5x karting champion Miguel Quiñones is back to his winning ways when the Rotax MAX Challenge Philippines kicked off its 2024 season over the double-header weekend. And he did so in dominant fashion placing 1st in all but 1 session at the Carmona Race Track (CRT). This also serves as a fitting warm up before the DRQ Motorsports karter takes his races overseas.
Miguel began proceedings by setting the fastest lap in Time Trials on Saturday morning. But the competition was so tight that only a second split the Top 9 drivers in the Senior Category.
Driving the #15 Parolin kart, he enjoyed a lights-to-flag victory in Heat 1 with Delwin Co of VS Racing Motorsports hounding his rear bumper. It was Potenciano Andaman’s turn to give chase to Miguel in Heat 2, but he too was unsuccessful with Miguel securing another 1st place across the line. The DRQ Motorsports karter later converted a pole position start to win in the 11-lap Finals in style taking the chequered flag again ahead of Andaman.
It was a repeat performance in Round 2 on Sunday. Although he was 5th in the Time Trials, Miguel had no problems regaining the lead in Heat 1, once again finishing ahead of Co. He was then unchallenged in Heat 2 and crossed the line 0.306 secs clear of Joshua Marquez in 2nd. However, for a brief moment, Miguel lost the lead in the Finals on the very last lap after Co made a move. But a daring lunge down the inside of Turn 12 saw Miguel back on the top spot and secure back-to-back wins.
While it was a dream start to his campaign in Rotax MAX Challenge Philippines, Miguel has much bigger plans in 2024.
He’s scheduled to debut in the IAME Series Asia that kicks off this March 16/17 at the Bira Karting Circuit in Thailand. Driving for Fireball Motorsports, Miguel will be using an unfamiliar chassis from Kart Republic, on a track he’s never raced at before, with a new team. But that’s all part of the learning process if Miguel wants to improve his craft and move further up the motorsports ladder.
If all goes well, we should see the Filipino karter compete in the entire 6-round 2024 IAME Series Asia calendar that will take him to other tracks such as Shah Alam Karting Circuit and Morac Adventure Park in Malaysia, with a calendar that stretches ’til September. Also, the Top 2 championship finishers get free entries to the IAME World Final 2024 in Valencia, Spain which Miguel will surely be aiming for.
Miguel Quiñones: “If I can summarize the whole weekend in one word, it would be ‘dedication’. I was focused on winning the Rotax MAX Challenge’s opening round and proved that a Parolin chassis has a spot in the local series. DRQ Motorsports was also more dedicated than ever to start the season strong. I now look forward to IAME Series Asia this coming weekend. Since it’s my first time at Bira, I’ll try to learn the track as fast as possible and fight as hard as possible.”
Miguel Quiñones is sponsored by RZQ The Aesthetic Surgery Clinic, RZQ Aesthetic Medicine Institude, Derma Medica, and Coca-Cola.
[Photos by Bong Boado]
