PUERTO PRINCESA , Philippines – The “Mongolian Express” left chasers in a cloud of dust as he came from behind to rule the 2010 FIM Asian Motocross Series which took off with a bang over the weekend in the country’s greenest and cleanest city.
Defending champion Khaliunbold Erdenebileg from Mongolia threw all caution to the wind in the opening moto to fashion out a come-from-behind victory against Amirezza Sabetifar from Iran.
Erdenebileg was even more imposing in the final heat as he pulled away from the field and never looked back to finish way ahead of his closest chaser.
Erdenebileg received the Mayor Edward Hagedorn Cup, a sterling silver token from this city’s CEO and his constituents.
An estimated 30,000 spectators trooped to the venue to witness the country’s biggest international motorsport event.
The annual gathering of Asia’s motocross champions was jointly organized by NAMSSA, the Philippines’ national sporting authority for motorcycle sports, and sponsored by the City of Puerto Princesa, the Philippine Olympic Committee, Oakley, Department of Tourism and Monark Equipment.
Nagoya resident Tomoya Suzuki and Sabetifar ended up even with 42 points apiece for their second and third place finishes in the two motos. but it was the Japanese who took second place overall after finishing ahead of the Iranian in the final heat. A revelation was the other Japanese entry Takeshi Tabuchi. Despite being the second most senior rider in the group, Tabuchi rode like a man in his teens to pull the rug from his younger rivals and finish fourth overall.
Kenneth San Andres, the 2009 Philippine motocross rider of year, bounced back from a spill in the opening moto to secure fifth place overall and end up as the top Filipino finisher. Cebu’s Jonjon Adlawan was consistent with identical sixth place wind-ups in the motos to claim the sixth overall spot.
The seventh and eighth positions went to Mongolia’s Temuujin Khadbaatar and Iran’s Ali Borzoozadeh, respectively. The ageless multi-titled local motorcycle sports hero Jolet Jao edged India’s US-trained rider C.S. Santosh in the battle for ninth place. Jao and Santosh both wound up with 22 points apiece but the former earned the spot with his better finish in the opening moto.
Novo Ecijano Jean Erick Mitra made his countrymen proud by outlasting Guam’s Jacob Einloth and this city’s homegrown junior riders Ariel and Ernest Guinto in the junior 85cc event. For more information on the 2010 FIM Asian Motocross Series, log on to www.namssa.org.