Macau has again decided the latest motor sport champions as the Circuit of Macau-Coloane hosted the final races of the FIA Karting Arrive and Drive Asia-Pacific Championship today (13 September).
As a result of the weather experienced in Macau earlier today, all track activity was suspended before either of the remaining heats were able to take place for the junior and senior drivers. A restructured timetable therefore allowed only for the junior and senior final to take place today with the starting grid determined by the result of the single heat which took place yesterday afternoon.
In Senior, an action-packed final saw a four-way tussle for the lead over the race with a nail-biting last lap ending in Amelia Phillips taking the chequered flag but Signe Pejs Ørnbøll promoted to the race and championship win following a front-fairing penalty handed to Phillips.
In Junior, John Han’s strong performance in the final today was intensely challenged by Knox Black in an entertaining final which saw multiple exchanges of the lead. On the final lap Han sealed the race and the championship with a vital overtake which saw him crowned 2026 FIA Karting junior Arrive and Drive Asia-Pacific Champion.
Senior
As a result of his overtake on Signe Pejs Ørnbøll during the heat yesterday afternoon, Andrea Galimberti lined up on pole position with the Danish driver alongside him as the race got underway. Following a brief spell of rain, all drivers were out on wet tyres and facing a dampened track as the race commenced.
Galimberti got out of the blocks well as Ørnbøll struggled in the opening corners to fall back out of the podium positions, allowing local Macanese driver Vernice Si Lun Lao into second position and within a second of the leader.
Ørnbøll made her successful move to recover a podium spot at the expense of Hugo Garroway who fell back into fourth as she began her recovery drive in the wet conditions, she will be familiar with from racing in Denmark. By the fourth lap, Ørnbøll had successfully recovered her second position and took the fight back to Galimberti who now sat just under two seconds ahead.
As the race neared its midpoint Ørnbøll pounced upon Galimberti around the hairpin of turn two to take the race lead. She comfortably held on to the lead as Galimberti’s dominance this weekend began to wane and vulnerabilities in his racing began to emerge.
Lao’s initially positive start stalled to the disappointment of the home crowd as they fell back to eighth position with Conrad Garrow storming past and into the top positions with a gain of nine places in the opening few laps. Garrow’s charge didn’t end there and as Galimberti lost the lead to Ørnbøll, Garrow found his moment to cruise past Galimberti and into second place before thundering towards the rear bumper of Ørnbøll as he briefly took the race lead.
The Danish and Singaporean drivers proceeded to swap the lead multiple times on a track quickly drying providing newfound pace to the leading three drivers who were separated by just 4 tenths of a second. Amelia Phillips, benefitting from the track conditions, then entered the picture and into the podium positions at the expense of Galimberti who had started the race on pole and was now struggling to hold onto a podium finish.
Phillips had qualified in eighth-place before making up two places in the heat yesterday to line up on the third row of the grid this afternoon, unleashing her racing potential when it mattered most this afternoon.
The leading tussle for the championship title only escalated during the closing stages of the race as Ørnbøll, Garrow and Phillips were relentless in their challenge for the win, knowing a place in the FIA Karting history books was at stake here in Macau. Phillips and Ørnbøll, with the pressure mounting on their shoulders, delivered a masterclass in racing as they exchanged the leading position with both drivers utilising every part of the track to their advantage.
In the final lap, Phillips held on to the lead with a gap of just six tenths as the podium drivers began to solidify with Galimberti over four seconds behind the leading pack and facing opposition behind. A last-ditch effort by Ørnbøll to take the win on track was unsuccessful as Phillips took the chequered flag, however a front fairing penalty relegated Phillips to the third step of the podium with Ørnbøll taking the honours and joined by Garrow on the second step.
Ørnbøll will therefore join Kacper Turoboyski as 2026 Arrive and Drive champions after the Polish driver secured the European title earlier this summer. The top 17 finishers here in Macau will qualify for the 2026 Arrive and Drive World Cup later this year, to be held in Malaysia.
Top 5 in the Senior FIA Karting Arrive and Drive Asia-Pacific Championship
1. Signe Pejs Ørnbøll, (DEN)
2. Conrad Garrow (SGP)
3. Amelia Phillips (NZL)
4. Andrea Galimberi (ITA)
5. Seira Kojima (JPN)
Junior
As the lights went out for the junior final, 17 laps stood between the 20 drivers and the junior Arrive and Drive Asia-Pacific title. John Han lined up alongside Isaac Yoon on the front row and as we got underway the Hong Kong driver got a lightning start, quickly pulling away from the grid behind as Black banked an early overtake on Yoon to hunt down the early advantage Han had built.
Yoon’s attempt to recover his second position didn’t materialise as the South Korean driver lost places to Bowen and Chong who started to edge towards the podium spots. Meanwhile Kwong, who was looking strong during the qualifying phase yesterday, faced a disastrous start to his race as he fell down the order and out of the top ten.
At the sharp end of the race, Han and Black quickly formed a leading duo as Bowen in third led a train behind him which struggled to match the leading pace. Black sat barely a few tenths of a second behind Han until the eighth lap when Black revealed his hand and made a decisive move on Han which resulted in him leading the race over the main straight of the track.
Han quickly recovered his position, but Black stayed hot on his tail preparing his next strike. Black took a few laps to reset and select his prime opportunity to pounce which he chose on lap 14 when he took the lead around turn four. The lead swapped between the Hong Kong and Australian drivers numerous times in the proceeding lap until the last lap board came out to give Han one more opportunity to seal the deal.
The Hong Kong driver sealed the championship during the final lap, securing four out of four victories this weekend to complete a perfect weekend for the driver who displayed why he is currently leading the FIA Karting Academy Trophy Junior standings.
Black crossed the line in second with Liu Bowen managing to climb four places during the final to complete the junior podium.
Brandor Shor, the Jamaican driver who started in 17th quickly made up nine positions in the opening laps, eventually extending this to challenge for the top five by the midpoint of the race. He crossed the line in eighth place.
Hanzhi Fu also unleashed a burst of race pace this afternoon, starting at the back of the grid and entering the top 10 by the closing stages of the race and crossing the line in seventh position.
John Han therefore took his position atop the podium this afternoon to secure his champion title and his position at the Arrive and Drive World Cup in November. The Hong Kong driver will next month travel to Italy where he will attempt to convert his lead in the FIA Karting Academy Trophy standings into victory as the paddock travels to Viterbo for the FIA Karting World Cup.
Top 5 in the 2026 Junior FIA Karting Arrive and Drive Asia-Pacific Championship
1. John Han (HKG)
2. Knox Black (AUS)
3. Liu Bowen (CHN)
4. Rivaan Dev Preetham (IND)
5. Ka Hei Chong (HKG)
FIA Karting will travel to Le Mans next week for the Mondokart.com FIA Karting World Championship (KZ) with all of the action available to watch LIVE and FREE on the FIA Karting YouTube channel
