by Arman Armero

THE father started as a bus driver and caught the racing bug at a rather late age of 40; the son sharpened his reflexes while tinkering with his playstation and inevitably followed his father’s footsteps.

Forward to a few years later: Father Felix Perez, fondly called as “Ka Ely” by friends and colleagues, and his 24-year-old son Paul Henderson both emerged as champion car racers—living proofs that determination and the drive to win come from the most unexpected beginnings.

Modest beginnings

A native of Bgy. Dagatan, Taysan, a farming town in the province of Batangas, Ka Ely raised his four children, (including his second child Paul Henderson) behind a modest business. Borrowing a page from his own father’s trucking business, Ka Ely bought a bus and soon managed his single-bus operation by his lonesome back in 1992.

“Nagsimula ako sa isang bus lang. Ako na rin ‘yung driver at mekaniko ng bus. Tiyaga lang talaga,” Ka Ely said.

By sheer determination, hard work and guts, Ka Ely’s single-bus operation grew to a 20-unit business three years later (1995). Despite all these, the future racing champion stayed as one of his own company’s drivers until two years later (1997), when the demands of business required him to get out of the wheel and manage the rapidly growing business from a distance.

Today, the Alps The Bus Corp., which Ka Ely founded in 1992, has a total of 120 units plying the Batangas-Lawton/Batangas-Cubao and vice-versa route—a venture so successful that it now allows Ka Ely to pursue his other passion—car racing.

Himself a former drag racer when “illegal” drag racing was at its peak in the mid-90s, Ka Ely first learned the finer points of circuit car racing from race veteran Mike Anton sometime in 2001. The following year, he immediately made an impact in the racing scene by ruling the “Run What You Brung” race in 2002.

“Si Mike [Anton] talaga ang nag-encourage at nagturo sa akin ng circuit racing. Kung hindi dahil sa kanya ay baka hindi rin ako nag-champion,” Ka Ely said.

Only last year, Ka Ely added another feather to his cap when he ruled the expert class of the Philippine GT, the same year when his son, Paul Henderson, won the 125 category of the same event.

Raising a champion

Aware of the inherent risks of car racing, Ka Ely did not directly encourage his children to follow his lead, but his influence on his second child was just too strong to resist.

At a tender age of 14, Paul Henderson started immersing himself to the simulated world of car racing via his playstations. But the passion for speed did not stop there. Four years later, Paul and his like-minded friends started joining drag racing (now legal) at the Macapagal Avenue in Manila, where he finally experienced the thrill of driving at top speed.

“Siguro siya na rin ‘yung naging malaking influence ko kung bakit nasa circuit racing din ako ngayon, kasi ‘yun din naman ang hilig niya,” said Paul Henderson, who is taking up Hotel and Restaurant Management at the Lyceum of Batangas.

And slowly, Paul gravitated to circuit racing when his father embraced the sport. Showing the same passion and drive for winning, the son matched his father’s feat in last year’s edition. Both won the Golden Wheels Award for the year, even as Paul has a virtual lock for a second straight Golden Wheel plum after sweeping this year’s four legs, posting super fast times in all four races.

In fact, Paul registered an impressive one minute, 1:11.02 clocking in the qualifying stage and an actual time of 1:11.07 in the actual race in Clark, and another impressive clocking of 1:57.05 in the longer and more tricky track at the Batangas Racing Circuit in Rosario, Batangas.

“Siyempre proud ako du’n sa nagawa niya. Ang lagi ko talagang sinasabi sa kanya na ilagay sa isip niya na kaya niyang manalo, pero kailangan din na siguraduhin niya lagi na safe siya sa karera,”

Ka Ely said.

Unlike other racers, the father-son tandem uses the same car that they drive on the street, a 1995 Honda Civic Hatchback which they have been using since 2004. Durable and tested by time, the ZC 1600 SOHC (stock) model is equipped with 117 horsepower, behind the solid engineering team of Group N Mathonetics of Mato Tan.

Future races, future plans

With Ka Ely opting to stay at the sideline for now, the Perezes plan to switch to a higher gear for Paul Henderson’s career in 2010. From the 125 category, Ka Ely’s racing son will try his hand in the 200 category, where the race is speedier and the risk is greater.

“Sa tingin ko kaya na niyang mag-200,” Ka Ely said of his son. “Pero siyempre mas malaki na ang gastos doon kasi mas matindi na ang mga gamit.”

Ka Ely is counting on his friends and sponsors who had been there for them in the past, like the people behind Nissan Diesel Phils., Bridgestone, Pilipinas Shell, Montenegro Shipping Lines, Group N Mathonetics, Atlas Auto Supply, Clover Motor Supply Bandag Recapping Phils., Norman Works Body Paints, Delanz Marketing, Friction Star, Security Bank, Denso Phils. and Standard Insurance.

As they look forward to bigger challenge in 2002, Ka Ely and Paul look back at what they accomplished in the past year and the things that the sport taught them.

“Malaki talaga ang naitulong ng sport na ito sa amin, in terms of discipline at saka ‘yung self confidence. At ito na rin siguro ‘yung naging parang bonding naming mag-ama kasi ito ‘yung parehong hilig namin,” Ka Ely said.

Paul Henderson, a quiet man in and out of the race track, smiled in agreement.

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(Published in the Manila Standard Today newspaper on /2009/november/9.)