IAME Asia Finals deliver some surprise champions

The 2025 Macau International Kart Grand Prix concluded yesterday, delivering thrilling racing action and some unexpected champions.

Among the surprises was Toby Gale’s win in the Senior category. The Thai national finished ahead of Spain’s Aaron Lopez and Italy’s Danny Carenini, who completed the podium.

After the race, Gale said, “Yeah, you know pace wasn’t amazing, but we made it work in the end, and I think that’s what IAME proves every single day of the week. I’m really thankful for the team. It’s been tough, like you said, but we’ve made it work, and I’m so happy. It’s really rewarding because these last couple of races have obviously been a bit of a struggle, and to end the year off in good fashion is just amazing.”

Gale, who had led the European series but had to withdraw from the last two rounds, said winning the finals in Macau helped make up for earlier disappointments.

“Yeah, for sure, as everyone says, hard work beats talent, and we’ve been silently working really hard. We’ve been the underdogs, if you know what I mean, so to make it happen at an event like this is really rewarding,” he added.

In the Master category, Kip Samuel Foster of Australia took the win over compatriot Luke Armstrong, with Italy’s Davide Fore completing the podium.

In the younger categories, Max Zvatich (Thailand) won the Cadets, followed by Hong Kong’s Mason Kwong and the UAE’s Ava Lawrence. In the Juniors, Italy’s Andrea Galimberti took first place, followed by the Philippines’ Axel Nocom and Australia’s Jay Kostecki.

In addition to trophies, the winners in all four categories earned entry to the 2026 IAME World Finals.

The large-scale motorsport event was co-organized by the Sports Bureau, the Automobile General Association of Macao-China, OTK Kart Asia, and IAME Asia, and sponsored by Sands China Limited.

Held at the Coloane Karting Track, the 2025 International Karting GP spanned two weekends, beginning on Dec. 5 with the ROK categories and concluding Sunday with the IAME Asia Finals, including several local races such as the Sands Cup.