Ferguson and Tucker crowned first ever FIA Karting Arrive and Drive World Cup Winners

When the FIA announced earlier this year that the first ever Karting Arrive and Drive World Cup would come to the Asia-Pacific region, accessibility, affordability and inclusion were set at the heart of what has been landmark event on the International Sporting Calendar.  

91 per cent of the drivers competing in Malaysia declared that the Arrive and Drive format championed by the FIA makes it easier for them to compete and for one in seven of the drivers this is the first international event of their early careers.

50 nationalities have been represented at this World Cup which has welcomed new competitors to FIA Karting from every region, thanks in large part to the format of the event which significantly reduces financial and technical barriers to entry.

All signs pointed to a historic day for the FIA as finals day got underway in Kuala Lumpur earlier with local crowds filling the grandstands hoping to witness world-class karting from drivers aiming to prove themselves around the 21 corners of the LYL International Circuit.

The Junior and Senior finals didn’t disappoint with the crowds treated to some of the best karting finals in recent years. The talent on display points to a bright future for motor sport across the world and a golden opportunity for the Global Karting Plan to make its mark and provide a legacy that will endure in the sport for decades to come.

Senior

After providing incredible racing entertainment yesterday and showing incredible racing potential, Knud Nielsen of Denmark started the A-Final in P1 hoping to replicate his inch-perfect performance yesterday throughout the qualifying heats. However, with so many hopefuls behind him racing for a chance to be named FIA Karting Arrive and Drive World Cup winner, Nielsen must have known it was going to be a tough battle.

From Lap 1 he came under immense pressure with a close leading pack forming from the start. New Zealand driver Zach Tucker expertly navigated the field and lunged forward from fifth position on the grid to take the early lead.

Lizzy Mentier who had a positive day on track yesterday got off to a promising start, gaining positions quickly in the opening laps. As the race begun to settle a top three tussle begun to form between Nielsen who retook the lead and Tucker and Goudchaux, who had qualified in 20th position after qualifying practice yesterday, and made up ground quickly through the heats to start in P2 for the race today.

Further down the field, Linas Volungevicius from Lithuania began the race in P13 and banked some early overtakes through the midfield to begin to close in on the leaders, setting purple sectors across the track and eyeing a potential podium spot towards the closing stages.

By lap 10 of 20 the podium spots were still to play for with Nielsen’s slender lead narrowing before ultimately losing out to Goudchaux and Tucker who regained his early lead. Despite his best efforts on track Zain Elhommossany from the UAE was unable to catch the front pack as his hopes of a podium begun to fade.

On lap 14 the Malaysian weather turned in dramatic style. A dry race had turned into a deluge of rain within moments and with six karts all spinning off the track at Turn 3, including local hope Daniel Haris Jaeggi. With chaos unfolding the Race Director, Pasquale Lupoli, declared a red flag and therefore the end of the Senior Final with over 75% of the race completed.

As he came into Parc Ferme Zach Tucker was initially unaware that the race would not be resumed and he had won the FIA Karting Arrive and Drive World Cup (Senior) after a dramatic finale which contained track battles that will live long in the memory.

Junior

Starting on pole position, Tommy Hart was surely reflecting on how this World Cup could propel his racing career and the 20 laps that separated him and victory. Behind him on the grid he knew from his experience in the qualifying heats yesterday that he would face strong competition from Galemberti who had an incredibly strong Saturday at the LYL circuit yesterday and Motoda who had put his kart on pole for the qualifying heats.

As the lights went out for the start of the junior A-final, Motoda took the early lead but an intense and relentless battle begun to emerge at the front of the race with no early breakaways.

In the midfield pack Jack McLoughlin, who started in P23, put in a blistering performance to get into 12th position during the early phases of the race. Towards the front, Hart made a push to retake his lead that ultimately backfired, pushing him down to third and in need of a new tactic to take control of the race, which he ultimately did at the second attempt.

Troy Ferguson from the USA, tipped as an early favourite and featured in the US TV series Baby Drivers, had a perfect start to his race and quickly gained 5 positions as he looked for a strong finish and even the prospect of a podium. As the race progressed the top five were separated by less than a second with Galimberti fand Micah Vino Satrio leading the tightly squeezed pack as all was still to play for.

Galimberti later found himself under investigation, adding to the great uncertainty on how this race would end as he led the race into what will become an unforgettable final lap. As the leading pack begun to close Motoda went for a late lunge, forcing Galimberti to defend which closed the gap behind them resulting in no fewer than nine karts heading into the hairpin, all still in contention of victory.

The scrap that unfolded resulted in Motoda, the polesitter from Saturday’s Qualifying Practice, retaking the lead and Troy Ferguson of the USA capitalising on the unfolding chaos to place himself in P2. The sprint to the line gave a few moments to comprehend the dramatic final lap as Motoda took the chequered flag and made his way to Parc Ferme.

However, when waiting to be weighed, the FIA scrutineers identified a front-fairing discrepancy on the Japanese driver’s kart resulting in a 5-second time penalty that handed the victory to Troy Ferguson, who had unbelievably begun this race in ninth and was in sixth place on the penultimate lap.

The podium positions were completed by Tommy Hart in second place and Tomasz Cichoracki in third place, with three continents represented on the podium in a true reflection of the global nature of the competition.

As the karts are returned, paddock packed away and competitors fly home, the legacy of this event will be sure to endure in the impact it has had on developing healthy racing standards, supporting driver development and widening the participation of motor sport globally.

Opening the event, FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem told the competitors via a video message to “Learn from every lap and give it your all. May this experience be the beginning of a long and successful journey in motor sport”.

As the chequered flag fell for the newly crowned FIA Karting Arrive and Drive World Cup winners, we can be sure that racing champions of the future were building their racing skill and agility around the circuit and that the new Arrive and Drive format, set to expand next year with Arrive and Drive Continental Championships, has succeeded in its ambitious mission.

As a result of their victories, Ferguson and Tucker along with the second and third place finishers in both finals have earned their spots at the FIA Karting Shootout to be held next month. Designed to unite the FIA Karting champions and winners in one event, the shootout forms a cornerstone of the FIA’s Global Karting Plan. The FIA is expected to announce the location and format of the event next week.

The FIA Karting 2026 calendar was announced following the latest meeting of World Motor Sport Council last month and is available here. With more events than ever before, 2026 is set to be a golden year for FIA Karting.