The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), the global governing body for motor sport and the federation for mobility organisations worldwide, has celebrated a successful inaugural FIA Karting Academy Trophy - Senior series which showcased global karting talent and delivered on core aspects of the FIA’s Global Karting Plan.

The expansion of the Karting Academy Trophy is a key pillar of the FIA’s mission to invest in the future of motor sport, support racing talent wherever it may be globally and uphold its responsibility as the sport’s governing body to create fair, inclusive and globally accessible pathways for the next generation of racing stars.

The FIA Karting Academy Trophy was designed to provide a level playing field for competitors, with each National Sporting Authority (ASN) able to nominate a single driver to compete against fellow national entries in standardised karts provided by OTK Kart Group.

By expanding the Academy Trophy to include a senior category this year, the FIA has extended its driver support and development offering and provided an established path for 14-16 year olds to progress into other karting categories.

The first FIA Karting Academy Trophy - Senior was won by Yuzuki Sato, representing Japan, after he delivered a commanding race in the wet conditions of the Rødby Karting Ring this weekend. After the third and final round of the 2025 season he ended with 169 points, 31 ahead of second-place Wojciech Woda from Poland.

Speaking after the race, 2025 FIA Karting Academy Trophy - Senior winner Yuzuki Sato said:

“I’m incredibly proud to be the first winner of the FIA Karting Academy Trophy Senior Category. It’s been an amazing experience representing Japan and racing against top drivers from around the world. I’ve learned so much this season and I’m really thankful to FIA Karting for giving me this kind of opportunity. I can’t wait for the next challenge!”

As a showcase of raw racing talent, the FIA Karting Academy Trophy is the ultimate proving ground for the racing stars of tomorrow and Yuzuki has joined an illustrious list of previous Karting Academy Trophy winners including Charles Leclerc (2011), Richard Verschoor (2014) Marta Garcia Lopez (2015) and Connor Zilisch (2020) who all won the FIA Karting Academy Trophy – Junior.

Akbar Ebrahim, FIA Karting Commission (CIK) President, said:
“I am delighted that the inaugural FIA Karting Academy Trophy - Senior season has been so successful in providing a path for young drivers to climb the racing ladder with the support and development opportunities we provide to strengthen their promising careers.

“The expansion of the FIA Karting Academy Trophy is a key component of our Global Karting Plan which is actively widening participation in motor sport and growing the base of the motor sport pyramid to ensure our sport is as accessible and open as possible to all across the world.”

The next FIA Karting Event will be the Mondokart.com FIA Karting World Championship in Kristianstad, Sweden. The World Championship will feature the OK and OK-Junior categories and is set to take place over 11 – 14 September. The whole event will be free to watch on YouTube on the FIA Karting Championship channel, available here.

ENDS

For media enquiries please contact FIA Sport Communications Manager, Omar Sharif: osharif@fia.com

The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) is the governing body for world motor sport and the federation for mobility organisations globally. It is a non-profit organisation committed to driving innovation and championing safety, sustainability and equality across motor sport and mobility.

Founded in 1904, with offices in Paris, London and Geneva, the FIA brings together 245 Member Organisations across five continents, representing millions of road users, motor sport professionals and volunteers. It develops and enforces regulations for motor sport, including seven FIA World Championships, to ensure worldwide competitions are safe and fair for all.