Shera Bechard: Honda Motor World Racing Team makes an impressive debut in IRGP 4

By: Arnel B. Santos-Ynigo
Photos by: Bobby Mencias

When Bobby texted us about Gary's 3rd place finish in the IRGP, we
were pretty excited but when he emailed us about the full story
of what happened in IRGP I was totally blown away and how I wished
I was there to witness it myself, it was truly a historic moment for
our riders from Cebu. Gary Caneda Jr., Lyndon Requilme and Peter
Gjengaar are not only riding for Honda Motor World Racing Team, they
ride for Cebu and all the riders from the South. They represent
all the aspiring riders from the grassroots level and their achievements
will serve as an inspiration to them all.

Lyndon, Gary and Peter competed in the 130cc Grand Prix, they raced in a 14
man grid. They were not only racing against upcoming riders from the North
but they would go up against the brightest stars of Underbone Circuit
Racing, 2 years ago they would only read about them in the magazines but now
they would be racing against them in the biggest race of our country the IRGP.
I could only imagine the feeling of racing against your idols, it would certainly
be a great honor.

During the 130cc Grand Prix race Maico Buncio came out strong and immediately
asserted himself for 6 to 7 laps but after that he was plagued with engine problems
and eventually fails to finish the race. Anthony Roman of Castrol Power 1
encountered problems with his exhaust pipe wherein its header pipe broke in two,
fortunately it was safety wired and didn’t fall off. Anthony kept his composure
and went all the way to bag top finish. Tracy Soyangco of Team Kawasaki finished
2nd while Victor Laude finished 3rd. The riders of Honda Motor World would not go
down without a fight, Lyndon in the early stages of the race was doing battle with
Mark Chua and Victor Laude, these two riders were no ordinary riders they are highly
experienced and have been champions in the past. But Lyndon was right there in the
mix, there was even a time that he overtook Mark and Victor and was in a position
of getting 3rd. Lyndon however was overcame with arm fatigue because the race was
20 laps and the pack that he was in was pushing a very relentless pace.
There was no time to rest, you had to go at it 100 % for each passing lap and
you had to keep on firing on all cylinders until the checkered flag is waved.
This was the highest level of competition for underbone circuit racing in our
country, and Lyndon was right there in the middle of it all, he went toe to
toe with the National Pro Racers namely Maico Buncio, Anthony Roman, Tracy
Soyangco,Victor Laude, Mark Chua, Niel Soyangco, Raniel Resuello,Michael
Altamira,Mark Indiongco, and Josh Reuben tan. Lyndon would
eventually finish 5th right behind Mark Chua.

Racing on the national level is no ordinary feat, it takes years of experience,
hard work and a lot of practice. I’m sure this experience will provide a lot of
learning for Lyndon he was right there on the cusp of racing glory and he made a
truly impressive debut, he has the talent and the fearlessness to compete in the
highest level. I am positive that he will be back even more stronger and it will be
only a matter of time before he makes it to the next level. Peter Gjengaar and Gary
Caneda also made impressive performances in the 130cc Grand Prix. Peter finished 9th
and Gary finished 10th.

Based on the performance of the Honda Motor World Racing Team in the IRGP, the riders
of the south maybe asking themselves. Are we there yet? I can certainly answer a big
YES. Right now its not a question anymore about bridging the gap, the great divide
was bridged a year ago. The riders of the south have indeed caught up they are
now gunning not only for a respectable finish but they are gunning for the victory
in the podium.

Castrol Power 1 130 GP Race Results
1. A. Roman – Castrol Power 1 (Fastest Privateer Award)
2. T. Soyangco – Kawasaki
3. V. Laude – HISPEED DSF
4. M. Chua – Kawasaki
5. L. Requilme – Honda Motorworld Cebu
6. N. Soyangco – Kawasaki
7. R. Rubin – Replica Pro
8. M. Indiongco –Motorstar
9. P. Gjengaar - Honda Motorworld Cebu
10. G. Caneda - Honda Motorworld Cebu

Lyndon Requilme was right there in the mix in the lead pack