The 10th Yamaha Grand Prix is where riders start their legacy and this season wouldn’t be a simple one, because the bar was set by Masato “The Chairman” Fernando and Mckinley Kyle “The Wonderboy” Paz.
These two Filipino racing icons, started their journey in YGP wherein they were pushed to their full potential in every race. As their skills grew, all their hard work resulted in becoming the Philippine representatives in the ARRC. Now, they’re the inspirations of riders who are eyeing to be the best racer they can be. The expectations, adrenaline, and dreams are combined to make history in the YGP.
This season kicked off with the annual categories of the YGP 150 Underbone Championship, All-female Category, Dealer Cup Race, and Sniper 150 one-make race complemented by 160 Open AT, Club and Fun Races.
The YGP 150 Underbone Season Championship was composed of top riders from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao utilizing the Sniper 150 fitting the racers who want to take home the titles. They all had one goal—to race towards the finish line.
During Race 1, the battle was between Robert Ryan Espiritu and Garry Caneda. Determined to earn the top spot, Espiritu created a great distance on the last lap, leaving Caneda in second place and Niel John Centeno at third.
In Race 2, every rider was eyeing to get the title from Espiritu. Niel John Centeno made a great impression in the first lap, but Espiritu proved unstoppable as he claimed the back-to-back top finish. The overall standings for this leg had Espiritu in first, Centeno in second, and Onahon in third.
In the all-female category, through the great speed of Mio Sporty, Justine Bethany Tolentino showed why she is the reigning champion with a repeat victory and outclassing the field in the Luzon leg. Jasmin Jao was impressive and only trailed the leader by one second after starting from the eighth spot. While last year’s first runner up, Erika Ondillo, pushed through the pack with a third-place finish.
The Dealer Cup Race consisted of MotorAce, New Nemar, FMN Industrial, Rhean Marketing, LYR Motorhub, and DES Marketing, all eager to showcase the Yamaha brand beyond their shop. Maximizing the record-breaking Sight115, each rider was ready to bring home the coveted championship and a season’s worth of bragging rights. After 12 laps, Emerson Inguito of MotorAce emerged on top followed by Ephraim Onahon of Rhean Marketing and JR Daguio of LYR Motorhub.
In the Sniper 150 one-make race, the crowd witnessed why this motorcycle is the trusted vessel of Yamaha’s Champion riders. The speed and precision were evident in every corner of the racetrack. This allowed JC Adia to unleash his full potential to win it all. He was swiftly followed by Tommy Topel and Ramon Franco.
The Yamaha Grand Prix is where the racing dreams turn into reality and those aspiring racers will soon be one of the Filipino racing icons. This competition is the perfect avenue to cater to your passion for racing. In this 10th season, Yamaha is off to an epic start with dramatic wins and runaway victories. Will the leaders keep their top spots? Or will we see a new set of champions in the next leg? Find out on May 26 as the YGP heads to Mindanao.
