The 2026 SEAOIL Radical Challenge Philippines got its fifth season underway at Clark International Speedway (CIS) with changing track conditions producing plenty of surprises across three races. Portuguese driver Andre Rodrigues made a perfect start to his SR3 Challenge Cup campaign, while 19-year-old newcomer JR Gan emerged as the early leader in SR1 with two victories from three races.
Fueled by race-engineered SEAOIL Extreme-97 fuel, the Radical machines were put through changing conditions throughout the weekend. The 97-octane premium gasoline is formulated for demanding conditions, with advanced additives designed to resist engine knocking, reduce friction and control deposits while supporting consistent performance at high loads and RPMs.
With FUCHS Lubricants Philippines joining the championship as the Official Lubricant Partner, the field headed into Qualifying with Rodrigues immediately setting the benchmark. The #30 Rodrigues Racing SR3 took pole with a 1:57.168 lap, while Vedant Agrawal was an impressive 2nd fastest overall in the #78 VCAR Motorsport SR1. Gan was just 0.133 secs behind in 3rd.
A wet but drying track made Race 1 unpredictable from the start. Agrawal grabbed the early lead, while Rodrigues, Gan, and Jaime Almario in the #25 AVI Racing SR1 went three-wide into Turn 1. Almario then looked to the inside of Agrawal, but the pair ended up on the grass, allowing Gan through into the lead.
The conditions proved to be a great equalizer between the SR3 and SR1 machinery, although Rodrigues made his way past Gan after the opening lap and never looked back. He took the SR3 and overall victory, while Gan held on to claim his first SR1 win in the #17 MRD SR1. Fellow debutant Emanuel “Manu” Miranda from Cebu finished a distant 2nd in the #31 SR1.
Conditions remained wet for Race 2, with Gan leading the field away from pole. Almario quickly moved into 2nd but spun while challenging Gan on the opening lap, allowing Rodrigues to move ahead and take control.
Almario recovered quickly, catching Gan within two laps before passing him for the SR1 lead. Rodrigues completed his second SR3 victory of the weekend, while Almario took the SR1 win ahead of Gan and Agrawal.
The track finally dried for Race 3, where Almario got the holeshot before Agrawal swept around the outside to take the overall lead. However, Agrawal spun on lap 2, triggering a Safety Car and resetting the field.
Gan attacked Almario at the restart to take the lead, but Rodrigues soon reeled in both SR1 cars and moved ahead to complete a clean sweep of all three SR3 races. Gan secured his second SR1 victory of the weekend ahead of Almario.
The results gave Rodrigues the early advantage in the SR3 Challenge Cup, while Gan left Clark leading the SR1 standings on his debut. The 19-year-old is already a two-time Golden Wheel Awardee for his achievements in karting and the Philippine GT, and is now making his mark in his first season of Radical racing.
The SEAOIL Radical Challenge Philippines heads to Batangas Racing Circuit for Round 2 on September 25/27, where defending champions Mikey Jordan and Juha Turalba are expected to make their first appearances of the season.
The 2026 SEAOIL Radical Challenge Philippines is supported by SEAOIL Philippines, Inc., FUCHS Lubricants Philippines, Bank of the Philippine Islands, Tieline, and John Barbers.
