EJ Coseteng steers his way to victory.
In perhaps the most fiercely fought race ever in the Asian Karting Open Championship (AKOC), Filipino Eduardo “EJ” Coseteng pipped Briton Reece Ushijima at the line and topped the Petron-sponsored second leg of the 2018 continental series at the Carmona Racetrack in Carmona, Cavite, over the weekend.
The 15-year-old son of former car racing champion Jody Coseteng used the quickest lap time of 43.937 seconds to forge in front to stay in the final lap and check in with a time of 20 minutes, 47.133 seconds, a mere 0.415 of a second clear of Ushijima.
Coseteng started behind Japanese pole-sitter Kaito Tsukada after the three qualifying heats, sat in second spot to the aggressive Ushijima for most of the 28-lap final race and, engineering an audacious cornering maneuver, finally tasted the lead with five laps to go.
Although he would briefly lose the front as he diced with the Briton at the start of the payoff lap, Coseteng’s brilliant passing gambit in turn 2 rewarded him with the victory—his first in the Formula 125 and X30 Senior categories after sweeping the AKOC junior titles last season.
“This [victory] is for all the members of our hard-working team,” said Coseteng, the country’s top bidder in the races following the last-minute pullout of defending Asian champion and Macau kickoff leg winner Jacob Ang due to engine issues.
Tsukada settled for third.
Girl phenom Bianca Bustamante duplicated her masterful sweep in Macau by ruling all three qualifying heats as well as the final race.