INQUIRER Sports

MANILA, Philippines?Franco Victor Puey Reyes of Jet Racing/Industria launched his 2010 campaign in style, ruling the ROK Junior expert race in the kickoff leg of the Magnolia Purewater Karting Super Series at the Carmona Circuit Philippines over the weekend.

Reyes more than held his own against his more experienced rivals on his way to a second-place finish overall in the combined race with the ROK Senior event at the 1.1 km circuit.

The 13-year-old Ateneo student surged back from fourth spot to beat the heavily-favored Joey Orduna in the finals.

Dropping two positions following a messy start, Reyes made his move in the sixth lap to overtake Orduna, the reigning Karter of the Year awardee.

Reyes finished the 20-lap race in 14 minutes 35.01 seconds, 2.5 seconds faster than Orduna of R2R Racing.

The impressive performance augurs well for Reyes? preparations in the highly competitive Japanese circuit, where he will campaign during the summer.

He displayed his superb skills earlier in the 15-lap pre-final, where he finished second after starting fourth on the grid.

Stefano Marcelo topped the pre-final with Reyes just 1.4 seconds behind. The second-place finish ensured Reyes a spot on the front-grid of the final race.

?I?m so happy I was able to hold my own against the top drivers,? said Reyes. ?This will surely help in toughening me up for the Japanese circuit during the summer vacation.?

Next up for Reyes, backed by Industria Productions, Bingo Bonanza, Eiko Motorsports, Merlin Engines and Martin Alvendia Photography, is the Pagcor KF series on March 20 and 21. Cedelf P. Tupas