When the 2024 Champions of the Future (COTF) Academy Program got underway last March, there were 2 karters from the Philippines on the grid that weekend. 11-year-old Axel Nocom officially made his OK-N Junior debut, while 14-year-old Prix Trivino fought for national pride in OK-N Senior.
If this was a typical post-race recap, then we would have simply reported that Axel finished 23rd in the Finals on Saturday and 26th on Sunday. Prix, on the other hand, ended up in 21st and 24th over the 2 days at Cremona Circuit in Italy, which was riddled by on-and-off rain showers. It may not be the fairy-tale result some people were expecting, but wining was never part of their objective in the first place.
As the late Niki Lauda stated, “Because I tell you from my own experience, winning is one thing but out of losing I always learned more for the future. So I got stronger in losing.”
Competing in Europe is Axel and Prix’ training program for 2024. It’s only when one steps out of their comfort zone, take on stronger competition, and stop making excuses will they be ready to compete on an international level.
Here are 8 things that Axel and Prix learned racing at the Champions of the Future (COTF) Academy Program.
#1 OK-N karts are much FASTER
The OK-N is a 125 cc, water-cooled, 2-stroke engine with a direct chain drive. There’s no clutch, electric starter, battery, and wiring. It’s as simple as it gets. OK-N is currently the premier category in karting and is widely used in international competition.
#2 Muscle Strength is IMPORTANT
Karting is a physically demanding sport. It’s a full body workout that involves your arms, shoulders, and especially your neck. Even the likes of lady karter Luna Fluxa (who went on to win in OK-N Senior that weekend) could breeze through a 20-lap session with ease. This was something that surprised Axel as he struggled through the longer stints.
#3 There’s a DRY and a WET racing line
With mixed conditions at Cermona, karters had to adapt to the changing conditions and take different racing lines. A layer of rubber eventually builds up and is the quickest way to go in the dry, but becomes as slick as ice in the wet. This is almost non-existent over the years of racing in the Philippines.
#4 Karters understand kart SETUP
While teams have mechanics and engineers, the karters themselves wrench on their own karts and know them inside and out. This way, they’re able to have a better understanding of their setup, how to extract every second out of it, and not be given a runaround by their team.
#5 The competition is VERY AGGRESSIVE
The philosophy here is to “overtake or be overtaken.” The choice is yours. That pretty much sums up why the pack is so tight and positions change at almost every corner. It really harks back to one of Ayrton Senna’s most memorable lines, “If you no longer go for a gap that exists, you’re no longer a racing driver.”
#6 Rubbing IS racing
Unless you take a hit so bad that you’re taken away in an ambulance, NO ONE here will come to apologize for contact. With so many drop bumper penalties handed out, Axel quickly realized that bumping is a norm at this level and not to take it seriously.
#7 Strict, Consistent Rule Enforcement
Rules are rules. Warnings or penalties are handed out (as applicable) for unnecessary contact. They’ll even show you video evidence as proof. Scrutineering is fair, absolute, and final. One thing they noticed was that protests were close to none over the entire weekend.
#8 There’s no place for POLITICS
Everyone comes here to race and purely to race. They are fierce competitors on track, but remain good friends off track. Winners are congratulated. Scrutineers are left to do their job. When everyone shows good sportsmanship, racing is more fun.
