After securing the AKOC International Senior Karter of the Year title, Miguel Quiñones flew straight to Thailand for Round 5 of the Rotax Max Challenge (RMC) Asia Trophy. But as the championship was drawing to the close, tensions ran high all weekend at the Bira Kart Circuit. While this caught out the Filipino karter during the Heats, he bounced back hard on Sunday to finish 6th in the Finals.
Only half a second separated the Top 10 karters during Practice with Miguel being 3rd fastest at best. Although his fastest lap in Qualifying was only 0.316 secs off pole, it could only earn him P7 on the grid hinting just how close the competition is in Senior Max. Still, the DRM Racing Team karter was full of confidence heading into the races.
His string of bad luck, however, began as early as Heat 1. While running in P8, Miguel attempted to overtake 2 karts in a single corner. His ambitious move worked, but was pushed to the grass on the exit and dropped back to P12. Miguel then got overzealous in his attempt to regain lost ground, earning him a 5 secs penalty from the stewards and was officially classified in 16th.
Now siding with caution after his earlier trip to the Steward’s Room, it sadly happened again in Heat 2. Miguel believes that he did no wrong, but officials think otherwise and handed him with an even harsher 10 secs penalty, putting him in a lowly 17th place.
Despite the heavy setback, Miguel never lost hope. He got his head down in the Pre Finals and put on a solid performance worthy of a champion. Starting close to the tail end of a 23-kart grid, he picked up places in almost every lap and cleanly got himself up to 12th. Miguel then gave one last push to get into a Top 10 spot, but ran out of laps.
Saving his best performance for last, the Filipino managed to pass half the field after avoiding the opening lap pile up to slot neatly into P7. It then became a train of the Senior Max title contenders with less than 2 secs separating the front pack. Miguel improved a position up on lap 7 where he would stay until the chequered flag dropped, while setting the fastest lap of the race in the process.
Finishing 6th in the Finals, with pace to fight for a podium, was an impressive comeback drive from Miguel after his disappointments in the Heats. He now sits 3rd in the Senior Max point standings with only one round to go, taking place this September 21/22 at the Speedway Plus Karting Circuit in Malaysia. Although he no longer has a mathematical shot at the title, he can still take the crown as Vice Champion.
Miguel Quiñones: “Not the results we were hoping for. The stewards’ decision was a tough pill to swallow, so I just kept my head down and focused on my races. Still, it was an eye opening experience, understanding how to fight clean, hard, but fair. I want to thank DRM Motorsports for providing me an amazing kart, my mechanic Ajol for giving the best setup as possible, and to Ijaz and Muiz for keeping my spirits up.”
Miguel Quiñones is sponsored by RZQ The Aesthetic Surgery Clinic, RZQ Aesthetic Medicine Institude, Derma Medica, and Coca-Cola.