Coming straight from a race in Thailand, Miguel Quiñones delivered an outstanding performance over the weekend when the Rok Cup Philippines kicked off its 2024 season. Despite a number of incidents that prevented him from sweeping all the sessions, he won the Senior Class Finals on Sunday during a double-header at the Palawan International Circuit.
The multiple-time champion showcased his experience early on by setting the fastest lap during Qualifying on Saturday. He then converted this into a commanding win in the first Heat. However, he ran into trouble in Heat 2 after colliding with another kart with Miguel ending up in the fence. Displaying resilience, he was able to rejoin after a quick stop in the pits and make it to the finish in 10th place.
Now starting from P5 in the Finals, the DRQ Motorsports karter delivered a stellar comeback drive to fight his way to the front. He later crossed the finish line in 1st with a 0.440 secs lead. But he was forced to give up his Round 1 win after being handed a 10 secs penalty for an alleged jump start, which relegated him to 5th.
Miguel was looking for payback in Round 2 on Sunday. He started the day by notching P2 in Qualifying and was only 0.048 secs off pole. It was just unfortunate that he again made contact with another karter in Heat 2, this time snapping his kart’s chain and forcing him into a DNF.
Still, Miguel won’t come down without a big fight. He kept his head down as he started from P4 in the Finals on Sunday. Knowing he had to pull all the stops to secure a win, he picked his spots and overtook his opponents one-by-one before finding himself behind Potenciano Andaman in the lead. He waited for the perfect opportunity to strike, which presented itself on lap 13 where Miguel was able to make a clean move stick. Miguel held position until the chequered flag dropped, securing his first win of the season in the Rok Cup Philippines to keep his 2024 campaign headed in the right direction.
Miguel Quiñones: “The weekend was tough. We had to put in a lot of work to make sure everything ran perfectly, but there were a number of inconveniences that came along. The scorching heat also did not help. But thanks to the dedication of everyone at DRQ Motorsports, we were able to pull through with a win. Also, hats off to the rest of our drivers in MiniRok, Junior, and Veteran categories who did well in Palawan.”
Miguel Quiñones is sponsored by DRQ Motorsports, RZQ The Aesthetic Surgery Clinic, RZQ Aesthetic Medicine Institute, Derma Medica, and Coca-Cola.
[Photos by Bong Boado]
