It was only the first race of the season, but tensions were already running high when the SEAOIL Radical Challenge Philippines powered by BPI got underway over the weekend. With a mixed grid of Radical SR1s and SR3s, there was action happening up and down the field in all three races at the Batangas Racing Circuit (BRC), producing four different class winners.
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 Jordan leading the way. But hot on his heels was Medina in the green-livered Autoholic Garage SR1, who eventually found a way past Jordan after a few laps. Behind them was Portuguese driver Andre Rodrigues in another Radical SR3, quickly catching up to Jordan. The pair fought for the class lead in the closing stages of the race, with Rodrigues making a clean overtake with two laps to go. After 12 laps of racing, Medina crossed the finish line first and claimed a commanding SR1 Challenge Cup win. Sydney Sarmiento, on the other hand, trailed by over 50 seconds to claim second in class.
As for the SR3 Challenge Cup runners, Rodrigues was victorious on his race debut with Jordan following close behind in second.
Sydney Sarmiento lined up on pole position for Race 2 and maintained the lead as the field made its way through the first turn. Medina saw an opening and immediately grabbed P2, followed by Rodrigues and Jordan. It then became a battle of the SR1s at the front with Medina desperately trying to take the P1 spot away from Sarmiento. But in his haste, the pair collided and dropped both to dead last. Now with a clear road ahead, Rodrigues and Jordan were nose-to-tail in the fight for P1, which lasted for almost half the race distance. Unfortunately, a technical issue forced Jordan to slow down and settle for second in class, gifting another win to Rodrigues.
Matthew Edmunds took the chequered flag in first in the SR1 Challenge Cup, with Medina in second and Sarmiento a lap down in third.
Everyone went gung ho at the start of Race 3 with Rodrigues coming out of Turn 1 in the lead. A lightning-quick start from Medina again saw him move up to P2 and split the two Radical SR3s. But it only took a couple of laps for a much faster Jordan to overtake Medina and set up another Radical SR3 rematch with Rodrigues. This time, the pressure got to Rodrigues, who made an error and went off track, allowing Jordan to take the lead and secure first place in the SR3 Challenge Cup.
It was another strong performance for Medina, who won the SR1 Challenge Cup, followed by Sarmiento in second, and finally Edmunds in third 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.
