Slalom’s Rivera heads Golden Wheel’s best

MANILA, Philippines—Milo Rivera, who stole the thunder from the seasoned campaigners in the Slalom circuit last year and emerged as its youngest overall champion, won the Golden Wheel Driver of the Year award during a glittering rite Saturday night at the Samsung Hall of SM Aura in Taguig.

Topping all but three of the 12 legs of the 2014 Shell Helix National Slalom Series, the 19-year-old De La Salle University mechanical engineering sophomore dethroned long-time champion Dr. Peewee Mendiola.

His dominant form in the circuit earned the nod of the Golden Wheel judging committee as the best of Philippine motorsports in the 12th year that the prestigious award was handed out.

“This is so unexpected and I’m very grateful that the Golden Wheel judging committee strongly considered the impact of my win in awarding me the Driver of the Year trophy this year,” said Rivera.

The success of Rivera, whose uncle, Noel, was also a multititled slalom champion did not happen overnight.

Rivera also started out in the karting circuit, copping the 2012 International Karter of the Year Award for clinching the KF2 crown. He is the first and currently the country’s Young Driver Ambassador for Motorsports and Road Safety to the Federation Internationale del’Automibile (FIA) after two successful stints in the 2013 and 2014 FIA Young Driver Excellence Academy-Asia Pacific Selection Event held in Australia and China, respectively.

Rivera won over the likes of Tadahito “Dashi” Watanabe (Superbikes), Dondon Portugal (Grand Touring), Bobby Domingo (National and Asian Karting), Masato Fernando (Scooters), John Emerson Inguito (Underbone Racing), Jon Eleazar Adlawan (Motocross), Gabriel Cabrera (Asian Junior Karting), Gio Rodriguez (Drifting), Edison Dungca (4×4 Off Road), and Jonathan Tiu (Drag Racing).

Golden Wheel Award Foundation Inc. chair Johnny Tan handed Golden Wheel trophies to the nominees.

Clark Development Corp. Tourism chief Naomi Garcia, the keynote speaker, reiterated CDC’s support to Philippine motorsports while AAP’s Mark Desales congratulated the Golden Wheel Awards for its big season.

Garcia also bared plans to push Clark as the country’s haven for two-wheel and four-wheel racing events.