CheCkpoint
ar lovers, kindly excuse me.
In the meantime, allow me to
discuss a topic that might not be
of interest for most of you, but
would still stimulate your mind.
The motorsports sector has grown
tremendously on a global level, even if it’s
not exactly the same scenario here in the
Philippines. Formula 1 , considered the pinnacle
of motorsports, is expanding not just in number
of fans, but also in the money involved, from
ticket revenues to merchandise sales. Despite
the controversies surrounding the current
format of the aforementioned racing series, F 1
supremo Bernie Ecclestone is smiling.
On the flip side, F 1 teams have to endure the
skyrocketing costs of sustaining their racing
and car-development efforts. And because
of budget constraints, some countries have
thrown in the towel on their hopes of hosting a
grand prix, though other nations are still willing
to persist just to show the world the beauty of
their land, culture and people.
For now, I bet many of you have already
noticed another motorsport discipline stealing
the spotlight from the F 1 show—MotoGP. If
you have extra bucks to spend, try watching one
of the 18 rounds live, and you’ll see what I mean
about the series’s growing popularity.
In places where both F 1 and MotoGP events
are held, organizers will tell you that the latter
has double or triple the number of spectators.
This is one of the reasons sponsors are also
investing in MotoGP, particularly in Asia,
where national economies are thriving more
compared with their western counterparts.
Because Asia is a strong market not only for cars
but also for motorcycles, MotoGP organizers
are seriously considering some of the countries
here as potential race venues. They are also
thinking of tapping Asian riders, given that the
series has been dominated by Europeans and
Australians the past two decades.
And so, the Shell Advance Asia Talent Cup
(ATC) was born. The three-year program aims
to develop top young riders—starting from
the age of 15 —to compete against the best in
the region using identical Honda 250 cc bikes.
Organizers say it is the springboard of Asian
riders to Moto 3 and, hopefully, Moto 2 and
MotoGP. In fact, they are positive that some
of the ATC graduates will make it all the way
to MotoGP.
What about language and cultural barriers?
Asian riders have to communicate, relate, and
establish good working relationships with
predominantly English-speaking coaches,
trainers and mechanics. Not only that—apart
from having superb skills on two wheels, they
must be effective communicators to function
as ambassadors for the riding program, and to
beat the drum of its sponsors.
The good news is that ATC has formulated
a solution for the language barrier. Dubbed
‘Champs’ (short for ‘Creating Higher
Ambitions, Mentoring Program Success’), it
is an interactive program aimed at enhancing
the communication skills of every rider by
providing one-on-one mentoring support.
ATC riders from Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia,
Thailand, Australia, China and, of course, the
Philippines are encouraged to build rapport
with their mentors to be able to relate their
career aspirations and ATC involvement, and
to speak proficiently in front of the media and
the public during interviews and appearances.
Effective communication entails speaking
and writing well, so Champs also requires
the participants to write essays about their
personal experiences in ATC, along with their
expectations and goals. What’s more, these
young riders must share who their MotoGP
heroes are.
Most important, however, Champs includes
lessons on motorbike terminologies and
specifications so that the riders can discuss
these with their team bosses and mechanics.
On giving more weight to the significance
of the ATC program, the young riders will
be discussing with their mentors issues
concerning health and nutrition to keep them
in top shape for the grueling training activities.
After all, if MotoGP has 18 races held globally,
ATC has six rounds—Chang International
Circuit in Thailand, Losail International
Circuit in Qatar, Sepang International Circuit
in Malaysia, Zhuhai International Circuit in
China, Twin Ring Motegi in Japan, and back
to Sepang. It’s still a packed schedule for the
rookie riders.
In this second year of the series, ATC’s
organizers are hoping to complete the Champs
program by the sixth round, and after that, all
the riders will undergo evaluation. This means
the communication skills of each participant is
a plus factor in the selection process for those
will stay on for the next season.
As young ambassadors for the motorcycle-
racing communities of their respective
countries, these young riders must have the
ability to speak and write well about their
experiences, teams, programs and support
groups. Never mind if they can’t be completely
fluent in English because of the limited time
allotted for Champs. As long as they make an
effort to communicate and do their best to shed
any fear of being in front of people, they are
helping themselves get into the Big League.
So, start learning from MotoGP starts
Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez. Their
English might not be flawless, but the audience
can feel that they’re speaking from their
hearts—as real champions.
Aris ilAgAn
next big thing
motorsports fanatics have
another event to follow, the
grand prix of motorcycle racing
CAR CULtURe
C
‘AsiA is A stRong
mARket not onLy
foR CARs bUt ALso
foR motoRCyCLes’
CAR CULtURe
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