Report
Launching into the unknown: British Champions of the Future Academy Round 1 Recap
A new era of F1 ACADEMY DISCOVER YOUR DRIVE took shape as our eight young karters tackled the inaugural round of the British Champions of the Future Academy.
The national-level feeder series for the COTFA International Series pushed the drivers into unknown territory, with their debut at the newly-opened Silverstone Kart Circuit and for many, their first experience of the OK-N and Mini 60 machinery.
Despite cold temperatures and mixed conditions, Lizzy Mentier lit up the track with a double podium, whilst our newest crop of talent each made strides across the weekend.
Khloe McGill (MINI 60)
After contesting the opening round of the COTFA International Series, Khloe McGill was back on home soil. A difficult Qualifying on Day 1 left her down in P27. Undeterred, she fought back through the Heats, including gaining P12 places in Heat 2 to line up in P22 for the Final. Another storming performance saw McGill gain eight places to finish inside the top 15.
Day 2 continued in the same vein. Qualifying in P19, she made up eight places in Heat 1 and looked set to make more in the Final. Unfortunately, she received two five-second penalties for contravening the flag signal before the session and an incorrectly positioned front fairing, which dropped her to P23.
ARSHI GUPTA (MINI 60)
Gupta was another mini who set out to make moves. Although she managed to climb up from her P26 slot in both Heats, the combined points total left the Indian racer to line up in P27 for the Final. Pushing on, Gupta gained five places to end the opening day in P22.
She faced similar challenges on Day 2 after qualifying in P23 and then receiving a five-second penalty for gaining an unfair advantage in Heat 1, which demoted her to P25. Nevertheless, Gupta’s fighting spirit didn’t waver and she ended the day in P21.
Sukhmani Khera (OK-JUNIOR)
Khera was the fastest junior out of the box, securing a top-five time on Day 1. That pace continued to translate into the Heats, with her taking P7 and P2 at the chequered flag. Unfortunately, 15 seconds-worth of penalties across the two races pushed her back to P13 and P5. Making the most out of her eighth-place start, the Briton picked up the pace to deliver a top-four finish.
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Getting comfortable around the Kart Silverstone Circuit, Khera once again shone on Day 2, qualifying in third. An opening lap incident took her out of contention in Heat 1, but she bounced back with a P2 finish in Heat 2. Starting from the third row, she held her nerve to finish sixth in the Final and her consistent performances rewarded her with fourth in the Standings.
AVA LAWRENCE (OK-N JUNIOR)
Stepping up to the Junior category, Ava Lawrence looked to learn from the experience. A solid Qualifying put her 12th for both Heats. Two steady performances saw the Emirati racer classify in P10 and P14, respectively. Handed the P14 spot for the first Final, she made slight progress to break into the top 10.
Sunday saw a big jump in her one-lap pace, as Lawrence secured the second-fastest time of Qualifying. That pace carried into the Heats in P6 and P5, despite her receiving a five-second penalty for an incorrectly positioned front fairing. Getting stuck into battles from fourth on the Final grid, Lawrence wasn’t able to hold on to the place to the finish and ended her weekend in P11.
ANDIE STEWART (OK-N JUNIOR)
Fresh off the back of her COTFA International podium, Andie Stewart got stuck into the new track. Moving up the order from her P16 result in Qualifying, she made up three places in Heat 2 before being run wide and forced to go through the pitlane but still recovered to P10. The Final saw the Briton climb into the top four, but she was classified in P11 after a penalty for an incorrectly positioned front fairing.
A stronger start to Day 2 saw Stewart qualify in P19 and move up in the Heats to start the Final from P13. Gaining nine places, she was pleased to end the weekend with a top-four finish.
“I feel like my overtaking went well this weekend and keeping calm during a chaotic final,” said Stewart. “Qualifying was the biggest challenge on this brand new track with everyone trying to find the best grip and best track position. My goal for the next round is to be more confident during the short qualifying sessions and during race starts. I am going to rewatch my own race starts and other race starts to study them and put this into practise on sim racing until I’m next on track.”
EVA MORRIS (OK-N SENIOR)
Eva Morris kicked the weekend off for the Senior trio, qualifying in P2, half a second off pole. The Brit lost some ground slightly in the Heats with two fifth-placed results and made it a hat trick in the Day 1 Final.
The second day of running saw Morris qualify further back in P6, but she made gains across the Heats, finishing both in third — despite receiving a five-second penalty for an incorrectly positioned front fairing. Struggling for grip in a rain-affected Final, Morris spun off on the opening lap and was unable to rejoin.
Emma Rose Dowling (OK-N Senior)
It was a big weekend of learning for South Africa’s Emma Rose Dowling. A promising Qualifying put her fourth on the grid, but she couldn’t sustain the pace in the Heats and Final, eventually ending Day 1 in eight.
Day 2 followed in a similar fashion, with her fastest lap worthy of third. P4 and P6 finishes followed in the Heats, but her inexperience with the wet conditions held her back in the Final, where she classified in P7.
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“Definitely the biggest challenge would be the rain as it isn’t something I get to do a lot back in South Africa,” said Dowling. “I have learned to be consistent as we were small grid, so there was no room for error for anyone. I definitely learnt to be more confident in the rain, which can be seen by my times as I progressed on during the weekend.”
Lizzy Mentier (OK-N SENIOR)
Although Lizzy Mentier was the lowest qualifier of the trio on Day 1, she soon made up for that. A storming start in Heat 1 saw her make several brave moves to finish P2. She coped well with the changing conditions in Heat 2 to take third, carrying that pace into a podium-worthy performance in the Final, finishing a comfortable second.
The Briton’s one lap pace took a step forward on Day 2. Qualifying and finishing Heat 2 in second, a penalty demoted her to sixth in Heat 1, knocking her back to fourth on the grid. Reclaiming lost ground, she achieved her second podium of the weekend and sits fourth in the Standings.
“I thought it went really well,” she said. “I had two really positive results at the end of each day. The racing was also very strong, I thought I made a move for second in the Final and I managed to block pass the other driver perfectly. I think my biggest challenge was trying to be consistent in Qualifying.
“I made a few good laps but sometimes I made a few mistakes which I have learnt from for next time. I learnt how to keep my head high even when things didn't go to perfect, which I used during my racing and I also learnt to not give up during long hard races especially the Final when I thought a podium was not on the scale for me.”
The eight karters will be back on track for Round 2 of the 2026 British COTFA season at the PF International Kart Circuit from May 15-17. To see the full list of results from Round 1 and to view the remaining rounds on the calendar, visit the COTFA website here.