You just made history Kyle! 

History was made yesterday when Filipino McKinley Kyle Paz completed the 2021 FIM Repsol CEV Moto2 European Championships in Spain.

He is the first Filipino to have completed and scored points on a Moto2 racebike, a machine used in the intermediate world championship class. It is just a few steps away from the MotoGP class.

Only a few riders in the world gets a chance to race a Moto2 bike at that level every year. And Paz was racing purely on merit, having won an Asian Championship after dominating the Philippine domestic scene.

He finished most of his races and even scored points on occassions. This is despite the need to adapt to a new bike that he can only use on race weekends, to new tracks every race, and to a new team. Also, let us not forget that this is only his first full season racing a full size motorcycle after spending his entire career on underbones, scooters and 400cc motorcycles.

It takes takes a great amount of seat time to be able to learn these bikes and Paz did his best to get the most out of his first Moto2 campaign. He may not have set the championship on fire this year, but he definitely did a very respectable job against the fiesty Europeans. From an unknown Asian CEV rookie with low expectations, perhaps only to finish a race, Paz is now armed with a season of experience and expectations to fight for the top 10.

Those who were there before, like TJ Alberto, the only other Filipino who was able to compete in Europe for a full season (he did it on a Ducati Superbike in the Italian CIV and then in WSTK), said it best, after Paz’s first few races

“It is not so easy competing against the Europeans. They know the tracks and they are very focused! Kyle is really doing well! It’s really a big challenge for us non European riders, ” said Alberto.

In his first season, Paz competed on historical European race tracks that we only know from watching MotoGPs and World Superbike races. He also raced under the team of owned by no less than MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi.

Following Paz race for the past six months felt like cheering our very own Pinoy in the MotoGP World Championships regardless of the result. Knowing how diffucult it is competing at that level, this was an emotion felt by  most die-hard Pinoy race fans for sure.

” The 2021 season has ended. Even though we din’t get a better result,  I learned a lot of things. The VR6 Master Camp team  taught me how to become a better rider and a better person and big thanks to Yamaha Philippines for this big opportunity that they gave to me.  I would like to thank all the people in our team and to all our sponsor,” said Kyle after the race.

You did a great job Kyle! We are proud of you and we hope you can be back for another year so you can capitalize on what you have learned. We are sure that where ever you race next year, you will be just as good as ever!

We thank Yamaha Philippines, VR46 Master Camp, SEC Motosupply and the FIM for making this historical campaign for Kyle possible and for giving thousands of Filipino race fans great delight, inspiration and hope every weekend that Paz raced his VR46 Moto2.

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