They may be under radar now, but once you put them on a racetrack they will top speeding meters everywhere. Meet two Ateneans who live life on the fast lane.

Stefano Marcelo

Kart Racing

As he walks the hallways of the Loyola Schools, Stefano Marcelo seems like your average college student. But what people may not know is that, the 18 year-old is Asia’s youngest karting champion.

Stefano has numerous titles under his belt: the Cebu Karting Championship, the Philippine Karting Championship, Asian Karting Championship and not to mention, placing tenth and seventh, respectively, in the 2007 and 2010 Karting World Championship.

“I had a bit of a three-peat of my own,” Stefano jokes, referring to the third Philippine Karting Championship he secured this year.

Coming from a racing family, it seemed inevitable that Stefano would follow into the family trade. Stefano’s grandfather, Edward Marcello, a pioneer in Philippine racing circles, was a successful Formula, boat, motorcycle and drag racer. Stefano’s father, John Marcelo, was a former Jet Ski and Formula 3 racer, while his uncle, the late Jovy Marcelo, is the most revered Filipino racecar driver, being the only Filipino to make it to the Indy 500 ranks.

“Racing feels very natural to me. I enjoy driving fast and my family is supportive of it,” he says.

But while Stefano’s genes may have come equipped with the makings of an accomplished racer, he had to work hard as well. Despite graduating from high school at the early age of 15, he experienced many hardships with balancing his academics and racing career. The young racer was tasked with juggling schoolwork with practices, fitness training and races. There were even times he would have to fly out to Europe on a weekly basis to compete.

But rather than complain, Stefano remains optimistic. “I feel that I’ve learned how to manage my time quite well,” he says.

After graduating from high school, Stefano trained for three years, with one year having been spent in Italy, putting his undergraduate education on hold. Thus, he has expressed relief at going back to school as a freshman in Ateneo.

Although Stefano does plan to attain a college degree, his sights are clearly set outside of the traditional workplace.

“As of now what’s most important to me is my racing,” he says.

Stefano’s long-term dream is to break into the top level of motorsports such as DTM, Le Mans, F1, Indy Car, Nascar or the WTCC. And 2011 is the year in which Stefano hopes to make the big step into formula car racing.

Stefano is not only driven by his innate passion for the sport, but also by his duty to the country. “Representing the Philippines is an honor and a big responsibility. I really wish to give back to the county by representing it in the best possible way, on and off the track”, he shares.

Soy Soriano

Track and Field

Like a thief in the night, Carlos “Soy” Soriano literally came out of nowhere. With all due respect to the man, he was never the heavily recruited rookie or the trump card coaches would pull out in dire times.

However, Soy has come a long way from a P.E. class standout.

“My high school P.E. teacher noticed [that] I could leap pretty far, so he invited me to try out for the long jump,” he shares.

Though he started out with the long jump, Soy soon moved to the racetrack. It didn’t take long until he was burning asphalt with the best collegiate sprinters in the country.

An alumnus of Ateneo High School, Soy now runs the 100, 200, and 400-meter dashes, along with the 4×100 and 4×400-meter relays. He considers the 200-meter variant his specialty. Soy shares that in his earlier days, he’d get left in the dust. While this certainly isn’t the case any longer, what hasn’t changed is that in each race, he runs his heart out.

Like Michael Phelps, the Blue Trackster’s competitive fire is borne out of competition and the desire to improve. And while Phelps notably hung up posters of his rivals in his bedroom, Soy’s approach is less extreme.w

“My teammates are also my competitors – they push me to beat my personal best records,” he discloses. After a short pause he continues, “and theirs also.”

The comparisons with the Olympic swimmer don’t end there. As the number of Soy’s medals continue to rise, the only thing that can stop him is the clock— and no, not the one in track oval. His greatest challenge is waking up in the morning for training.

Akin to Phelps’ lethargy at daybreak, the Communication major’s most daunting task is getting out of bed for those early morning workouts. “I want to quit every time 6:00 AM ang training,” he says, laughing.

He’s joking, of course, and if his recent results are anything to go by, it isn’t hard to imagine anything other than the trivial getting in his way. After breaking records and securing the championship in the most recent Unigames, Soy suited up for Team Philippines in last month’s ASEAN University Games in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

And although he came home without the silverware, the international exposure has bolstered his bid to become a UAAP champion. Now seeded number one in his events, this speed demon knows that the most important deed is far from done. “I’m not yet number one; I’ve yet to win my first UAAP gold,” he explains.

In the world of sprinting, everything goes by in a flash. Months, and even years of preparation culminate in an event that’s over in a matter of seconds.

This reality keeps Soy on his heels. For him, every moment is important. Every moment is an opportunity to improve.