INQUIRER Sports

Cebuano karting sensation Jette Calderon once again grabbed the international spotlight as he braved the hostile competition and the unfavorable race conditions to bag the championship in the ROK Junior category of the 2009 Macau International Kart Grand Prix 46th CIK-FIA World Championship last Sunday.

Calderon finished the 18-lap final race with a time of 19 minutes, 22.846 seconds. Making the feat even more impressive was the fact that he was made to start 19th on the grid during the final heat as he was penalized by race officials for a “jumpstart” on the pre-finals earlier in the day.

But despite the odds, the 12-year old 7th grader from PAREF-Springdale utilized the power and efficiency of his brand new 2009 Maddox chassis along with his own prodigious driving skills to overtake all but four other racers in the mixed-grid final race to end up in fifth place behind higher-classed Formula 125 champion Mohammad Sharif Rahardo of Indonesia and runners-up Roby Benito and Joey Orduna, both of the Philippines.

He also had a best lap time of 1 minute, 3.887 seconds, just a mere second behind the much stronger engines of 125cc Formula 125 racers. Calderon was also grateful for the help and expertise extended to him by local karting greats Jess Garcia and Jed Neri of the Kartzone.

The incredible feat almost did not materialize after the race was almost cancelled by the CIK-GIA officials for poor track conditions. Race organizers had to scramble with the limited time remaining to repair the track and meet the exact standards and specifications of the international karting governing body.