There’s hope yet for the Philippines to make its mark in international motorcycle racing. Pinoy bet, McKinley Kyle Paz, improved tremendously over his first Euro Moto2 outing a few weeks ago by clinching 7th place.
The most recent round of Euro Moto2 saw the field head to the Autodromo Internacionale do Algarve in Portimao, Portugal for two races last July 4, 2021.
Paz, riding with VR46 Master Camp Team in the FIM CEV Repsol Moto2 series, was determined to improve on his performance in the prior round.
Improve he did as Paz qualified in 13th place for the to races. In race 1, Paz fought his way up the pack to eventually clinch a 7th place finish, his best yet this season.
In Race 2, Paz started again on P13 and attempted to fight his way up the pack. Unfortunately, this second race resulted in a crash. Thankfully, it was just a low side and Paz was able to make it back to the pit.
This round certainly showed that, by keeping his head down, Paz can quickly adapt and match the pace of the competition. These two rounds have also granted him some insight into what’s needed to stay competitive.
Paz said managing fatigue is key as it takes tremendous effort and concentration to battle for place. While the bike is relatively light, the focus required can take a toll on the rider, leaving him fatigued towards the closing laps of the race.
Paz also shares that Pinoy riders that wish to make it up to this level of racing must be far more disciplined and dedicated. He shared that the braking is one of the key things he had to learn as riders in this league braked much later and harder than he was used to. Braking that much later puts a lot of strain on the body, and as such, any hopeful must be physically conditioned for this league as well.
He also shares that training with his 600cc sport bike was not enough as the actual race bike is still far more powerful and lighter.
Nonetheless, he’s been able to find a good rhythm in preparation for races through prayer and listening to music to calm himself down, relax, and prepare himself for practice and races.
There are still plenty of rounds of racing left and plenty of opportunities for Paz to prove himself. Catch him on the next round in Aragon, Spain on July 25.
We’ll be watching. We hope you will too.
