The third round of the 2025 SEAOIL Radical Challenge Philippines delivered one of the most thrilling weekends of the season at the Clark International Speedway (CIS) in Pampanga, with lap records shattered during qualifying and a fierce four-way battle in Race 1. However, Mother Nature had other plans just as the climax was about to happen.
Powered by SEAOIL Extreme-97 race fuel, the racing event featured eight drivers competing across the SR3 and SR1 Challenge Cups, including returning containers and fresh faces. Among them was Juha Turalba, making a comeback with a loaned SR1 machine as a result of his heavy crash in Round 2. Joining him were Matthew Edmunds, Verdant Agrawal, and Jason Choachuy. Andre Rodrigues, meanwhile, had no choice but to sit this one out due to ongoing issues with his SR3 unit.
Mikey Jordan of Jordan Racing x Autoholic Garage took no time to shine in the SR3 Challenge Cup Qualifying round, showing a masterclass performance that earned him a blistering best lap time of 1:52.772. With over four seconds ahead of the rest of the contenders, Jordan’s best qualifying run is now the fastest lap a Radical machine has ever done at CIS. Miguel Quiñones led the time sheets in the SR1 Challenge Cup qualifying to start second overall on the grid, while Turalba followed closely in second to start third overall on the grid.
Race 1 was an intense contest from start to finish. Jordan led comfortably from the get-go while the SR1 pack behind him went on a three-way battle coming into turn 1. Choachuy came out ahead of Quiñones, Turalba, and Jaime Almario, setting the tone for a close-fought opening stint. As the race went on, a series of bold overtakes and mistakes shuffled positions, with Turalba eventually climbing to second after Almario spun out on turn 10. Unfortunately, Choachuy’s momentum was cut short as he also spun out, forcing him into retirement.
The SR1 battle went on to see the final lap. Quiñones attempted to take on Turalba but made contact, sending the latter spinning. Although Quiñones crossed the line in first place, he was later penalized for the incident, promoting Turalba to the class victory. Almario of team AVI Racing completed the SR1 Challenge Cup Race 1 top 3. Meanwhile, in the SR3 Challenge Cup, Jordan took a dominant win, crossing the line with over a minute of lead time against Rafa Caceres, who nursed some mechanical issues on his #77 C&C Motorsport machine.
The next day, races 2 and 3 were scheduled to commence. But due to severe weather, organizers were forced to cancel the races for safety reasons. Despite the shortened weekend, Jordan extended his Sr3 Challenge Cup lead to 43.5 points over Caceres, while Turalba maintained his advantage in the SR1 Challenge Cup, 34.5 points clear of Quiñones, with Almario still in mathematical contention, making the class anyone’s game.
The 2025 SEAOIL Radical Challenge Philippines returns to CIS on November 21-22 for the season finale. Officials will announce on a later date if the cancelled races in Round 3 will be added to the schedule in the final round.
