SEAOIL-DC-Kart Plaza karter Gabriel Tayao Cabrera emerged the lone Filipino Mini-ROK podium finisher after settling for fifth place in the Grand Finals of the 2012 Asian Karting Open Championship held at Sentul International Circuit in West Java, Indonesia.
Backed up by a capable crew composed of veteran tuner Sonny Suba, Elson Carpio and Joesefilo Bariquit, the 12-year-old Cabrera made the most out of a mere two days to try out the track and held his own against a tough grid of predominantly Indonesian champions.
“Some of the Indonesians were already racing in the European circuit in higher levels so it was an honor to race with them in Indonesia. I’m happy with my win but I do not want awards to define me as a driver,” said Cabrera.
“I believe in the phrase that it’s not the victory itself but rather the fight,” he added.
“Gabe is a very good driver. It was very hard for me to overtake him,” remarked Indonesian Presley Martono, a multi-awarded international mini-ROK champion who is currently racing the European circuit in the upper KF3 class.
Cabrera is setting his sights on racing primarily in international events in 2013.