Another Bumgarner is making waves in the international racing scene.

Mark Bumgarner, the 17-year-old younger brother of former Asian Karting Queen Michele, unveiled a big blast as he swept both races up against the best to rule the Sportsman Class Group 4 recently in the Skip Barbers Western Regional Series in Sebring, Florida.

He has not driven a Skip Barber Formula Car in an actual race nor tried the track before. But Mark, who’s backed up by Petron, Oakley, CityKart, Spectrum-OSO-Asia and Solar Sports, banked on his years of experience in karting to buck the obstacles and win the event.

Moreover, he prevailed over 18 tough aspirants across the West Coast and proved that Filipino drivers are equally competitive against other drivers in the US or wherever.

Mark actually started third from the second row but quickly grabbed the lead at the end of the first lap and held on to his post from thereon. He even posted the fastest time of 2:29 with a top speed of 89.396 miles per hour to wrap up the nine-lap race in 22 minutes and 33.365 seconds.

Pulling away lap after lap, Bumgarner built a 6.393 second margin at the end of the race against runner-up Maverick Bartlett who clocked 22:39.758 while Kim Kristian wound up third with 22:40.291.

Mark was more consistent in Race Two, and didn’t buckle down under pressure though he’s the main target as the polesitter. Instead, he only got better and went on with his near perfect run hitting speed of up to 89.362 miles per hour with a fastest laptime of 2:29.

Getting more familiar and comfortable with the track, he posted a faster total time of 22 minutes and 30.573 seconds or a far 10.325 seconds over Bartlett who checked in after 22:40.898.

Mark’s feat only proved he has the talent to take his racing career to the top much like his sister Michele but has to make sure his development process is on the right track to pursue his dream.

Michele also watched his races in Sebring and was very impressed at how fast Mark adapted and learned the cars and track with very limited previous car racing experience.

“I know it’s a tough job being a total stranger to the race and the track here, but with the country’s flag in mind, I really did my best,” said Mark.

“This is a big feat for Filipino drivers, we’ve proven we can equally excel in racing. I know it’s gonna be a tough job making a name here but I’ll try my best,” he added.

Mark joined the said race in preparation for the 2008 Skip Barber National Series. He has chosen to compete in this event being a part of the Mazda Speed Drivers Development Series with the overall champion earning the opportunity for a fully-paid race drive into Star Mazda in 2009 – a package worth US$350,000.00

“We feel that the Mazda Speed Development System here in the US is the best avenue to pursue my racing career as it offers many opportunities available for young drivers to clearly see the goals to achieve from year to year,” explained Mark.

The seven-leg series will kick off March 12-14 in Sebring. The other races are set April 25-27 at the Virginia International Circuit, June 13-15 at the Mosport International Raceway, July 18-20 at the Barber Motorsports Park, August 8-10 at Road America, August 29-31 at the Thunderbolt, New Jersey and October 1-3 at Road Atlanta.

Mark also hopes to compete in the Formula Renault 2.0 series in China and throughout Asia this year.