The SEAOIL Radical Challenge Philippines opened its 2023 season with an action-packed race weekend at the Clark International Speedway last July 21 to 23, 2023.
Powered by race-engineered SEAOIL Extreme-97 fuel with STP additives, the fastest racing series in the country was filled with Radical SR1 race cars with racing drivers coming from various motorsports backgrounds of karting, drifting, touring car racing, and sim racing, behind the wheel.
The first race weekend of the series started with the qualifying time trials in which the 2022 Radical Challenge overall champion Inigo Anton was able to dominate with his best time of 1:57.299 earning him pole position, the best seat for the first race.
Into the first race, the lead was quickly changed as Joaquin Garrido got a better start and took P1 before the first corner. Despite starting at the back of the grid after missing out on qualifying, Jason Choachuy climbed to P2 and battled it out with Anton in the next couple of laps. The heated battle for 2nd between Choachuy and Anton gave Garrido the chance to pull away and extend his lead. Anton was able to climb back to P2 and shorten the gap between him and Garrido within a second. But Garrido was able to hold on to the lead until the chequered flag earning Garrido his first Radical Car win. Anton and Choachuy complete the podium with 2nd and 3rd, respectively.
“To be honest, I just didn’t want to spin and I wanted to be on par with the front runners’ pace! What helped most in my performance has got to be the support of PartsPro, especially Tito Tyson, Tito Billy, and the mechanics!” said 17-year-old Joaquin Garrido on his first-ever Radical Challenge win.
For Race 2, it was a reverse-grid start which put veteran drifter Atoy Llave at the pole position together with the number 55 blue-and-yellow SEAOIL Radical SR1 at the forefront of the race start. As lights went out, Choachuy was quick to snatch the lead with Anton and Garrido right behind him. The three swapped positions throughout the race until Anton made contact with Choachuy, giving the defending champion a punctured tire. As Anton nursed his car to the pits, Garrido saw an opportunity to fight for the lead. However, Garrido made contact with Choachuy in his bid for P1 in the latter part of the race and stalled his SR1 race car, giving karting champion Miguel Quinones the chance to jump into P2. In spite of the heated battles along the race, Choachuy emerged as the Race 2 winner followed by Quinones in 2nd and Garrido in 3rd.
“We are delighted to see the 2023 season of the SEAOIL Radical Challenge Philippines get underway at Clark International Speedway. It was truly an exhilarating race weekend that saw the return of familiar faces to the grid, but we are also equally excited to welcome new ones and be part of their racing journey,” commented Edward Cruz, Head of B2C Segment Marketing for SEAOIL Philippines, Inc. “Just like in 2022, we are once again powering each team with world-class SEAOIL Extreme-97 fuel with STP additives which is designed for high performance, and this is readily available to all Filipino motorists in our more than 750 stations nationwide. Together with Radical Cars Philippines, we can’t wait for the next race in BRC in September!”
Radical Challenge Philippines Race Director Marlon Stockinger commented on the successful return of the country’s fastest race car series. “The season opener gave us a fantastic set of races. I’m also glad to see new drivers coming in from the karting scene. We have a good number of young drivers progressing through grassroots motorsports in the Philippines and it was exciting to watch them showcase their skills in the Radical.”
The Radical Challenge Philippines opened its second season in the midst of their new three-year deal with SEAOIL Philippines Inc. that will run through 2025. As the championships’ title partner and official fuel supplier, the country’s leading independent fuel provider supplies maximum performance once again with their SEAOIL Extreme-97 octane as the series’ approved fuel. With the 2023 season’s opening weekend in the books, the competition now shifts its focus for Round 2 in the Batangas Racing Circuit (BRC) from the 22nd to 24th of September.
The 2023 SEAOIL Radical Challenge Philippines is powered by race-engineered SEAOIL Extreme-97 fuel with STP additives, sponsored by Kumu, Kooler, and Porsche Design Manila.
