INQUIRER Sports

SOME 70 speedboat racer will invade the coast of Naga City for the 2nd Mayor Val Chiong Bancarera 2009 with Cebu's premiere racing promotions, the Power Sports Racing (PSR) organizing the event in partnership with Seacom Cebu.

The anticipated speedboat race will be held from Oct. 3 to 4, 2009.

The PSR promotions which organizes mostly motorsports racing, will be organizing a speedboat race for the first time and expects some 60 racers from Boracay, Dumaguete, Zamboangita, Negros Oriental, Ormoc, Tagbilaran and Dipolog.

The event?s pre-launching was headed by Edzel Odulio and Kenneth Bretana, the Seacom Supervisor last Monday at Sunburst SM.

?All we need is exposure so that the public will be aware about our event and we are hoping that this will be successful since it?s the first time we are handling this type of race,? Odulio said.

Last year's Mayor Val Cup champion, Meo Tapdasan of Minglanilla is expected to defend his crown. The upcoming race in Naga is sponsored by Seacom, Castrol Motor Oil and Pioneer Epoxy.

There will be three categories in the race; the 16 horsepower open category, 16 horsepower category and the modified stock 7.5 horsepower for participating fishermen. The race's format will be a single round knock out system. The race course will cover a total of 2.5 kilometers.

The champion racer will receive a brand new engine worth P17,000 and Pioneer Epoxy products worth P5,000. Prizes though are still subject to change, organizers revealed.