“Champions, Passion, Yamaha” — those are the words that best describe our Filipino riders.
The 2024 road racing season is starting off with a bang thanks to Yamaha Motor Philippines. As one of the biggest motorcycle brands in the country, Yamaha has a culture of cultivating the best Filipino riders. Nothing shows that more than their recent press conference for the Yamaha Philippines Racing Team on March 9 at the Karrera Showroom, Alabang.
Each team will be competing in this year’s Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC), which hosts a number of races for different motorcycle classes — a major reason why Yamaha has upgraded its racing program to further develop its riders and machines.
First up was the off-road team which included two veterans of the scene. The ‘Princess of Philippine Motorcross,’ Pia Gabriel joins the team, eager to prove why she’s the two-time FIM Female Rider of the Year.
“One of my goals is to prove that we women can also excel in a male-dominated sport,” said Pia. “I’m also happy that I’ve had a very big contribution to the community of lady riders.” Together with three-time FIM Rider of the Year Bornok ‘The Lion’ Mangosong, the duo is ready to take on whatever challenges the ARRC has in store.
For Yamaha Motor Philippines’ circuit riders, we have Mckinley Kyle Paz who’s back after three years of racing in Europe. ‘The Wonderboy’ is racing for the Yamaha Tekhne ASEAN Team and is sure to light up the SuperSports 600cc category. Racing in the Underbone 150cc category are ‘Rocketboy’ April King Mascardo and ‘The Flash’ Gian Carlo Mauricio. The two are looking to bring the UB150 title back to Filipino hands while racing for the UMA MMR Yamaha Philippine Racing Team.
Supporting Riders of all Ages and Sizes
Yamaha is not just supporting the big teams but the smaller ones as well. The 4S1M EVO Yamaha Racing Team headed by ‘The Hitman’ J.E. Inguito made an appearance at the event. Though small, this team is still driven enough to compete at the ARRC level. Together with them were the SEC Yamaha Racing Team which plans to continue their foothold on national competitions.
Last but not least, Yamaha is also looking towards the future as they introduced a new generation of Filipino riders. Moy Reyes, Zain Kaizzer Doblada, and Mytchell Joshua Ngo qualified for the R3 bLU cRU Asia-Pacific Championship and the three have just entered their teens. The three young riders are vying to win the regional tournament in order to qualify for the world championship in 2025 and Yamaha Motor Philippines has promised to help them every step of the way.
“We want to take on any and all challenges on the racetrack,” said Motorsports Safety Promotions Assistant Supervisor John Hanzel Leyva. “Not just for our benefit but also for the growth of this sport in the Philippines.”
For more information about Yamaha and their riders, check out their official website and Facebook page.
Banner photo by Yamaha Philippines.
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