Motorcycle Philippines

July 26, 2009 was the most awaited date for Volunteer Riders who wants to join the Ride For A Cause (RFAC).

Now on its second year, another successful ride of RFAC was accomplished.  This ride was delayed for a week because no beneficiary has been selected.  Due to time constraint and the Volunteers don’t want to miss the once a month RFAC ride, the COE’s decided to revisit the first beneficiary a year ago.  It was the children of Brgy. Maate, Famy Laguna.  This place is situated in the highland of Laguna Province.

With the volunteerism in mind, Once COE’s braved the dark of the night and bad weather to coordinate with Barangay Officials of this planned ride. Since his most dependable and reliable is now with the new owner, this COE’s borrowed a motorcycle to accomplish his assignment.

Now there is a selected beneficiary and date it was posted in the Rides and Touring Section of www.motorcyclephilippines.com/forums/. From the opening of the said thread, Volunteer Riders one after the other posted their names as the list grows longer and longer, from the Regular Riders of RFAC to Newbies (first time to RFAC).

As the Ride day come, early morning rain starts to fall, SMS was transmitted from COE’s to COE’s for weather check at their locations.  From Season 1 and first two (2) Rides of Season two, rains didn’t stop these volunteers to continue their mission.

At the assembly point, Volunteers started to arrive one after the other. The organizers started to distribute red ribbon to Riders and White ribbon for Ride Officials. These ribbons where use for easy identification.  A brief rundown was made for the basic Riding Rules and a prayer before take off.

A gasoline station in Famy, Laguna was the last stop before proceeding to the children. In here donations was collected, from goods to cash.  They were able to raise funds enough to buy rice and instant noodles aside from the same brought by the Riders. Some donated canned goods and used clothing.

A few kilometers ride from gasoline station to Baranggay Hall with narrow and twisted cemented road was tackled by the Riders and a couple of minor mishap happened due to slippery and rough portion of the road.

From a far we can see the children are lined up and waiting for the Riders.  As the merchandise arrived Volunteer Lady Riders packed the goods for easy distribution.  While waiting the children was treated with candies.

The Baranggay Captain together with his Two (2) Lady Kagawad welcomed the Riders and he was very happy that his constituents were chosen as the beneficiaries.  As a token of their appreciation, the Riders were treated with fresh coconut to quench their thirst.

As the children leave one after the other with a bag of goodies, seeing their smiles makes the volunteers to look for the next RFAC Ride.

We would like to thank all the Volunteers and Donors for the next RFAC Ride.

Your kind heartedness is not for the RFAC but for our less privilege countrymen.

As our motto “Naka Ride Ka Na Nakatulong Ka Pa”

See you All

Happy and Safe Ride

It was another great day to go out and do another seminar like what we recently did in Zambales a few months back. It is always nice to meet new people and share what we’ve learned with them.

The trip was short and fast. The NLEX and SCTEX has done wonders in cutting down travel time. We reached Olongapo in no time and did our initial ocular inspection of the venue where the seminar was going to be held. All there is to know about the Olongapo Convention Center is that the place deserves a lot of praise by the sheer size and way it was built.

After the inspection, we headed down to Max for some mirienda while waiting for our hosts. Upon arrival of the Yamaha Club of Olongapo, we were brought to the hotel where we stayed over night. Even our accommodations were beyond our expectations and we were given a good nights rest during our stay.

By night fall, our main host, picked us up from the hotel and brought us to a fancy pizza parlor which reminded me of what used to be Shakey’s in the 80’s. There were a couple of bands playing that night and they were awesome to say the least. After eating, we were brought to a couple more bars where the bands were at their best. We got the best of Olongapo even before we did the seminar for them. After a few drinks and a lot of entertainment, we were walked back by our host to our hotel for our rest.

The next morning, we left the hotel early and had a quick breakfast before heading back to the Convention Center. After being showed around the place, we proceeded to setup our banners, laptop and PA system. After a quick check, we then waited for the participants from all over to converge and listen to us talk.

