After more than a month of racing across the United Arab Emirates, Axel Nocom capped his Champions of the Future Academy Program (COTFA) season with his strongest performances yet. Coming straight from consecutive race weekends in COTFA UAE and the UAE RMC, the young Filipino rejoined the championship for Rounds 5 and 6—claiming a breakthrough Finals win at Al Forsan and finishing 7th overall in the OK-N Junior standings.
With back-to-back events held only days apart, Axel first had to tackle Round 5 at Al Ain Raceway. He used Thursday’s Free Practice sessions to re-familiarize himself with the circuit and ended the day inside the Top 10. Qualifying, however, proved challenging and he could only manage P14. Axel responded immediately in Heat 1 with a brilliant charge through the field to gain ten positions and finish 4th. He carried that momentum into Heat 2 with another strong drive to 3rd, which placed him P3 on the grid for the Finals. But the Finals turned into a tougher affair, with Axel shuffled down the order in the opening laps and ultimately finishing 8th.
Friday brought a similar pattern. After qualifying P17, he improved to 12th in Heat 1 before putting in a heroic performance in Heat 2 to climb all the way to 4th. Starting from P6 in the Finals, Axel held his ground under pressure and crossed the line in 6th. While Round 5 didn’t yield a podium, it became a valuable learning experience that would prove essential days later.
Returning to Al Forsan for Round 6, Axel arrived with two full race weekends’ worth of mileage at the circuit from COTFA UAE and the UAE RMC. The familiarity paid off immediately as he went toe-to-toe with front-runners Conor Clancy, Veer Chopra, Leonidas Peruzzi, Mitansh Jain, and Angelina Simons. A strong flying lap placed him P4 in Tuesday Qualifying, and he carried that pace into the Heats—finishing 5th in Heat 1 before storming to his first-ever COTFA Heat win in Heat 2, earning a front-row start for the Finals.
What followed was Axel’s most impressive drive of the season. A clean launch put him straight into the lead, and he controlled the race from that moment on. He steadily increased the gap over 15 laps and crossed the finish line with a commanding 5.318 secs advantage to claim his first Finals win in COTFA. It was a proud moment as Axel took the top step of the podium with the Philippine flag raised high.
With momentum on his side, Axel returned on Wednesday aiming for back-to-back success. He immediately set the pace by taking pole position in Qualifying and converted it into a lights-to-flag victory in Heat 1. Heat 2 should have been another win, but a post-race technical infringement resulted in a disqualification that pushed him to P8 for the Finals. Starting behind the title contenders made progress difficult, and although Axel climbed to P6 early in the race, the front group had already broken away and finished his final COTFA race of the year in 6th.
Despite the setback, Axel wrapped up the season 7th overall in the OK-N Junior Championship, achieving his goal of finishing inside the Top 10. From spending the early part of the year fighting in the midfield, to becoming a consistent points scorer, and now a Finals winner, Axel’s year-long campaign in COTFA showcased his rapid development as a driver competing on a global stage.
Axel Nocom is supported by Mercedes Driver Development, Deseño MNL, Recaro Philippines, DENSO Spark Plugs, Ceramic Pro Philippines, Ravenol Philippines, AutoPlus Sports, DRIFT XAUST, DRIFT MOTOR Speedway, Ekartraceway, Kart Republic, New Era Cap Philippines, Skullcandy Philippines, Burlington Socks, Simagic, Cammus Philippines, Apex Racing Philippines, Monza Barcade, Pregame Motorsport Merchandise, and DG Budget Hotel.
Those interested in following in Axel’s footsteps to race competitively overseas can inquire at the Axel Motorsports page on Facebook.
