Yamaha PH to field Paz in FIM JuniorGP, 2 others in ARRC

 Yamaha Motor Philippines (YMPH) will be supporting three homegrown racers two separate international events for 2022.

McKinley Kyle Paz will be at the FIM JuniorGP World Championship while April King Mascardo and Gian Carlo Mauricio are set to join the Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC).

Paz — who finished 16th place overall in the 2021 FIM CEV-Repsol European Championship Moto2 Category — will be riding under the Yamaha Philippines Stylo Bike Racing Team. 

Although competing under the same category (Moto2), Paz will be using a sports bike with a 700cc engine — a bigger powertrain compared to what he rode when he raced under the VR46 Master Camp team.

In an interview, YMPH Motorsport Head Jordan Cornista shared that Paz is “very excited and determined” in achieving good numbers in the upcoming races.

“Once he has adjusted to the riding style and the power output of the vehicle, mas mapapakita niya yung galing niya sa karera (he can show his riding skills better),” Cornista told Carmudi Philippines.

Meanwhile, Mascardo and Mauricio will vie for the top spot in the ARRC UB150 category. The two were handpicked from the 14 racers that had undergone tests, which measured their skills in motorsports.

Of the two, Mascardo can be considered the veteran in the competition as he joined the series under a different team and contended in a class that no longer exists.

Despite that, Cornista said that the two have what it takes to take the championship title in the ARRC series. To note, Paz was the ARRC UB150 category champ in 2019.

“Hindi naman nagkakalayo ng skills yung dalawa kay Kyle nung nag-champion siya sa ARRC. So, depende sa magiging kalaban nila ang pwede nilang kalagyan (The skills of the two are not far from what Kyle had displayed when he became the ARRC champion. So, their situation depends on the opponents that they will be facing),” Cornista said.

For its part, YMPH said that since the series of competitions resumes, it will “constantly make opportunities to support local racers and offer only the best racing experience via its world-class supersport machine for customers on and offline.”

Photos from Yamaha Motor Philippines

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