Jake was first and after a fun and informative session, I gave my seminar and and answered some questions from the crowd. We were met with a surprise when the hosts together with the City Councilor of Olongapo City presented me and Jake with plaques of appreciation for being guest speakers for their seminar.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank Hon. Cornelio Niro who hosted our seminar, the Yamaha Club of Olongapo City for their support, The local government for sponsoring the event, Inside Racing for the giveaway magazines, MCP for being a partner in this movement and all those who participated in the seminar. We hope to be able to go to more places and see more people in the future.

The Olongapo seminar was held last May 24, 2009.
If you are interested in having seminars done in your locale, please get in touch with the MRC office at 725-3949 or the MRO office at 934-4176. You may also send inquiries via email to mroph@yahoo.com.
Thank you!

MotoItalia Philippines, the newest member of the Autohub Group, has just been appointed as the authorized distributor of Piaggio brands namely Piaggio, Vespa and Gilera, in the Philippines . Piaggio, the number one 2-wheel company in Europe , has finally made its way to Eastern shores.

Piaggio scooters offer freedom and joy in motion. Italian technology boasts of reliability, safety, and design, crafted elegantly so that your daily travel becomes a beautiful adventure, rather than routinely.

Vespa, on the other hand, has become a lifestyle brand that has redefined mobility. Its elegance has become a classic fashion statement, a personal expression passionately followed by a scooter cult. Vespa scooters in the Philippines will definitely hit a fresh score!

Gilera is a multi-gear sports scooter that’s best for racing and off-road maneuvering. This brand is known for breath-taking World and Grand Prix victories as Gilera engines brag avant-garde power, perfect for limitless velocity. Your need-for-speed will surely be quenched with even just a round of Gilera fun ride.

Piaggio scooters in the Philippines , through MotoItalia, will open new doors to style, safety, and a world waiting to be discovered. Flagship showroom is located at Ortigas Avenue , Greenhills.

MotoItalia aims to actively promote scooter riding in the Philippines as a stylish, environment-friendly and fun way to move around the city.

NEXT TRACK DAY ON AUGUST 23, 2009 AT BRC!

Despite the heavy rains in Manila, a good number of participants showed up on Track Day on May 31, 2009 at the Batangas Racing Circuit, organized by the National Racing Association (NRA) and presented by Bridgestone Tires.

Some riders and event regulars who already committed to attending Track Day, suddenly turned back because of the pouring rain in the country’s capital, thinking that the foul weather was the same in Batangas. But several gutsy motorcyclists who did not want to pass up on the track activity, were pleasantly surprised when they were met by sunny skies at BRC.

Participants had a chance to test ride bikes from Kawasaki Motors Philippines, Corp., namely the Fury 125R, the Barako 175, and the Rouser 200, a semi-big bike that KMPC will soon be introducing to the public. Some said the Rouser is a “beautiful bike” and couldn’t wait for it to be out in the market.

Several members of motorcycle clubs were present as before, such as Club 200, ATAT, Kawasaki Riders Club, Marahas, Bagwis (Manila), Promotor, Laguna Moto Club, Yamaha Mio MC, Ducati, LERAP, and the P**p**k Riders.

Riders who belonged to the Cebu Cyber Moto Club also flew in from the island province specifically to attend the NRA Track Day. They said they learned about the event from their friends from ATAT and also wanted to enroll in the Motorcycle Riders Course’s (MRC) Advanced Rider Training (ART) School. They said they were looking forward to attending the next Track Day, as well as the ART, this coming August 22 and 23, 2009.

Although the weather turned uncooperative early on in the afternoon, which cancelled most of the p.m. sessions and a scheduled fun race, quite a number of riders said the NRA’s Track Day was very orderly, enjoyable, and well-run.

