11-year-old Atienza secures ROK Asia Cup PH Round 5 victory

MANILA: Ayrton Atienza has taken the top podium at the fifth round of the ROK Cup Asia Philippines.

The 11-year-old representative of JVL/Autoplus Racing Team crossed the checkered flag of the 10-lap race in 10:29.553 — eight seconds ahead of Augusto Mate of Resultado Racing PH.

Aside from the victory, Atienza clocked the best lap time of 1:01.643 in the wet, night race held last July 19-20 at the Clark International Speedway in Pampanga.

The win was not without hardships as Atienza started fifth on the grid but slipped to 11th. Eager to win, he slowly made a strong comeback by closing the gap against fellow competitors.

He covered the first lap at 1:05.059, then trimmed it down to 1:03.817 on Lap 2 followed by 1:03.437 on Lap 3. He got the fastest time upon completing Lap 4.

Driven from that point on, Atienza covered Laps 5-10 in low 1:02s.

“Believe. Just believe that you can do it, overtake your opponents, and stay focused. That’s what kept me going. Even with the rain, the slippery track, and racing at night, I found my rhythm, regained my confidence, and pushed through to the finish,” Atienza shared when asked about his win.

To note, Atienza is the grandson of Autoplus Sports Center Founder Carlos Gono and nephew of well-known racer Luis Gono.

Trained by veteran karting coach John Dizon, Atienza has been at the tracks since he took up the sport at age nine. His latest win not only adds to his growing resume but also signals the rise of the next generation of Filipino racers.

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