Of skills and courage

Title

Language

English

Year

1970

Subject

Karting—Philippines

Automobile racing—Philippines

Motorcycle racing—Philippines

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Abstract

Mastery over cams, gears, wheels, rods, belts, and bearings put together, marked two Getty-sponsored sports events: Go Kart Racing and Motorcycle Obstacle Run. In both events, rugged and determined men raced over speedways and hurled over makeshift obstacles in a valiant demonstration of skills and courage.

Fulltext

Each Kart is meticuluously inspected to insure safety. OF SKILLS AND COURAGE MASTERY over cams, gears, wheels, rods, belts, and bearings put together, marked two Gettysponsored sports events: Go Kart Racing and Motorcycle Obstacle Run. In both events, rugged and determined men raced over speedways and hurled over makeshift obstacles in a valiant demonstration of skills and courage. Go Kart Racing Go Kart racing is relatively new in the exciting field of motor sports. Primarily, it is geared to test the endurance of man and machine. Go-Karting started in the United States as a backyard sports, finally finding its way into the Philippines where it immediately gathered a number of enthusiasts. Keeping interest aflame in this motor sports is the Philippine Karting Federation. Under the spon10 Off the track, a last minute adjustment on his kart is made by a contestant. A competitor is assisted to get into starting position. Two contestants execute a difficult hairpin turn. At high speed, these turns sometimes throw racer and kart off the speedway. PHILIPPINE KARTING f ed er at io n I I The Winner! Nanding Villanueva of the CAM Wreckers Association displays trophy he won in Open class event. From left: Samuel O. Abellera, Getty general sales manager; Ditas Rustía, PKF muse; Villanueva and Jaime Rojas. Oops! A spin throws a contestant out of position. sorship of Getty Oil (Philippines) lnc.z the first of a series of Go Kart races was held March 8, at the Elliptical Road in Quezon City. At the Quezon City races, Getty provided participants with Flying "A" premium gasoline and Veedol lubricants. Trophies for the winners were also donated by Getty. The races, comprising four classes — novice, super, Formula II, and Open — saw the participation of the Philippine's top racers, such as Nanding Villanueva, who captured the Open class title with his blue-colored Bug powered by a McCullough twin engine; Boy déla Paz, who claimed the Super class title; Ric Catajan, who lorded over the Class II event; and Ernesto de Jesus who romped away with the Novice title. * Two early favorites, veteran karter Tom Zimmerman and Asian Champion Joey R. Bundallan, were bugged with mechanical and brake troubles. Still/ both were in the thick of the races and impressed the spectators with their motoring finesse. The fantastic speeds in go-kart racing required strict supervision and safety measures. Drivers' qualifications were very strict, requiring special licenses for the competitions. Similarly, racers had to be submitted for thorough safety inspection. The race track itself had to be properly barricaded to protect the thousands of spectators who lined the kilometer-long speedway. Getty Oil (Philippines) Inc. saw to it that the races were accidentfree by installing safety signs and barricades. The value of Getty's sponsorship was summed up by Joey R. Bundallan, Philippine Karting Federation's executive secretary, who commented: "Getty Oil's support is definitely a strong indication of the healthy development of the sport." Riding bike No. 32, Jim Creech poses for souvenir picture wth Richard Huffman, then went ahead and won over Huffman for the Light Heavyweight title. Scott poses with his winning bike in front of Getty streamer — he got racing power all right. OF SKILLS AND COURAGE Great Obstacle Run In the Philippines, the motorcycle has made its presence felt both as a means for transportation and for sport. But very often, motorcyclists figure in accidents on the highway due to over-rating of capabilities of the machine, and over-confidence of the rider himself. Like drivers of four-wheeled vehicles, motorcyclists must be familiar with the limitations of their bike. Hundreds of cyclists from different Motorcycle Clubs in the Philippines gathered at Nalinac for the Great Obstacle Run. Among those who sent in contingents were the Ridge Riders of Clark Air Force Base, the Iron Horsemen from Subic, the Angeles Motorcycle club, the Wallace Team, the John Hay Team, the Philippine Motorcycle Racing Association, and several motorcycle clubs in Greater Manila. The competitors were classified according to motorcycle engine size: Bantam (up to 100 cc), Light Weight (200 cc), Medium Weight (250 cc), LightHeavy Weight (over 450 cc). Rules were based on the Sportsman Competition Rule Book of the American Motorcycle Association. While the races were primarily a test of the cyclist's skill and his motorcycle's efficiency, in some measure, the event provided an opportunity for fuel and oil quality to prove themselves. For instance, Eldon Scott, winner of the Heavy Weight class, used Flying "A" Premium gasoline and Veedol Racing Oil. He clocked 12 min. 4 sec. — a good four minutes ahead of his rival, Joseph R. Drury, who came from the same club. Jim Creech also used Flying "A" Premium and Veedol Racing Oil, and romped away with the Light Weight class trophy. James E. Smith (Wallace Team) copped the Bantam title on his bike No. 17, after switching to Veedol racing oil. The first of its kind in the Philippines/ the Great Obstacle Run was both a race against time, and a test of the rider's skill as well as the sturdiness of his "iron horse." In motorcycling language, the event is technically defined as "observed field trials." Obstacles, natural and make-shift, were laid along the route. Each rider was granted 350 points at the start of the race. Demerits were deducted for obstacles unsuccessfully hurdled or purposely ^avoided, or for violation of rules. Getty extended support to the Great Obstacle Run project largely because of its meritorious objective. Getty provided Flying "A" Premium gasoline and Veedol racing oil to the participants. It also donated some of the trophies which were awarded to the champions. Enlivening the site were Getty buntings and streamers. Aside from the benefits pointed out, the races proved that no matter what the power and efficiency, it takes man's skill and courage to accomplish the purpose. • 12 Á competing cyclist hurdles one of the 35 obstacles strewn along the route. Eldon Scott gets a hearty handshake after winning the Heavy Weight Class. James E. Smith fills up his bike No. 17 with Veedol racing oil. He copped the Bantam title.

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