Child prodigy to join RP karters in Macau?

Karting wunderkind Franco Reyes will compete for the Philippines in the 8-11 age category at the Asian Open Championships in Macau on Dec. 16-18 but that’s if the Grade 3 Ateneo student is allowed to take an early Christmas break from school.

Reyes’ father Mandy said it probably won’t be a problem since his son is an above average student but he leaves it up to the school to decide.

For sure, the nine-year-old karter is excited to vie for honors in his first overseas competition against drivers from around the globe.

"I’m proud to represent my country," said Reyes, who has worn the Philippine flag on his racing suit since he made his debut in the first leg of the National Karting Championship season as a cadet novice last March.

Reyes said his only motivation is winning for the Philippines and his only fear is getting doused by water on the podium because he doesn’t like his shoes getting wet.

For a kid his age, Reyes is far advanced in terms of mental capacity. He recently took the NSAT (National Secondary Achievement Tests) for graduating senior high school students and the results showed his intelligence level in math is for an 11-year-old, in reading and comprehension for a 15-year-old and in memory for an 18-year-old. When not on the track, Reyes likes to read almanacs, history books and technical manuals on car engines. And he’s only in Grade 3.

In the seventh and last leg of the karting season last October, Reyes went neck-to-neck with Joey Orduna and emerged on top to win his first novice title in the thrilling 15-lap, 16-kilometer championship round. It was a dramatic turnaround from his showing in the first two legs where he wound up among the backmarkers.

Reyes posted his first podium finish in the fourth leg where he placed third among 17 novices in Carmona. He went on to take second in the fifth leg at Enchanted Kingdom. Then came the harrowing sixth leg accidents in Cebu last September.

During a practice drive in Cebu, Reyes’ kart smashed a railing and paramedics laid him out on the track before rushing him into an ambulance on a stretcher. It was a precautionary measure and Reyes was none the worse for wear. In the actual competition, Reyes was running second when a kart from behind spun out and soared over him. A back tire of the flying kart touched Reyes’ helmet slightly. The kart landed in front of Reyes’ vehicle which he then maneuvered to the pit stop. Reyes cried in frustration after failing to finish the race.

Reyes’ mother Charrie–whose late grandfather Gil Fargas was a pre-war Far East Asian tennis champion–was also in tears but not because her son didn’t finish. She was emotionally shaken and drained. Throughout the race, she prayed the rosary–as she always does whenever he competes–closed her eyes and hid under a table in the gallery.

Mandy was relieved, too, that nothing happened to his son. The experience, however, was not traumatic for the child prodigy. It only made him tougher.

"Franco may not be the most skillful driver in his class but his fighting spirit is incredible," said Mandy, a highly-acclaimed commercial film director who owns Industria, an advertising production house. "Some kids are good in practice but don’t do well in actual competition. Franco is the opposite. He likes to compete and strives for excellence. He’s not afraid to fail because if he does, he’ll be more determined to come back."

Mandy described himself as a frustrated racer. He’s a racing buff who owns a collection of over 100 model cars, a slot car track and raceable model toys. Last year, he took his son to Speedzone at the Fort and introduced him to karting. That led to the kid enrolling at the J. P. Tuason Champions of the Future clinic last February and becoming one of the top 12 students in the 8-13 class of about 30 to join the Tuason Racing School team.

"Motor racing is a relatively safe sport if you know how to drive," said Mandy. "In karting, there’s a low center of gravity so if there are crashes, you don’t usually suffer major injuries, only scratches and bruises. Besides, you wear a protective neck brace, a helmet and a rib protector vest made of composite carbonfibre."

Mandy explained that karting is not just about speed. "Driving skill is key because you all race with equal horsepower and you all weigh the same–a limit of 90 kilos for car and driver," he continued. "Strategy is also involved because when you’re tailing, you try to get the car ahead of you off the racing line and force him out for you to move in. Getting on the racing line is crucial because it’s the fastest route around the track. You need to drive smooth, fast and intelligently."

Karting is not an inexpensive sport. Mandy has invested a tidy sum in two Italian-made Intrepid karts (one new and the other, second-hand), four engines (three of the 60 cc variety) and three racing suits for his son. The maintenance costs are steep with each engine overhauled twice a year and allowances for a mechanic.

But Mandy said seeing his son enjoying the sport they love makes it worth the investment of over P350,000. His other son Diego, 10, is his brother’s biggest cheerleader. When Reyes won in the seventh leg, Diego was first out of the stands to congratulate his brother and slap high fives on the track.

"If Franco wants to continue competing, I’ll support him all the way but our agreement is his studies are the priority," said Mandy. "How far he’ll go as a karter is up to him. Next March, he’ll enter the expert class in the cadet division. In the offseason, he practices every weekend and during the semestral break, every day."

Reyes, a centerfielder on the Ateneo tot baseball team, enjoys all sports. But he’s hooked on car racing and religiously watches Formula 1 competitions on TV. His idol is Kimi Raikonnen of Finland.

Charrie, who owns and operates the corporate video production specialist "Informer," said she’d rather her son take up a less nerve-wracking sport like chess. But like her husband, she’ll support whatever is her gifted son’s preference.