despite struggling in the early goings, he managed to sweep both the pre-final and final heats and deliver the big win for Ready2Race powered by Tuason Racing School, Tony Kart, OTK parts, HJC Auto Helmets, Sparco Racing, AIM Racing gauges, Oakley Race Gear, Active Group, Malarayat Golf & Country Club, Antonio’s, Asia Overseas Transport, Anyro Rent-a-Car, Sanyo Seiki Stainless Steel Corp., Bauan Doctors General Hospital, and Cattleya Resort.

“I was nervous before the race because Tin is a very good driver and has more experience than me plus it is my first year to move up to the KF2 category where he is the defending champion,” said Turalba.

“This is definitely the sweetest win so far in my five years of karting. Our set-up and strategy contributed a lot to my win. I feel proud for showing Filipinos could be competitive in the international motorsports scene,” he added.

Juha qualified third after submitting 50.348 seconds in the qualifying time trials and finished second behind Sritrai in the first heat. In the second heat, he was consistently on the No. 2 spot but a brake system failure midway the race almost derailed his bid.

However, the determined Turalba still salvage fourth place and bounced back to second place behind Sritrai on the third and final heat.

That boosted Juha’s confidence as he wrested the lead from the Thai champ in the second lap and showed great defensive skills to keep his post the rest of the 18-lap race before reaching the finish line by a far five-second lead over Sritrai.