Kopiko Astig Supercross set to roar, rain or shine

FORMER Asian motocross champion Glenn Aguilar heads more than 100 topnotch riders seeing action in the sixth leg of the gruelling Kopiko Astig 3-in-One Supercross Series 2013 firing off this weekend in Tacloban City.

Construction of the challenging track at IPI property on Maharlika Highway in Caiba-an has been slowed by inclement weather in the region but the organizing Man and Machine Racing Promotions said the venue will be finished in time for the races.

Workers managed to move tons of earth to create the 34 jumps that will make up the course for the June 22 to 23 competition.

The event, which is staging 15 divisional races, has the full support of Tacloban Mayor Alfred Romualdez and Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.

“Every track we build has its own obstacles,” says Man and Machine operations manager Jake Alcordo. “Luckily, we’ve planned for this (wet weather) contingency.”

A record-setting field of 199 entries saw action in the previous leg in Dipolog City, which drew crowds of between 25,000 and 40,000.

Over P500,000 in prizes will be staked in this stop of the 12-leg series.

The veteran internationalist Aguilar of KTM Access Plus has won three of the last five Pro Open races and paces the standings.

A Rider of the Year Award will be given to the winner of the most legs in the higher divisions at the end of the series.

The races will be shown on Studio 23 on Sunday at 11 a.m. George Lizarez, Contributor