A pair of 12th-place finishes at the Kartódromo Internacional do Algarve gave Axel Nocom plenty of reason to celebrate. Despite missing out on a Top 10 result, the lone Filipino karter in the Champions of The Future Academy (COTFA) climbed 16 places in the rain, delivering an impressive performance.
Axel arrived in Portimão just in time for Thursday Practice on a completely dry track. However, conditions took a turn for the worse on Friday, with all sessions run in the wet. Fortunately, he adapted well to the tricky conditions, placing mid-pack among 34 runners. Though he only managed P20 in Saturday’s Qualifying, he still had two Heats and the Finals to make up ground.
His weekend took an early hit in Heat 1 when he was caught in a first-lap pile up, ending his race after just a few hundred meters. With dark clouds looming, the entire grid started Heat 2 on wet tires, but the expected rain never came. Axel pressed on, carefully managing tire wear to finish P17, only to be relegated to 21st due to a drop bumper penalty.
Determined to bounce back, Axel saved his best performance for last. Starting P28 in the Saturday Finals, he made a clean getaway to reach P25 on the opening lap, then picked off competitors one by one. By lap 10, he had surged to 12th and held position to secure a hard-fought finish in the rain.
Sunday brought a new challenge with mostly dry conditions, forcing Axel to adjust his driving once again. He started strong by setting the 12th fastest time in Qualifying, which boosted his confidence heading into the Heats. This proved to be usefull as everyone drove with their elbows out on the last day of racing at Portimao.
Axel was locked in a race-long battle in Heat 1 and dropped back to 16th when the chequered flag dropped. Tensions then continued to rise in Heat 2 later that day. The Filipino karter held position for most of the race until he was nudged off the track with only 2 laps to go, undoing all his hard work as he finished in a lowly 29th place.
Undeterred, he saw it as another opportunity to fight back. Starting P21 in the Sunday Finals, he held position for most of the race before making a late charge in the final 4 laps. Navigating through traffic, he crossed the line in 12th securing another solid result.
With a short break ahead, the COTFA resumes action on April 11/13 at the Kartódromo Internacional Lucas Guerrero in Valencia, Spain.
Axel Nocom is supported by the Mercedes Young Driver Development Philippines, 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.
[Photos courtesy of Box Box Photography]
