Nocom shines in Petron karting tilt
THE youngest participant in the Petron Karting Academy, 7- year- old Axel Nocom, took his first ever championship in the Petron Karting Academy last weekend at the Clark International Speedway Kart Track in Pampanga.
The karting competition was open to kids 12 years old and below.
Nocom showed his young age wasn’t a hindrance against older competitors by winning one leg and placing second in the final three to finish first overall in the Cadet Class with 166 points. This very impressive win made everyone take notice of the very talented karter, who kept improving in every round.
“I am very happy to win the Cadet Class in my first try,” said the young but determined Nocom after the race. “I dedicate this to my grandfather, Mariano Nocom Sr., and to my parents who let me join karting.” His grandfather passed away when the karting series started.
Nocom was under tremendous pressure in all four rounds, with 12-year-olds Jesus Garcia and Joaquin Yulo always challenging him. Garcia and Yulo won one round each but both couldn’t sustain their charge to be consistently in the top three in each leg, eventually giving Nocom the overall title. Garcia took the second place in the end with 137 points, and Yulo ended with 123 points to take the third place.
The very supportive parents of Axel Axel, Mike and Aileen, see a big future for their son in motor sports. “We are very proud of Axel as he was improving his lap times in every round. Axel made good friends with other racers in the Cadet Class, and we are very happy that he drove very well in this final round to take the title,” Mike said.
“We would like to thank the VS Racing Team and chief mechanic Sonny Suba for preparing Axel’s kart. We also thank God for keeping our son safe every time. We hope all parents will let their children try karting as it really is better than making them play with gadgets indoors as we always have fun together during the races,” the father added.
The parents said their son would continue running in the Cadet classes of the various local karting series and would try to go international if organizers permit him.