The country's ace jetski rider Paul del Rosario proved himself beyond doubt he's one of the best in Asia and in the world with his impressive feat in the World Watercross King's Cup Thailand Open 2004 at the Korat Airforce Base here.

His jetski boat was not actually fir for the small tight closed course track here but Del Rosario, a two-time RP national champion, pulled through the exciting finish to rule the final race and capture the over-all runner-up trophy in the 13-man field of the premier Professional 1200cc class that includes Australian champions Anthony Antees and James Masterton.

"My 2004 Yamaha GPR boat, which American turners Mark Dobson and David Harvey rushed to build and test for only two weeks, wasn't favorable for the track compared to the powerful Seadoo RXP and XPL of the Thais. It was one tough event and I'm proud to bring home the runner-up honors for the country," said Del Rosario, who's backed up by Petron Corp., Manila Cordage Corp., Networx Jetsports, Stoked Inc. and D7 Media Vision.

Del Rosario had just recovered from Dengue fever and still experiencing asthma attacks when he came here together with RP-Networx team manager Dong Arcilla, mechanics Yannick Elnar, Edwin Copino, brother Robert Raymond del Rosario and dad Bobby del Rosario in his annual event held every December to honor the King of Thailand.

Still, he came up with an amazing performance on his Pro class debut that cheated quite an impression here. Japanese jetski magnate Ted Saito even said: "The Philippines has the best Yamaha Run-about rider in Asia" while King's Cup race director Justin Lee described his performance as "Philippine Show of Force" and now considers the Philippines as a jetski power to reckon with in Asia.

"The RXP was tested to reach speeds of 83 miles per hour which is 8mph faster than my Yamaha GPR that requires the racers to ride aggressively and always constant on the throttle. Lazy riders get ejected of the craft, so I kept shifting my weight, applying smoother throttle control, and constantly using the clutch lever which aided the boat to keep its front end down,' he related.

"This is for our country and we've proven we're one of the best in the world," added Del Rosario, who'll be competing against such giant names as Chris MacCluggage, Nicolas Rius and Dustin Farthing next year.

Former world champion and top Thai rider Chokuthit Molee of Thailand's Team Flamingo bagged the prestigious King's Cup - a 20-pound, two feet tall gold plated trophy carried by Thailand's national guards and placed next to the portrait of the king.

He wound up the four-race event with 198 points, just a one-point edge over Del Rosario. Ekchon Kingchansil of Thailand's N. Max-Maxima Team Paw took third place honors.

Del Rosario's feat made up for his disappointment at the World Jetski Championship in Lake Havasu, Arizona last October where he was "allegedly" denied of the crown.

back to news