There was plenty of action up and down the field when the SEAOIL Radical Challenge Philippines powered by BPI got underway at the Batangas Racing Circuit (BRC). Tensions were running high all weekend which produced a total of 4 different race winners in the SR1 and SR3 Challenge Cup.
Fueled by race-engineered SEAOIL Extreme-97 fuel, Mikey Jordan drew first blood by setting the fastest lap in Qualifying. His blistering time in the SEAOIL-livered SR3 came as a surprise as he only arrived at the track on Friday and had the least amount of experience in a Radical. Also an eye-opener was Rainy Medina who ended the session in P2 despite running a slower SR1, which was a preview of things to come in the races.
Race 1 got underway under gloomy skies with Mikey leading the way. But hot on his heels was Rainy in the green-livered Autoholic Garage SR1 who eventually found a way past Mikey after a few laps. Behind them was Portuguese driver Andre Rodrigues in another Radical SR3 who was quickly catching up to Mikey. The pair fought for the class lead in the closing stages of the race with Andre making a clean overtake with 2 laps to go. After 12 laps of racing, Rainy would cross the finish line 1st on the road and claimed a commanding SR1 Challenge Cup win. Sydney Sarmiento, on the other hand, trailed by over 50 secs behind to claim 2nd in class.
As for the SR3 Challenge Cup runners, Andre was victorious on his race debut with Mikey following close behind in 2nd.
Sydney Sarmiento lined up on pole position for Race 2 and maintained the lead as the field made its way through the first turn. Rainy saw an opening and immediately grabbed P2, followed by Andre and Mikey. It then became a battle of the SR1s at the front with Rainy desperately trying to take the P1 spot away from Sydney. But in his haste, the pair collided and dropped both of them to dead last. Now with a clear road ahead, Andre and Mikey were nose-to-tail in the fight for P1 which lasted for almost half the race distance. Unfortunately, a technical issue forced Mikey to slow down and settle for 2nd in class, gifting another win to Andre.
Matthew Edmunds took the chequered flag in 1st in the SR1 Challenge Cup with Rainy in 2nd and Sydney a lap down in 3rd.
Everyone went gung-ho at the start of Race 3 with Andre coming out of Turn 1 in the lead. A lighting quick start from Rainy again saw him move up to P2 and split the Radical SR3s. But it only took a couple of laps for a much faster Mikey to overtake Rainy and setup another Radical SR3 rematch with Andre. This time, the pressure got to Andre who made an error and went off track, allowing Mikey to take the lead and secure 1st place in the SR3 Challenge Cup.
It was another strong performance for Rainy who won the SR1 Challenge Cup, followed by Sydney in 2nd, and finally Matthew in 3rd to wrap up an exciting curtain raiser.
After a successful first event in the 2024 SEAOIL Radical Challenge Philippines powered by BPI, the series moves to the Clark International Speedway on the 11th to 13th of October for Round 2.
