Hundreds of riders join Superbike champ Maico Buncio's funeral

For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV Hundreds of motorcycle riders joined the funeral procession of Superbike champion Maico Buncio from Guadalupe, Makati to the Loyola Memorial Park in Marikina City. The riders tied yellow and black ribbons to their bikes as a sign of their sympathy with the Buncio family. They converged at four points – at Guadalupe, Mandaluyong Circle, White Plains and Katipunan – to join the procession as it passed by. All riders then honored their fallen champion by simultaneously revving up their motorcycle engines and blowing their horns. The revving up of engines is a tradition whenever a motorcycle rider dies. A moment of silence followed as they offered prayers for Buncio and his family. Buncio, the 2011 Golden Wheel Driver of the Year, died last week during a qualifying race at the Clark International Speedway in Pampanga. He was 22 years old. According to the family's account of the incident, Buncio's bike slipped on loose gravel on the shoulder of the speedway and he was thrown off 100 meters from his bike. He fell unto an unfinished barrier. A protruding steel bar punctured his body, causing the fatal injuries. Buncio, a member of Team Suzuki Pilipinas, was rushed to a nearby hospital in Pampanga and then brought early Sunday to the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Hospital where he died at 3:57 p.m. He won the FBO Motocross Series in Tagaytay, the FMF Memorial Day Motorcross Races in California, and various races at the Batangas Racing Circuit. Buncio was scheduled to compete in the 2011 Asia Road Racing Championships in China. – JVP, GMA News