Taking a short break from the Radical Challenge Philippines, Miguel Quiñones went back to his karting roots for the ROK Cup Philippines season finale. There, he capped off 2025 with a win at Carmona Race Track (CRT) to secure the Senior ROK vice champion title.
This year, Miguel has been focusing primarily on his championship fight in the Radical Challenge Philippines, where he is a contender in the SR1 Challenge Cup. He had no plans to race karts this season and only intended to support DRQ Motorsports as a coach. But when the ROK Cup Philippines joined forces with ROK Cup Asia for Round 5 and 6 at Clark International Speedway (CIS), he decided to suit up again — and impressed with 3rd- and 4th-place finishes.
His decision to join the final rounds in November came at the last minute, confirming just days before the event with no prior testing. The Senior ROK field was also stacked that weekend, featuring drivers like ADAC GT Masters racer Eduardo Coseteng, lady karters Akhina Santos and Shaniah Quiñones, and front-runner Gabriel Carag.
Surely, it wasn’t going to be an easy feat for the two-time AAP Driver of the Year awardee.
Round 7 (Saturday) remained dry throughout all sessions. Miguel qualified P4 — just fractions off Coseteng, who took pole — in a field where less than a second covered the Top 11. He maintained a solid pace through the Heats, finishing 5th in Heat 1 and 4th in Heat 2, allowing him to start P4 in the Finals.
With such tight competition, Miguel knew the only way to challenge for a podium was to stay consistent and capitalize on every opportunity. His determination paid off as he fought his way to 2nd across the finish line.
Coseteng’s absence in Round 8 (Sunday) opened up the fight for victory. But with an incoming typhoon, all sessions were held in wet conditions — turning the race into a true test of driver skill.
Miguel missed out on pole by just 0.021 secs behind Akhina Santos. However, his front-row start unraveled early when he spun on the opening lap in Heat 1. He recovered to finish 7th, then bounced back in Heat 2 by overtaking Santos to claim 1st place.
Starting P3 in the Finals, Miguel battled through engine issues that left him down on power along the straights. He made up for it in the corners, climbing to P2 on the opening lap and joining a fierce three-way fight with Santos and Carag. The trio traded places throughout the race until Miguel took control midway and held the lead to the flag — taking the win by 0.447 secs.
Despite missing half the season, Miguel Quiñones concluded the year 2nd overall in the Senior ROK championship, just 32 points behind champion Akhina Santos.
Miguel Quinones: “I’m proud that we were able to show how competitive DRQ Motorsports is, finishing 2nd in the championship even if we missed half the season. Juggling karting and the Radical Challenge was also fun experience, especially since they require very different driving styles. But the lessons from both series helped me become a better driver overall and adapt my style depending on the situation.”
Miguel Quiñones is sponsored by RZQ The Aesthetic Surgery Clinic, RZQ Aesthetic Medicine Institute, Derma Medica, and Coca-Cola.
[Photos by Bong Boado]
