Having spent the last 2 years racing in Juniors, Miguel Quiñones is now effectively a Senior Class karter. The 16-year-old graduated to the higher category for the 2020 season and completed his maiden outing at the recent IAME Asia Cup in Malaysia.
Miguel, who previously raced under his family’s ‘Dr. Q Motorsports’ banner, joined Double R Motorsport (DRM Racing Team) as he embarks on the new challenge this year. He races under the guidance of team manager Mohd Rohairijaz, who himself has a vast experience of turning young karters like him into future champions.
His first excursions around the Sepang International Kart Circuit saw Miguel slash 1.445 secs off his best lap during the Official Practice runs. He then continued to progress by Qualifying P15 in a tightly-packed grid of 18 entries. But in the Senior Category, the level of competition was so high that it made overtaking difficult especially for a rookie like him.
Despite the circumstances, he still put up quite a fight to deliver 14th and 15th place finishes in the two Heats. Miguel’s best efforts later ended up 17th in the Pre-Final, before improving in the all-important Final to take the chequered flag in 16th. However, he was handed a 5-sec penalty for a front fairing infringement caused by another karter, which sadly dropped him to 18th.
The IAME Series Asia’s curtain raiser for 2020 last January 11/12 was truly a learning experience for Miguel. His very first competitive outing as a Senior Class karter may not have yielded favorable results, but the Filipino karter does show a lot of potential and has a strong drive to win. He’s also exploring other opportunities outside karting, having tested with Formula 4 Southeast Asia and Radical SR1 Cup Philippines last year.
Miguel Quiñones: “Moving to the Senior Class is really a big step up and now I know that I need to keep working hard if I want to fight my way to the front of the field. But otherwise, it was a good experience racing in the IAME Asia Cup and I learned a lot in just a single race weekend. I want to thank my parents for their never ending support in my kart races and to the DRM for making me feel at home with the team. With their help, I’m looking forward to improve in the upcoming races and get better results.”
Miguel Quiñones is sponsored by RZQ The Aesthetic Surgery Clinic, RZQ Aesthetic Medicine Institude, AMI Medispa and Beauty Products, St. Francis Animal Bite Center, and Brent International School.
[Photos courtesy of Bong Boado and IAME Series Asia]
