Philippine MotoGP hopeful, McKinley Kyle Paz, showed just how fast Pinoy riders can be in his first outing in the FIM CEV Repsol Moto2 European Championship.
Joining on the third round out of an 11-round season, Paz hopes to prove his worth to his host team, the VR46 Master Camp team. Prove it he did by qualifying in 18th place for the weekend’s two races.
During a short interview with Philippine media before the races, Kyle admits he still has to come to grips with the faster 600cc GP bike used in Moto2. Kyle described it as light, agile and very powerful. Nonetheless he expressed confidence he’ll be able to familiarize himself with the bike quickly.
It certainly showed in his first race where Paz slowly worked his way up from 18th places to come to battle for 12th place in Race 1. Unfortunately, he crashed out with just 3 laps to go to the finish. Thankfully, the lowside meant Paz was more than capable of competing in Race 2.
During Race 2, his early crash likely weighed heavily on his mind. Nonetheless Kyle managed to bring it home this time, finishing Race 2 in 21st place.
Paz still has a lot of training to undertake before he’s able to bring the fight to the front of the pack. Still it’s an inspiring sight to see a Philippine flag being waved at a European racing championship.
Paz will race again at the next Euro Moto2 round on July 4, 2021 at the Autodromo Algave Portimao in Portugal.
Stay tuned for updates on Kyle’s progress as well as where and when to watch the race.
