Mapua rules Phl leg of Bosch races

MANILA, Philippines - Mapua Team Siklab survived early wheel problems to come from behind and slip past the UP ME Drill Drivers and capture the Philippine leg of the Bosch Cordless Races in thrilling fashion at the Boomland Kart Track in Pasay City last weekend.

After winding up dead last in the seven-team field in the opening race when a front and rear wheel stalled, the Mapua bets scrambled to adjust and made inroads over their rivals, capped by a sizzling run in the third and last leg where it mattered most.

With Ken Naval at the wheel of the Bosch-powered kart sporting 12-inch diameter wheels – the smallest among the entries – Mapua overtook erstwhile frontrunner UP in the last 250 meters and won with plenty to spare under scorching heat before a huge Sunday crowd at the track.

Team Siklab clocked 58.374 seconds over the snaking 650-kilometer course, nearly six seconds faster than the Drill Drivers, whose three-wheeled kart checked in second a 1:04.79. Team Kartolinians of the University of San Carlos of Cebu took third with a time of 1:07.86.

“We didn’t expect our wheels to stall in the first race and we lost time,” said Siklab skipper Matthew Mamangun. “But in the end we were able to fix the problem and the smaller wheels gave us the advantage.”

“We designed our vehicle patterned after a regular go-kart, and the smaller wheels made it easier to maneuver around the sharp curves because of the lower center of gravity,”added Mamangun, whose team captured the top prize of P100,000 cash.

The other members of the winning team were Jerick Apetrior, Jermaine Lompitac and Justin David Villegas while their advisers were John Judilla and Jaylord Jaoud.

Team Siklab also pocketed an additional P5,000 for best kart design and together with the Drill Drivers will represent the country in the Bosch Cordless Races Asian Championships scheduled in August in front of the famed Great Wall in Beijing, China.

“It’s the first time to be organized here and it’s a good proving ground for the students, unlike in the past where there were really no opportunities,” said UP assistant professor and Drill Drivers adviser Joseph Reyes. “The event is not mere theory only but they should know what components to use and what design they’re going after.”

“We have a lot of students who are hot in trying out next year,” Reyes added of the UP mechanical engineering students eager to participate in next year’s second edition of the event also sponsored by Tuason Racing School and Pioneer Mighty Basket.

Bosch Asia regional sales director Mathieus Contero was pleased by the successful outcome of initial Manila outing of the Bosch Cordless Races series.

“We wanted to promote a technology, we wanted to let the students bring out their creativity. They were all engaged in the competition and the outcome was very positive,” Contero said.

He also noted the ingenuity and creativity of the Filipinos in designing their go-karts.