Tanlu, Luig shine in Asian Karting

MANILA, Philippines - Mark Francis Tanlu held his ground against a number of Expert drivers in the combined race while Carl Luig captured the lone champion trophy for AUTSRacing Team in the Asian Karting Open Championships at the Carmona Racetrack in Cavite recently.

Tanlu surprised the crowd with his superb performance, finishing second to Gabe Tayao-Cabrera in the Yamaha Cup Novice.

The 13-year-old Tanlu actually ended up ninth in the qualifying heat but rallied to finish fifth in the pre-final and slugged it out with Tayao-Cabrera in a nerve-wracking showdown for the crown, losing by 0.773 of a second.

Luig came in third overall to seize the Yamaha Cup Expert plum with lady karter Yvana Carangan placing third.

Brian Thorp, another AUTSRacing Team stalwart debuted with a fifth place finish in the Formula 125 Open Juniors class. He also placed fifth in the KF3 Series Race 5 and made a third place effort in Race 6.

Youngest recruit Bobby Redpath also placed third in the Formula Cadet Novice division.

“It’s a big show for the team and we credit excellent racing performance of our Birel Karts that boosted the confidence of our karters to push their limits and deliver such great feats that firmed up AUTSRacing’s credibility as the country’s top karting team,” said AUTSRacing team manager Martin Alvendia.

The team is powered by Kipling’s, BIREL Competition Karts, YAMAHA Winforce, FILA, Maynilad Water Services, Tune Hotels, Team Insider Boxing Gym, Kart Care Lubricants and FreeLine Go Kart Parts.