Legendary Macau Circuit to Decide FIA Karting Arrive and Drive Asia-Pacific Champions

The circuit last hosted FIA Karting a decade ago when Tom Leuillet won the 2016 FIA Karting Asia-Pacific Championship. This weekend will therefore be a welcome return to an iconic karting track which has also previously hosted FIA Karting World Championship rounds in both 2009 and 2012.44 drivers from 16 countries form the junior and senior grids of drivers will take to the track in their pursuit to secure the first ever FIA Karting Arrive and Drive Asia-Pacific champion titles. The top finishers from the event will also secure a lucrative position at this year's Arrive and Drive World Cup to be held in Malaysia later this year.The Asia-Pacific Championship is the second of three continental Arrive and Drive Championships to be held this year after Kacper Turoboyski and Maksymilian Piatek secured the European Senior and Junior titles in Poland earlier this summer.The trio of continental championships will conclude in October when the Kartódromo de Imperatriz in Brazil stages the 2026 FIA Karting Arrive and Drive South American Championship.All rounds of the FIA Karting Arrive and Drive Championships are LIVE and FREE to watch on the FIA Karting YouTube channel.All drivers will race using the Kosmic Mercury Chassis fitted with a 2-stroke Vortex SV engine and use the Vega Option XH4 slick tyres and Vega Q6 wet tyres throughout the event.A ballot will determine the initial distribution of engines and chassis' and engines will be swapped amongst competitors throughout the event to ensure a level playing field.Following Free Practice on Friday, two sprint races will be held on Saturday to encourage and reward strong racing performance.Junior and senior drivers will be separated into two groups, and a draw will randomly determine their starting position for the first of two six-minute sprint races. The second sprint race will feature a reverse grid where the driver who started on pole position for the first race will start at the back of the grid for the second race.Points will be awarded in both sprint races to determine the polesitter and grids for the three qualifying heats where further points will be awarded to set the final grid for Sunday's finals.The junior final will take place across 20km while the senior drivers will face 25km from lights out to the chequered flag on Sunday afternoon.Two drivers familiar to the Arrive and Drive format are Seira Kojima and Kiaan Shah who both competed in the inaugural Arrive and Drive World Cup in Malaysia last year and will be racing in Macau to secure their places in this year's second edition. Kojima placed in fourth place in the junior final last year, cementing her position as an early favourite this weekend, ahead of Shah who classified in 13th position.Conrad Garrow travels to Macau hotly tipped as the 2025 ROK Cup Asia junior winner. Garrow has also started 2026 strongly with race victories including at the LYL International Circuit in Malaysia that will make him a formidable opponent on track.Macanese drivers Si Lun Vernice Lao, Chi Leong Lou and Henrique Quintela Borges will represent their home country of Macau on the grid this weekend and will all be hoping to lift the trophy in front of a local crowd on Sunday.Hong Kong is also strongly represented with six senior drivers participating in the championship. Chak Ieong Chan leads the contingent as an experienced international racer following his participation in the Karting Slalom at the 2024 FIA Motorsport Games in Valencia.Other drivers to watch include Signe Pejs Ørnbøll who has excelled in her national championships, Vedant Menon who placed second in the Rotax Grand Finals (E20 Senior Max) last year in Bahrain and Dillan Tan from Singapore who will be looking to build upon his seventh-place finish at the Arrive and Drive World Cup last year.John Han leads the junior pack as the current standings leader in the 2026 FIA Karting Academy Trophy Junior. The Hong Kong driver has a healthy 38-point lead ahead of the final round in Viterbo, Italy in October and after winning the previous round he will be looking to carry his momentum into the Arrive and Drive Asia Pacific Championship.Alana Gurney is also an early favourite as the winner of the 2025 FIA Girls on Track – Rising Stars Junior edition. Selected for the programme following her success in Australian karting competitions, Alana excelled among a field of 82 candidates due to her exceptional consistency, maturity, and ability to learn fast under pressure both on and off the track which will serve her well in Macau.Alana will line up on the grid alongside a familiar face as Vincent Ter Horst, also from the Victoria state in Australia, has raced against Alana for many years including in the cadet class. Alana and Vincent are two of five Australian junior entries for the championship.Four Chinese drivers will be making the trip to Macau this week including Liu Bowen who narrowly missed out on victory at the circuit earlier this year in the Rotax Max Challenge International Trophy after an initially successful weekend. Two junior drivers from Macau, Hau Yin Tsui and Kin Long Lou will also race on their home circuit as they bid to keep the junior trophy on Macau soil.Other drivers to watch include Doyul Park from Korea who has been competing in regional championships this year, Rivaan Dev Preetham from India who has claimed victory in national championships before taking his first FIA Karting laps this week and Isaac Yoon who is no stranger to the Macao-Coloane track after racing here earlier this year.Following sporting checks on Thursday, drivers will take to the track for the first time on Friday for Free Practice before the qualifying stages begin on Saturday morning.All times local to Macau (GMT +8)09:30 - 15:50 Free Practice10:35 – 15:15 Sprint Races16:30 – 17:10 Qualifying Heats10:15 – 12:10 Qualifying Heats13:25 Drivers' Presentation14:00 Junior Final15:00 Senior Final