When we first met actress Ella Cruz in February this year, she was using a Yamaha YZF-R3 for her training sessions with Zero2Podium coach Joey Storm Rivero. The race-prepped 321cc sportbike is part of a fleet of R3s loaned by Yamaha Motor Philippines (YMPH) to Rivero exclusively for the training of newbies and seasoned riders.
Aside from her dancing and acting talents that brought her to stardom, you probably remember Cruz racing in the celebrity category of the Toyota Vios Cup in 2017. After that, Cruz become serious about riding motorbikes no matter how tall or big these machines are.
We also remember the 23-year-old Bulakeña saying her timeline for joining a motorcycle race is within a year, which is impressive considering she just started to learn the basics of riding sometime last year. And because of her tight showbiz schedule, Cruz finds herself doing only intermittent track sessions at the Clark International Speedway.
Veteran riders know that saddle time is very essential for being a good rider. The more you spend hours riding, the faster you become a better rider. The COVID-19 pandemic prevented Rivero from conducting track sessions, and it was only two weeks ago when he resumed the training. It was on July 3 when Cruz went back to Clark in her racing leathers.
The riding skills of newbies easily become rusty if they haven’t ridden for a long time. Rivero said Cruz has to do some refresher sessions before she can move to the next training level.
When saw the photos of Cruz with her new YZF-R3 in social media, we knew she would be able to pursue her dreams of making it big on the race track.
YMPH refuses to confirm nor deny reports that Cruz’s R3 was a sponsored unit. “It’s our way of appreciation to her,” said YMPH. Cruz has been very visible in Yamaha’s events, the most recent being the grand finals of the Yamaha GP.
