Champion Miguel Quinones began his campaign to defend his title by having won the series opener Round 1 of the 2022 Rotax Max Philippines Challenge held at the Carmona Racing Circuit in Cavite on April 10th. Quinones was recently named the Automobile Association Philippines' (AAP) 2021 Driver of the Year for Karting.
Miguel's first championship triumph essentially extends his winning streak from last year, when he was dubbed the "Quadruple Champion" after winning a record-breaking four consecutive rounds of the National Series, securing his title as the Philippines National Karter of the Year for 2021.
Miguel of the DRQ Motorsports team-owned and founded by Aesthetic Surgeon Dr. Ricardo Galvez Quinones, started strong by taking pole position in the Time Trial ahead of his protege and now arch-rival Karter Gabriel Carag.
Miguel was given a fright in the Qualifying heat when his teammate Gabriel outran him and took a decisive first place finish, relegating the defending Champion to second place heading into the Finals heat. Miguel's senior International Racing experience garnered from competing against the best in the world last year in Europe and Asia inspired him to a good finish in the last heat to take the Champion podium in Round 1 of the Rotax Max Challenge's Seniors Class.
The second round of this karting series will take place in June at the Clark International Speedway in Pampanga, and organizer Kart Plaza, Inc. promises a more exciting tournament, officially sanctioned by the Automobile Association of the Philippines (AAP) and the Philippines International Karting Association (PIKA).