Cebu’s best karting talent found himself right back on top once again as Juan Antonio “Tonyo” Carcel captured the crown in the KT100 expert division of the 4th leg of the Kartzone Superkart Series last Saturday at the Kartzone track in brgy. Panagdait.
It was a long route back to the top of the podium for the 16-year old speedster from Paref-Springdale as he battled machinery problems and tough racing conditions before pulling off the victory.
Carcel was at fifth place heading to the last and final heat but the cream eventually rose to the top as he was able to utilize his prodigious driving skills to maneuver his way past his rivals en route to getting the checkered flag. Carcel previously finished in third place in the third leg of this series.
Carcel finished in second place during the qualifying heat but fell to fourth after battling through the pouring rain in the first heat. Bad turned to worse for him as he finished in fifth place in spite getting the best lap time of 28.491 seconds during the second heat, which Jette Calderon of Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu won.
However, Carcel took his game to the next level when it mattered most as he got a good start during the final heat and was in second place already behind Sean Velasco after just the first turn.
After two laps, he made his move, taking over the lead and holding on to it until the end, where he finished with a total time of 11 minutes and 54.791 seconds in the 25-lap race. He also logged in the best lap time of the afternoon with 28.289 seconds. Calderon finished second, 2.231 seconds behind while Velasco wound up in third place.
Meanwhile, Vince Rojo won the KT Novice crown, beating out third leg winner Kali Carcel. Jed Binoya won third place while Panpan Reroma took home the title in the KT Masters class. Correspondent Jonas Panerio