Going up against 109 of the best OK-N Junior karters in the world, Axel Nocom put the Philippines on the global stage at the FIA Karting World Cup in Viterbo, Italy. The young Filipino fought his way into the 36-driver Final and went on to finish an impressive 9th overall.
The 14-year-old was already familiar with the Leopard Circuit, having finished 2nd there during the Champions of the Future Academy (COTFA) back in July. However, the World Cup presented a much bigger challenge, with 110 entries compared to just 31 at COTFA.
While many of his rivals had the advantage of competing at the same circuit just a week earlier during the ACI Karting Italian Championship, Axel only arrived several days before the event. On top of that, he had to get accustomed to a new tire compound he had never used before.
The World Cup also introduced Axel to a different team environment as part of Kart Republic. Unlike COTFA, where drivers compete individually, he could now share data and study onboard footage from his teammates. Among them was Italian karter Niccolò Perico, whom Axel had previously battled at COTFA and who would go on to dominate the World Cup weekend.
Axel showed promising pace during Free Practice, posting the 4th fastest time in his group. However, Qualifying proved frustrating as traffic prevented him from completing a clean flying lap. He ended up 10th in his group and 40th overall, leaving him with considerable ground to recover in the Qualifying Heats.
Starting P10 in each of his three Heats, Axel consistently worked his way forward. He climbed to 5th in Heat 1, recovered to 8th in Heat 2, and delivered his strongest drive in Heat 3 by charging to 3rd. With a single DNF potentially enough to end a driver’s hopes of reaching the Final, his consistency proved crucial.
Those results placed Axel 7th among the 55 drivers in his pool and secured him a place in the Super Heat.
Starting P7, Axel immediately made progress and climbed to P4 on the opening lap. He continued pushing and briefly moved up to P3 before eventually crossing the finish line 4th, securing a P10 starting position for the World Cup Final.
Having started on the outside, Axel dropped to P14 in the opening stages of the Finals. He then had several close calls and contact with other drivers, which almost caused a DNF. But rather than allowing the incidents to disrupt his rhythm, he steadily worked his way forward, picking off rivals one by one. He eventually climbed as high as P6, but another mistake while defending cost him valuable positions in the closing stages. Axel crossed the finish line 9th, while his Kart Republic teammate Perico secured victory on home soil.
Despite missing out on a higher finish, the FIA Karting World Cup provided Axel with valuable experience against a level of competition he considered stronger than anything he had previously encountered. Having raced in COTFA, the IAME Asia Final, T4 Nations Cup, Asia Pacific Motorsport Championship, Japan GPR, and UAE RMC events, the 14-year-old was able to measure himself against an even deeper field of international talent.
Axel Nocom: “This was definitely the highest level of competition I’ve experienced so far. There were a lot of drivers faster than me in Qualifying, but being fast over one lap is different from being able to race and fight for positions. I made some mistakes, especially when defending, but I also learned a lot from racing against the best Junior karters in the world. Even if you don’t win, you’re still gaining something when you come away with new knowledge.”
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.
