MANILA, Philippines - Johnlery Enriquez of JVT Racing stretched his winning streak to three while Tracy Soyangco shocked the top guns recently in the third leg of the 2013 FDR Philippine Scooter Racing Championships and the 2013 FDR Philippine Underbone King Championships at the Clark International Speedway.
Enriquez struggled to ward off superbikes top contender Dashi Watanabe in a closely contested battle for the premier 180cc Automatic Scooter class of the FDR Philippine Scooter Racing Championships. Soyangco emerged 150cc Open champion of the FDR Philippine Underbone King Championships.
Both events are sanctioned by the Underbone and Scooters Racing Association (USRA) and sponsored by Petronas Oils, FDR the official tires and media partners Racing Beat @ Wave 89.1, Inside Motoring @ DZRJ810khz and Motorsiklo Xklusibo @ DZME 1530.
Enriquez and Watanabe were evenly matched in the event where they had almost the same ultrafast laptime that steered their breakaway in the early goings.
Dicing for the lead several times the rest of the eight-lap race, the duo drew loud cheers from the crowd until they figued in a photo finish.
However, experience showed the way for the veteran Enriquez who took the checkered flag for the 180cc Automatic Scooter plum by a mere 0.032 of a second ahead of the Fil-Japanese.
Ivan Santiago checked in third while defending champion Miko Montano placed fourth.
Sharing the spotlight with Enriquez in the 2013 FDR Philippine Scooter Racing Championships were Robert Matthew Ramos, who clinched the 160cc Automatic Scooter title over Nicolo Ramos and Romer Corbe; and Koko Tadachi, who copped the 130cc. Automatic Scooter crown over Jacob Navarro and John Paul Suba.
Soyangco, who also bagged the Moto IR Cup over Masato Fernando and Rizaldy Canare, came out a big surprise in the 2013 FDR Philippine Underbone King Championships as he credits the excellent set-up of his bike as the biggest factor to set the day’s fastest laptime of 1:10.245.
That paved the way for his early breakaway from the pack to capture the 150cc Open Underbone crown by a far 6.659 seconds ahead of runner-up and second leg champion Nino Fabian of Castrol-Dudshop and third placer Herbert Lopez.
Defending champion Anthony Roman of Castrol-Dudshop ended fourth while former Underbone King Jaime Barcial finished fifth.
John Emerson Inguito topped the 115cc Open class over runner-up Vrei-AR Suba and third placer Clint Nolasco.
Rommel Florante emerged the Class A champion of the K58 Cup over Clemen Canaria and third placer Lambert Asayo with Alvin Dee clinching the Class B title over Clint Nolasco and Lambert Asayo who also copped the Class C crown over Joey Reyes and third placer Hanjinder Mann.
Joining the roster of winners were Gian Carlo Mauricio who turned back McKinley Kyle Paz and Mark Anthony Santos for the Honda Beat Cup; Fritsy Claveria who thwarted Medardo Noto and Edward Godoy for the Honda Dash Cup; and John Emerson Inguito who prevailed in the MTRT Cup over runner-up Masato Fernando, third placer Herbert Lopez, fourth placer Ralph Kenneth Torres and fifth placer James Barcial.
The next leg is set this Sunday, July 28 at the Clark International Speedway. For further details, interested parties may contact the Batangas Racing Circuit c/o Nelson Gayola or Rodini Rivera at (632) 729-72 41-42, 729-5365 or fax 844-7766, Mobile # 0922 8858410.