THE NMI’s Christian Camacho and Guam’s James Lujan topped the two-hour ATV Enduro event of Guam’s Smokin’ Wheels 2023 on Sunday.
It was Camacho’s fourth time competing in Smokin’ Wheels, but the previous three were held over a decade ago.
“James Lujan and I are happy to battle with top pro riders from Japan and, of course, hometown riders from Guam,” Camacho said. “We partnered as one Marianas and wanted to bring home a win. We didn’t expect to come up top, but we were definitely giving it our best, aiming for that number 1 spot.”
The duo completed a total of 35 laps with a time of 02:04:17.417.
“The competition was good, the track was long and tricky,” Camacho said. “Every lap or two, the condition of the line I was taking was changing. It made me have to either slow down or look for another line. There were times when I got buckled, but I held on tight and made sure I stayed on my bike.”
In second place were George Santos and Pierre Banes who cleared 35 laps with a time of 02:05:04.598 while Tatsuhiko Hosoda rode solo or “ironman” for a third-place finish with 31 laps and a time of 02:04.28.455.
Camacho also competed in the open expert ATV event where he finished third in the first heat and fifth in the 2nd heat to secure fourth place overall.
“The Smokin’ Wheels event is always a blast for competitive racing in different categories,” he said.
“If it has wheels and an engine, there’s a race for it. It’s a great event to bring the family out to enjoy a fun-filled day. I am looking forward to next year and the years after. The NMI riders did great. It was an experience many of us that have been to the event wanted to share, knowing how much of a fun time they would have,” Camacho added.
“It also couldn’t have been done without our pit crew, [Marianas Racing Association] President Charles Cepeda, my wife, my parents, the MRA board and members — they all all chipped in and helped. So, a big thank you to them.”
More on Smokin’ Wheels 2023 will be featured in Variety’s upcoming edition.
Christian Camacho and James Lujan pose with their trophies after winning the ATV Enduro event of Smokin’ Wheels 2023 on Guam.
