Category: Karting

Still on racing, Paco Rodriguez, whom I featured on this column a few weeks ago, returned from the World Karting Finals in Japan with good news.

“We were 36 in our class ‘expert’ and I finished 10th,” said Paco. Then he added, “Not bad… 10th in the world.” You bet that’s not bad. When I asked if he was happy with his showing, Paco said, “Yes, I’m very happy that I’m in the top 10. I didn’t expect to be in the top 10 because I qualified 24th.” Paco told me that it rained during the race and, given his “rainy day” expertise, he moved up and placed 10th.

Formula One racing fans will savor an Asian dinner feast tonight when, at 8 p.m., the first-ever F1 night race blasts off: the Singapore Grand Prix.

Here in Cebu, one young man, only 14, will keenly watch the turns, twists and traction. A big fan of Ferrari and Felipe Massa, he’ll cheer at home together with dad, Paul; mom, Cyndy; and brother, Paolo. But while he’s watching, his mind will linger at the thought of a nearby city: Suzuka, Japan.

Paco Catane Rodriguez, one of go-kart racing’s most celebrated stars in Cebu—and, yes, in the entire country—will leave on Tuesday for the World Karting Finals in the world’s second largest economy.

Spanning 600 meters in length on an asphalt road with curves that twist and snake, it’s called Kartzone.

At 9 p.m. last Tuesday, while the black sky enveloped Cebu, flood lights radiated on Kartzone. The Sportswriters Association of Cebu (SAC), our group whose sporting words you read about each morning, converged to tackle the one sport that’s defined by one word: Speed.

Rico Navarro, Raffy Osumo, Mike Limpag and Noel Villaflor