Cebuano Motorsports enthusiasts had a blast last Saturday as oil giant Petron sponsored a karting clinic in Kartzone. Dubbed as the Petron Motorsports Karting Academy, the event highlighted the need to promote the very grassroots of motorsports which is karting.
It was a welcoming sight to see 39 aspiring karters register for the event. Kids and teens as young as 7 to 19 years old were enrolled in the clinic which covered the basic fundamentals of karting. The event kicked off with a lecture given by racing legend and renowned motorsports coach Edgen Dy-Liacco and a follow-the-leader practice led by karter ace John Dizon.
The clinic also included a time-based race categorized into two categories – a cadet class for 7-12 years old using cadet(youth size) Go-karts and standard (adult size) Go karts for the 13-19 years old. The participant’s best lap times were logged via a 2-lap time attack format. Top 5 was awarded and Top 2 will move on to race in Clark International Speedway in Pampanga on January 2019.
The Go-karts used in the event were China – made SQ Go-karts with Honda GX200 “lawnmower” engines. These karts are suitable for grassroots racing as these are affordable and cheap to maintain.
Multi-awarded race driver and coach Mike Potenciano was also in the event. In my long talk with the renowned racing legend, he stressed the need to develop motorsports. “Karting is like Kindergarten, the grade one of Motorsports. We can’t expect to bring a high caliber Filipino racer to compete internationally if we don’t have a grassroots program,” said Potenciano.