10-year-old Vincent Reign Ardina proved that he is one of the country’s promising young talents after a standout performance at Round 3 of ROK Cup Asia. Held at the Clark International Speedway (CIS) Kart Track, he claimed a hard-fought 2nd place during a rain-soaked Final held at night and emerged as the highest-placed Filipino karter in MiniROK.
Driving under DRQ Motorsports, Vincent was up against a grid of 15 karters that included some of the best in Asia. Adding to the challenge was the weather, which drenched all but one official session. With foresight, the team had tested extensively in the wet ahead of the race weekend, allowing him to fight at the front.
Qualifying on Saturday was hit by a heavy downpour that caught out several drivers, but Vincent made the most of the tricky conditions and set the 5th quickest time—just 0.332 secs off pole. The competition was so tight that the Top 8 were separated by less than a second.
Vincent’s starting position kept him out of the spray at the start of Heat 1, and he used it to good effect—holding his own against the competition to finish 3rd behind two ROK Asia karters. In Heat 2, he was locked in an intense battle for the lead and crossed the line in P2. However, he was later awarded the win after Syabil Umar Basalamah was penalized for a jump start.
Heat 3 saw a more strategic approach. Vincent held position in 3rd to secure a favorable grid position of P3 for both the Pre-Final and Final—giving him the all-important inside line at the start.
Sunday afternoon brought a rare break in the weather, with the Pre-Final held in dry conditions. What followed was a tightly contested four-way battle between Vincent, Indonesia’s Mohammad Fa Wibowo, Japan’s Shin Kitamura, and fellow Filipino Antonio Racelis. The quartet ran nose-to-tail for the full 9-lap distance, eventually pulling more than 4 secs clear of the chasing pack. Vincent held steady to finish 3rd, just behind Kitamura and Wibowo.
As night fell over the track, the rain returned for the all-important Final. Despite the circuit being lit, the combination of spray and darkness made for treacherous conditions. Starting from P3, Vincent made a clean getaway and moved into 2nd place. But with tire degradation becoming a factor after a full weekend of racing, he wasn’t able to close the gap to the leader. However, he was able to build a safe buffer to the drivers behind. The race was ultimately red-flagged three laps early for safety reasons, locking in Vincent’s 2nd place finish.
As the race also counted as Round 5 of the ROK Cup Philippines, it marked Vincent’s best finish in the local series to date with 1st place. More importantly, it underscored his ability to compete with top-tier regional talent under pressure.
Vincent Reign Ardina: “It was tough, but I stayed focused and just enjoyed the race weekend. I learned so much from racing with drivers from other countries and cannot express how proud I am to have brought the Philippines on the podium. I’d like to thank Miguel Quiñones, mechanic Dondon Bautista Jr., and coach Mikey Jordan for their support and guidance.”
Vincent Reign Ardina is supported by DRQ Motorsports, Jordan Racing, Buff n Grime Professional Detailers, and TruckRentalPH Logistics.
[Photos by Bong Boado]
