Lifestyle
Yamaha Grand Prix 7 Finals
It all started with the presence of a MotoGP Champion who kicked off another historic season. Now Yamaha has returned to where it all began after searching for riders across the archipelago. Qualified racers from Malaybalay, Bukidnon and Cebu City made their way to Luzon for the last battle.
Only 29 riders remained to vie for the right to be named Champion and represent Yamaha Philippines once again. But that wasn’t the only thing at stake; the winners will have an all expense paid trip to Malaysia to watch the MotoGP and a special training camp that will be held in Japan. With the stakes raised to that kind of level it was obvious that the competition will reach a high level of ferocity.
The voice of the Yamaha Grand Prix, Rico Robles, got the crowd going as he introduced the riders from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. To add more fuel to the fire, the wowowin dancers gave a scintillating performance that entertained everyone in the venue. Sales and Marketing Director, Mr. Kaoru Ogura, officially declared the race open and it was time to find out who was the best of them all.
The YZF-R15 competition was a fiery feud between teammates. Masato Fernando, James Aldrin Mendez, and John Emerson Inguito may all race under one name but on the track it was a free for all towards the finish line. Through every corner it was a hot pursuit and the owner of the top spot changed every lap. In the end only one could be named on top.
| YGP 2016 Finalist Overall Winners | |
| YZF-R15 | |
| Overall Champion | Masato Fernando |
| Overall 1st Runner Up | James Aldrin Mendez |
| Overall 2nd Runner Up | John Emerson Inguito |
The Sniper 150 Mxi featured the return of Vingie Coloma to battle against Inguito and Durraine Dan Carlos. It was an intriguing matchup that brought back images of competitions that have come before and it became another instant classic.
| Sniper 150 Mxi | |
| Overall Champion | John Emerson Inguito |
| Overall 1st Runner Up | Durraine Dan Carlos |
| Overall 2nd Runner Up | Vingie Coloma |
The Vega Force i was a joust among truly skilled riders. The first Fuel Injected underbone motorcycle in the country did not fail to s queeze out every bit of potential that the competitors had. The top 3 were:
| Vega Force i | |
| Overall Champion | Mckinley Kyle Paz |
| Overall 1st Runner Up | Gian Carlo Mauricio |
| Overall 2nd Runner Up | John Paul Lapante |
There were also additional categories that had the same level of intensity that only complemented an already exciting day of racing.
| YGP Finals Added Category Winners | |
| 130 Open UB | |
| Overall Champion | R-Mand Salandanan |
| Overall 1st Runner Up | James Amporias |
| Overall 2nd Runner Up | Bienvenido Uy |
| 160 Open UB | |
| Overall Champion | Casey Ng |
| Overall 1st Runner Up | Dustin Esguerra |
| Overall 2nd Runner Up | Mico Montano |
| Mio 125 Mxi | |
| Overall Champion | Leandro Paredes |
| Overall 1st Runner Up | Mark Djerreck Ondillo |
| Overall 2nd Runner Up | Jacob Sablaya |
| Fun Race UB | |
| Overall Champion | Angelo Portal |
| Overall 1st Runner Up | Nicx Ramirez |
| Overall 2nd Runner Up | Paulo Bayan |
| Fun Race AT | |
| Overall Champion | Zedric Poblete |
| Overall 1st Runner Up | Raymond Doroteo |
| Overall 2nd Runner Up | Juan Miguel Kaibigan |
With another season of the Yamaha Grand Prix done the growth of local riders is stealing the scene with newer faces competing this season and the ages are definitely getting younger. Yamaha will continue to find passion in every corner of the country to make sure that any rider that continues to believe, to dream, and to pursue their racing goal will get their chance.
