Thai, Hong Kong, and Lithuanian racers dominate Macau karting finals

The Champions of the Future Academy Program – Macau took place over the weekend at the Coloane Karting Track, crowning three champions across three categories.

In the Mini 60, dedicated to the youngest racers, Thai driver Max Zvarich topped the classification board with 89 points, particularly thanks to the 51 points earned in Final 2 held on Sunday.

Zvarich finished ahead of Australian Ryder Xiong (79 points) and Indonesian Syabil Umar Basalamah (74 points) in a category that included 15 racers from 11 nationalities.

In the OK-N Junior category, the final victory went to John Han from Hong Kong, who led the standings with 94 points, ahead of Mariano Axel Nocom from the Philippines (88 points) and Jay Kostecki (Australia) with 80.

The OK-N Senior category, for the most experienced drivers, saw two Lithuanians on top, separated by just one point. Markas Silkunas beat his sister, Vanesa Silkunaite, by 1 point (95-94), with the siblings exchanging finishing positions in both finals.

Third place went to Japanese driver Seira Kojima with 64 points, highlighting the dominance of the Lithuanian siblings.

The only local racer participating in the event was Henrique Borges, who placed 14th and last in the category.

This was a brand-new event created by the RGMMC Group, extending the Champions of the Future Academy Program into a national series.

The Champions of the Future Academy Program – Macau took place over a single weekend, with two finals.

The Mini 60 category runs on the Parolin chassis with TM engines, while OK-N Junior and Senior run on Kart Republic chassis with IAME engines. All classes used LeCont tires for this event.

The concept of these events is based on the arrive-and-drive formula, in which racers are supplied with the complete kart, engine, tires, fuel, and all the support they need to compete over a weekend of races, paying a fixed fee.

The international karting series is designed to develop the next generation of motorsport talent, aligning with FIA sporting standards, combining competition with comprehensive driver education, and controlling costs.

More karting this weekend

The year started busy at the Coloane Karting Track, which will continue to host international races.

From today until Sunday (Jan. 25), Macau will welcome racers from the ROTAX series for the 2026 Macau International Kart Grand Prix / RMC International Trophy Asia.

The event will include races in six categories: Micro Max, Mini Max, Junior Max, Max DD2/DD2 Masters, Senior Max Masters, and Senior MAX.

The final races of each category will take place on Sunday (Jan. 25) in the afternoon, with the green light expected at 1:50 p.m. for Micro Max and the checkered flag shown to Senior MAX around 4:45 p.m.