JOHN ALVAREZ was given the chance to frolic in the United States last summer vacation. But he chose to forego a grand vacation to train hard in his bid to win Driver of the Year in the Cadet 60 Expert Class of the 2005 Shell Superkarting Series.
It was a decision he didn’t regret.
True to his promise, the 11-year-old Alvarez indeed won the Cadet Driver of the Year plum following awe-inspiring performances in the Asian Karting Championship and Enchanted Kingdom legs. He also finished a strong second in the kick-off leg.
But it was in the Cebu leg where he virtually wrapped up the title as he posted a 17-point lead over closest rival Javi Benitez going into the final race.
Alvarez, who also trained under the watchful eyes of CRG teammate Matteo Guidicelli and Asian Formula 3 driver John O’hara finished fifth in Race 2 and fourth in the Final race, enough for him to win the title by collecting 334 points.
Roman Academia finished second while Nigel Cuesta edged out Benitez for 3rd place overall in one of the closest and most exciting Championship races in years.
"The sacrifices paid off well. I’m proud of this title. Hopefully I’ll be Karter of the Year like Matteo in the next three to four years," said Alvarez.
Even prouder were his parents, Jim and Cris, who vowed to continue supporting their son’s promising career.
