MANILA, Philippines - Bianca Denise Bustamante bucked the odds and turned in an impressive runner-up finish in the Formula Cadet Expert ruled by EJ Coseteng in the Philippine leg of the 2013 Asian Karting Open Championships at the Carmona Racetrack in Cavite recently.
Bustamante kicked off her bid in the 10-entry field in last place after failing to suit up in the Qualifying time trials. But the eight-year-old daughter of former karter Raymund and Jhen Bustamante fought her way back into contention, posting the fastest laptime of 51.866 seconds in the 14th lap of the final race to break the 52-second barrier.
Her stirring feat left mentor and Formula-E Racing CEO Elson Carpio wondering how she did it despite missing the qualifying time trials.
“I knew that for somebody who gives more than her 100 percent to achieve her goal, Bianca is up for something big. She has proven her consistency and fighting spirit, but I didn’t expect to be left puzzled how she managed to break into the 51-second mark,†said Carpio.
Bustamante also wound up fifth in the Asian Mini-ROK class.
“You could credit it to her racing genes or to her sheer determination. I still don’t have a concrete explanation how she did it against her more-experienced and much-favored rivals. But one thing is sure – she has transformed into a top caliber young karter with strong potentials as a future racing champ,†said Carpio.
From the tailend, she staged an amazing comeback to move up to eighth in the qualifying heat then sustained her form in the pre-finals where she finished fifth overall.
Gaining steam and momentum, Bustamante took third place in the second lap of the final race, only to slip back to fifth as Sean Draeco McLelland and Mikey Jordan overtook her.
But Bustamante rallied in the last five laps as erstwhile frontrunning Flynn Jackes reeled back to fifth and EJ Coseteng took over the front seat with Jordan and McLelland close behind.
Bustamante then made it a four-way battle for the title, slipping past McLelland to move up third before driving past Jordan in the final lap to capture the Formula Cadet Expert runner-up honors, just 0.917 of a second behind Coseteng,