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Shane nips Cuki in MRA races
Cuki, left, and Shane Alvarez are in a tight race during Heat 2 of the expert open division contest in the Marianas Racing Association event last Sunday at the Kan Pacific grounds. (Joseph Chin)
The expert open division competition in the Marianas Racing Association’s event last Sunday turned out to be a father-and-son showdown with Shane Alvarez nosing out his dad, Cuki.
The older Alvarez drew first blood in last weekend’s races at the Kan Pacific grounds, as he won Heat 1 (forward course). Shane was ranked second and was followed by Melvin Cepeda, Kiko Santos, and Patrick Togawa.
The Alvarezes returned to the racetrack along with Cepeda (Togawa and Santos passed up on the second heat), but this time they took on the reverse course for Heat 2 with Shane edging out Cuki in the battle for first place.
Steve Sablan clears a hill during the veterans 45 and over division race. (Joseph Chin)
With the father-and-son duo splitting top honors in the two heats, Cuki and Shane ended up with 47 points apiece. The winner of each heat received 25 points, while the runner-up got 22. To break the tie, MRA, based on its rules, referred to the results of Heat 2, giving Shane the victory.
Meanwhile, Steve Sablan also saved the best for last when he ruled Heat 2 to prevail in the veterans over 45 division races.
Shane Alvarez, right, leads Heat 2 of the expert open division race in the Marianas Racing Association event last Sunday at the Kan Pacific grounds. (Joseph Chin)
Sablan earned 25 points for his first place finish in the second heat and adding the 22 he scored for getting the No. 2 rankings on Heat 2, he won by only 2 points against Glenn Pangelinan, 47-45. Pangelinan reigned supreme on Heat 1 for his 25 points, but was relegated to second place overall after dropping to third on Heat 2 and gaining only 20 points.
Melvin Cepeda rounded out the Top 3 rankings in the veterans over 45 division after collecting 42 points from his third place on Heat 1 (20) and runner-up on Heat 2 (22). Dave Burger (34 points), Ray Yumul (31 points), and Charles Cepeda (19 points) were the other entries in the division with the latter choosing not to race in the second heat.
Spectators watch Corry Pangelinan jump during the novice open race. (Joseph Chin)
In the novice open division, Pangelinan’s son, Corry, prevailed in both heats to win against four other riders.
Kier Agda (44 points) and Byron Castro (40 points) joined Corry in the podium, while Sus Santos and Thomas Reyes were the other competitors in the division, but only completed Heat 1.
Last weekend’s races were supported by Mobil Marianas, 4Ever CNMI, Angelito Hernaez of Lucals Oils, Esther Camacho, Pacific Trading, Corp., and IT&E.
