Isuzu D-Max raring to shift to high gear

MANILA, Philippines - The Isuzu D-Max cycling team has tapped seven new members as it steps up its bid to dominate various multi-sports competitions this year.

In line with its battlecry of “Conquering Endless Possibilities,” the 22-man team is set to compete in triathlon events – biking, running and swimming – where it hopes to make an immediate impact the way it did in downhill/gravity mountain-biking, cross-country and Xterra competitions the past two years.

Celebrity/sportsman Matteo Guidicelli and the father-and-son tandem of Frederick and Jerrick Farr have joined the crack squad along with Jomer Lim.

Frederick Farr led the national cycling team to a silver-medal finish in the 2007 SEA Games in Thailand while Jerrick is a consistent podium finisher last year. The Farrs are also the only father-and-son team competing at the professional level in any sport locally.

Meanwhile, Lim, a Cebu-based triathlete who has consistently topped the age 30-to-35 group in all major triathlon events in the country, is seen to bolster the Isuzu D-Max cycling team’s performance this year.

In 2012, Lim was nominated as the best in his age group by the Swim-Bike-Run triathlon forum. 

“The impressive performance of the Isuzu D-Max cycling team in the past two years is an indication of its potential,” said Isuzu Philippines Corp. president Ryoji Yamazaki. “The arrival of new members should undoubtedly make the team even more competitive this year, and puts it in a position where the possibilities for achieving triumphs are endless.”

The team has been recognized by the Downhill Riders Organization of the Philippines (DROP) as the team of the year with Jerrick Farr gaining the rookie of the year honors. 

The team is set to vie in at least 10 downhill races, 10 cross-country amateur and pro events featuring 20K to 100K rough-terrain distances and major triathlon and duathlon events that features 1.5K to 2K open-water swim, 35K to 90K mixed road and cross-country riding, and 5K to 21K road and trail runs.