Team Philippines emerged as the overall champion at the Asia Pacific Motorsport Championship (APMC) 2025, collecting a total of two gold medals, two silver medals, and two bronze medals at the prestigious event held from September 26 to 28, 2025 at the Sri Lanka Karting Circuit (SpeedBay) in Bandaragama. This marks the first time Sri Lanka has hosted the biannual competition, which featured more than 210 drivers from 25 countries across multiple motorsport disciplines including karting, auto gymkhana, slalom, autocross, cross car, and an e-sports sim racing segment.
Among the standout performers was Axel Nocom, who delivered a commanding run in the Junior IAME X30 Karting Sprint category. The 13-year-old Filipino sensation recorded the best lap times in every session—from practice to the finals—except for Heat 1, where an engine seizure forced him to retire early. Showing resilience, he rebounded to dominate all subsequent sessions, setting multiple purple laps and pulling away from the field in the finals.
Racing for the first time at the SpeedBay circuit, Axel also broke the Junior IAME X30 track record while driving a Kart Republic chassis. His final run showcased complete control as he lapped another competitor and crossed the line 15 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher. “The personal win in the karting sprint category isn’t really what mattered most to me but what I contributed to the Philippine team’s overall success is what is important,” Axel shared.
The championship also saw impressive performances from other nations, with Nepal’s Ashish “Ronnie” Bharati clinching a top position in the auto gymkhana category and Malaysia securing multiple podiums across different events. Promoted as a platform for both professional racers and emerging talents in traditional and digital motorsports, the APMC has positioned Sri Lanka as a new hub in the region’s competitive motorsport calendar.
