Despite having no prior experience at the Aspar Circuit, Axel Nocom proved his ability to quickly adapt to unfamiliar tracks after securing his first European victory in the Champions of the Future Academy (COTFA). Competing in a 27-driver OK-N Junior field, the 14-year-old Filipino went from learning the track on Friday to claiming back-to-back pole positions and winning Sunday’s Final.
Many of the championship’s front-runners had already spent time testing in Valencia, Spain, while Axel had to use the 5 Free Practice sessions to work on the kart setup and get up to pace. His progress was evident throughout the day, improving from P13 in the morning to P8 by the afternoon.
Things quickly turned around on Saturday morning when Axel emerged 2nd fastest in Warm Up. The result gave him confidence heading into Qualifying, where he delivered a stunning lap to take pole position by just 0.025 secs.
Axel then converted pole into victory in Heat 1, although he had to fight for it. Mitansh Jain from the UAE challenged him for the lead midway through the 9-lap race and briefly moved ahead before Axel fought back to take the win. Heat 2 produced another close battle between the pair. Axel initially held onto the lead from pole but eventually succumbed to pressure from Jain on lap 7, crossing the line 2nd.
His combined Heat results were enough to secure pole position for Saturday’s Final, but the race quickly turned against him. Under immense pressure from the pack, Axel was swallowed up at the start and dropped to P5.
Ahead of him were Switzerland’s Zoltan Coigny and Norway’s Christian Faye Lund who were locked in their own battle for P3. Axel saw an opportunity to pass both drivers with 2 laps remaining, but made contact with Coigny as the gap closed taking both drivers out of the race.
Rather than allow Saturday’s disappointment to derail his weekend, Axel returned on Sunday and immediately put himself back at the front. He took pole position once again in Qualifying, becoming the first OK-N Junior driver to score back-to-back COTFA poles this season.
Mindful of the previous day’s DNF, Axel took a more measured approach in Heat 1. Portugal’s Vicente Capela took the lead from him on lap 4 before Axel slipped to 3rd on lap 8, where he remained to the finish. Knowing he needed a stronger result to put himself back on pole for the Final, Axel stepped up in Heat 2. He controlled the race from lights to flag to secure a dominant victory and earn the best possible starting position for the weekend’s deciding race.
This time, Axel made pole position count.
He got away cleanly and controlled the early stages of the Final before Capela briefly wrestled away the lead mid race. Axel remained within striking distance and eventually reclaimed P1, holding his ground to the chequered flag to win by 0.278 secs.
It marked Axel’s first COTFA victory in Europe, with the 14-year-old proudly standing on the top step of the podium with the Philippine flag.
The result was also proof of the years spent racing overseas. Rather than relying on repeated testing at the same circuits, Axel has learned to quickly adapt to unfamiliar tracks and compete against karters of this caliber.
That work continues off-track, where Axel uses sim racing to prepare for new venues and regularly competes with European karters through the AMS Karting Series. Along with the Mercedes Driver Development program, they’re the only Filipinos invited to participate in the event.
With only one round remaining, the OK-N Junior championship remains wide open heading into the season finale at the Franciacorta Karting Track in Italy on November 13–15.
Axel Nocom: “I felt it was only a matter of time because we’ve been fighting at the front since Round 1, but penalties and incidents kept us from getting the results we wanted. Winning here doesn’t mean I’m the best Filipino karter. For me, it shows that if I can do it, so can others with the right guidance. I didn’t have a coach or prior testing at Aspar unlike most of the other drivers, but we found ways to overcome that.”
Axel Nocom is supported by Mercedes Driver Development, Deseño MNL, Recaro Philippines, Ceramic Pro Philippines, DRIFT XAUST, DRIFT MOTOR Speedway, Ekartraceway, Kart Republic, Oasis Tech HK, Dri Plus Ph, Simagic, Apex Racing Philippines, Monza Barcade, Pregame 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.
