Champions of the Future Academy Round 2 Recap: Making progress with every lap

Back in action for Round 2 of the 2024 Champions of the Future Academy season, our nine F1 ACADEMY Discover Your Drive supported karters once again battled it out for a shot at glory.

There were plenty of success stories to celebrate with pole positions, victories, personal best results, and lots of points on the board around the International Lucas Guerrero Karting Circuit in Valencia, Spain.

MINI 60 (8 TO 12 YEARS OLD)

It was a challenging day for the youngest trio of racers, but all dug deep to fight their way through the order. With time for only one flying lap in Qualifying, Ava Lawrence led the way in the mid-pack in P16. An unlucky run in with some early incidents dropped her down to P19 on the grid for Final 1.

Utilising all the skills she’s been working on so far, the Emirati racer carved her way through up to P11, fending off a trio of karts behind her at the chequered flag.

After getting stuck in traffic in Qualifying and unable to finish her lap, Sophie Guth was determined to turn things around. Starting P23 in Heat 1, the German racer had rapid pace, making up 11 places to finish P12. Fighting with the top 10 in Heat 2, she unfortunately suffered a DNF three corners to the end, whilst her Final appearance ended early with a technical issue.

France’s Lina Salamanca continued to strengthen her racecraft and gave it her all. After Qualifying and the Heats, she found herself at the back of the field for the Final but managed to make up three places to finish P25.

Day 2 saw Lawrence improve her Qualifying performance to secure P13. Two solid Heats followed, with her nabbing a sixth row start for the Final. Dropping a few positions in the opening phase, she faced a race-long battle for position with those benefitting from the tow behind but got her elbows out to hold on to 14th.

Guth and Salamanca also made progress with their one-lap pace, earning the 18th and 21st fastest times of the Qualifying session. Guth continued to make inroads up the order, eventually taking the Final 2 chequered flag in 15th, whilst a tricky race saw Salamanca drop back to finish in P28.

OK-N JUNIOR (12 TO 14 YEARS OLD)

Angelina Simons Torres rocketed on to the scene in Qualifying, securing her first pole position in a nip-and-tuck fight by just 0.003s. Alongside setting the event record for the fastest lap in Juniors, the Spanish racer kept up her rapid pace with two P2 finishes in the Heats. It was clear she had the pace to be in the mix for some silverware but couldn’t quite bring it home and following a technical penalty, she was classified in P11.

Sara Matsui added some valuable points to her tally on Day 1. Qualifying in P7, the Williams Driver Academy member lost some ground across both Heats and started Final 1 from 12th. Fighting hard, she managed to climb back into the top 10 to take ninth. Meanwhile, Victoria Farfus wasn’t letting anything stand in her way.

READ MORE: Champions of the Future Academy Round 1 Recap: Starting in style

After being unable to set a time in Qualifying, she found herself on the back row for Final 1. As soon as the Green Flag was waved, the Brazilian racer pounced, making up 15 places in three laps and eventually reached the finish line in P18. Sunday saw her claim the honours of the biggest climber of the weekend, making up 20 places from Qualifying to take P11 in Final 2.

Day 2 was another strong showing for Simons Torres, as she claimed third in Qualifying. Lining up one place down following both Heats, she managed to keep a firm hold on her P4 spot, earning her a personal best result in COTFA and promoting her to ninth in the Standings.

Matsui endured a more up-and-down day, starting Final 2 from P19. An improvement in her race pace boosted the Japanese racer up the order, ending Round 2 on a positive note with her second top finish in the Final to sit P10 in the Championship Standings.

OK-N SENIOR (14 TO 18 YEARS OLD)

Luna Fluxa Cross remains the driver to beat in the OK-N Senior category. The Mercedes junior quickly got off the mark on Day 1, sealing pole position for both Heats by 0.048s. Whilst two P2 finishes demoted her one place on the starting grid for the Final, she didn’t let the chance of a third consecutive win pass her by, snatching the lead with a gutsy move on Lap 1 and pulling off into the distance once more to win by over 2.3 seconds.

Charlotte Page and Payton Westcott were put through their paces on the opening day of running. Qualifying in P22, Page had her eyes focused forward, making up five places across both Heats. With more to gain in Final 1, the Australian driver kicked it up a gear, going from P20 to score her first points of the campaign in P11. Westcott also built on her performances throughout Day 1, steadily rising from P24 after Qualifying to P22 by the finish line in the first Final.

READ MORE: Round 2 in Review : Debut podiums and the start of an electric title battle in Miami

The second and last day of racing gave Fluxa Cross another chance to extend her hold on the top spot in the Championship Standings. Claiming second on the grid for the Final once again, the Spanish racer couldn’t quite make it a four-win streak, but her P2 finish aided her Championship hopes, extending her lead to 48 points.

Page boosted her points tally on Day 2. Qualifying just ahead of Westcott in P22, both lost out across the Qualifying Heats and lined up at the tail end of the order. The only way was up for the Australian, scything her way through the pack and gaining 16 places in the process to finish inside the top 14, whilst Westcott brought her #231 kart home in P29.

The 2024 COTFA campaign will resume for Round 3 in Franciacorta, Italy from July 26-28. To see the full list of results from Round 2 and to view the remaining four rounds on the calendar, visit the COTFA website here.