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Speed Soul
Younger racers might go through their whole careers without ever knowing what is really important. Jojo Silvero shares his experiences, and what he thinks is key to a fulfilling racing profession
Words by Paulo Rafael T. Subido; Photography by Alfred Mendoza
"Back in our day, we had to be creative just so we could join the sport," says multi-awarded racing champion Jojo Silverio. "We were about eleven years old at the time, and we would organize races in the park, and invite nearby villages—every village had their own racers."
Recalling the early days brings a smile to Jojo's face. He may seem very stern and serious at first, but once his stories begin, his enthu-siasm becomes infectious.
Jojo grew up with Pocholo Ramirez's boys, and upon finding out that their fathers were racing top dogs at the time, they all became friends instantly. And since they were neighbors as well, racing their go-karts and bikes around the village became a regular pastime, and the neighborhood became the venue for plenty of preadolescent mischief.
"We'd charge an entry fee, and from the entry fees, we would have nice prizes. I was fortunate enough to have my dad's collection of trophies, so I'd steal the small ones and use them for awards during our races," he recounts, laughing. "We'd also buy Playboy magazine and scale models as prizes, then we used the rest of our funds to buy racing equipment, so that we could race in the bigger events. We had a lot of fun and a lot of adventure. It is totally different for the younger ones now."
He continues: "The kids today know the rules and the ethics of driving at such early ages, but I hear that the parents are so involved that tempers flare up. That is not the nice part, because when you join motorsports, it should be about friendship between people. It is about having fun! The atmosphere nowadays, I hear, isn't so fun. Competitive, yes, but I don't know if the kids are enjoying, you know? That is the difference between then and now."
Jojo's first introduction to motorsports was in 1969 when he witnessed the First Luneta Grand Prix. This was where he met Pocholo (who won), and from then on nothing could stop him from pursuing a racing career.
He was to follow in his father Dante's footsteps, and eventually compete against him as well. Jojo eventually bested the elder Silverio during the 1987 Mabuhay Freedom Rally. It was a 1-2 Silverio finish.
During Jojo's first ‘official' race, his training was very brief. "My dad gave me a two-lap driving course and the rest was up to me. Before qualifying, I was sitting in my car and then I realized, ‘Wait, what is qualifying? What should I do?!' My style was still so crude back then, and at the start, I sheared all of the bolts in my flywheel. My car didn't move. It was all very anti-climatic."
It's ironic that that the same thing happened to Jojo in his last AF3 race three years ago.
One of his most memorable races was in Zhuhai, China, where he competed against an international field. He qualified on pole and was highly praised by the foreign announcers on Star Sports. He was touched, and he actually hoped that an international team would pick him up right then and there.
"But it isn't like that," he sighs. "Still, one day of glory is memorable. It shows you that Filipinos are good drivers and can race with foreigners and still come out on top."
Were racecar drivers considered rock stars back then? "Oh, yeah, of course!" he chuckles. "As far back as when we were bicycling around the village, we already had our groupies. It was quite nice. It was such a good feeling that at such a young age, we had them."
Jojo has a great career to look back on, and he shares some sage advice for the kids: "Don't take it too seriously, guys! Don't forget to study because racing is very competitive and difficult. It is hard to succeed and you need a fallback plan, but the lessons you learn from racing, such as perseverance and discipline, can be used so that you will be successful in any venture you choose. There is life after racing."
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Top Gear Philippines - November 2007
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