John Gravez an English expat who was in the country for about three months when he learned about Track Day from www.motorcyclephilippines.com, and riding on a WR450 Motard, disclosed that he had also attended track days in England and in Qatar, but said the NRA Track Day was better organized than some of those he had participated in overseas. Superbike rider George Gerard, who uses a Ducati Desmosedici 1198cc MotoGP bike in the BRC races, commented that NRA Track Days are very well managed and that he will continue to be a Track Day regular because of its handling by the organizers.

An amusing attraction also came out of the stormy track day conditions.

Four riders (who will remain unnamed) refused to let the weather dampen their day and decided on a whim to ride around the circuit in the hard, driving rain. One of the “loony bikers” (as they were already dubbed), using the Kawasaki Rouser 200, and in his enthusiasm to ride BRC in the wet, however, sputtered on his first roundabout and suddenly stopped before the Yamaha corner (Turn 3).

Despite what seemed like an eternity trying to re-start the bike and getting utterly drenched in the process, LB1 had no choice but to wait for his fellow LB’s, who had already gone far ahead around the track, to help him out. When fellow LB’s finally got to LB1, they probably wished they could conk LB1 in the head when they found that the powerful Rouser had simply ran out of gas!

But LB1 still got to enjoy his soggy session at BRC after getting some assistance via a back ride to the fuel dump to purchase the much-needed gas for the Rouser. Suffice it to say that LB1 learned a very watery and soppy lesson (and for many riders as well) to always check the fuel gauge before going out on track (or for any ride for that matter…)

Sponsors of the NRA Track Day include Teknic Leathers, AeroMed Ambulance Transport and Easy Trailer, together with media partners Inside Racing, Mo2rista, and www.motorcyclephilippines.com.

For more information about Track Day, contact the National Racing Association at tel. no. (02) 725-3949, mobile no. (0917) 8202391, or email at mrc@motorcyclephilippines.com.

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Night Racing Supercross In Metro Manila:
Mayor Bernabe Supercross Cup Kicks Off June 12-13

The country’s top motocross riders will have their first taste of night racing when National Motorcycle Sports and Safety Association (NAMSSA)’s stages round 5 of the 2009 Supercross series in Paranaque City on June 12 & 13. Supercross, a popular spectator sport in the US will be showcased in the in event being organized by NAMSSA at the Speedworld Supercross Track located near SM City Bicutan.

Conceptualized to create an awareness of the motorcycle sport among enthusiasts as well as weekend mallrats forever in search of anything entertaining, NAMSSA’s supercross series is guaranteed to bring huge crowds to the venue considering its proximity to the mall and its accessibility to riders and enthusiasts from the metropolis and neighboring provinces.

Moto 1 will be held on Friday night, June 12, while Moto 2 is set the following evening. Official practice starts at 4:00 pm. The races in different classes will commence after the practice sessions up and last until the day’s final race set at around 10 pm.

“We wish to thank Mayor Jun Bernabe for supporting our endeavor,” said Macky Carapiet, President of NAMSSA. “We are likewise thankful to Mr. Benjo Bernabe of the Paranaque City Sports Department. We hope that we will be able to contribute significantly to their goals and objectives.”

An estimated 30,000 watts of lighting equipment will illuminate the racetrack using the state of the art CAT Rental Store HID Lighting. The circuit which was designed to comply with international standards for supercross was carved out with state of the art Cat Monark Equipment in the record time of two weeks with constant adjustments. Other supporters of the event are SM City Bicutan, GCG Racing Pipes, Topmaster, JBS Moto Shop, Flamboyant Construction, Signeffex, Inside Racing, motorcyclephilippines.com

The top winner of the event will be awarded the Mayor Jun Bernabe Supercross Cup. The series will showcase the country’s premiere riders as they square off for the top prizes in different divisions. Riders from Northern and Central Luzon, Quezon, Bicol, Leyte and Davao have also confirmed their participation. Monthly night races are scheduled up to round 12. For more info you may reach Mob: 0917-8479785, Globe Duo:216-5234 or email at namssa01@hotmail.com or check out www.namssa.org