Report
Another step in the right direction: British Champions of the Future Academy Round 2 Recap
The 2026 British Champions of the Future Academy Program campaign resumed at the PF International Kart Circuit and our eight F1 ACADEMY DISCOVER YOUR DRIVE karters each made their mark on Round 2.
Two dramatic days of racing saw Sukhmani Khera and Andie Stewart bring home their first podiums of the season, while Eva Morris and Emma Rose Dowling emerged triumphant in a Senior showdown on Sunday.
ARSHI GUPTA (MINI 60)
It was a tricky start to the weekend for our Mini 60 duo, with Arshi Gupta leading the way down in P16. The Indian racer made up two places in the first Heat but had to retire from Heat 2 on the opening lap and eventually ended Day 1 in P14.
Day 2 began in a similar vein, with Gupta qualifying 17th overall. After two tough Heats, Gupta ended where she started, finishing P17 in the second Final.
KHLOE MCGILL (MINI 60)
Khloe McGill also endured a challenging time at the Lincolnshire circuit. Qualifying two places behind Gupta, the Brit managed to gain 13 places across both Heats. However, her progress ground to a swift halt in the Final after being spun at the hairpin, finishing four laps down in P14.
McGill also struggled to make inroads on Day 2. Qualifying in P13, she made up two places in Heat 1 but couldn’t replicate it in Heat 2, retiring after only one lap. That put her on the backfoot for the Final, where she eventually classified in P16, one place ahead of Gupta.
SUKHMANI KHERA (OK-JUNIOR)
Sukhmani Khera was on fine form in Round 2, securing the third-fastest time on Day 1 in a close-fought Qualifying session. Keeping that pace up in the Heats, the Alpine junior won the second Heat by 0.236s to secure pole position. Despite dropping to P4 in the opening laps, Khera fought back, retaking the lead on Lap 6 but ultimately lost out on the win on the final lap and the Briton was forced to settle for second.
Her pace showed no signs of abating on Day 2. Qualifying in P4, two top-three results in the Heats earned her the third spot on the grid for the Final. Battling hard at the front end of the field, Khera narrowly missed out on her second podium of the weekend in fourth but took the Standings lead by 14 points.
ANDIE STEWART (OK-N JUNIOR)
Andie Stewart also enjoyed a strong run of form on Day 1. Starting out from P6 after Qualifying, the Briton steadily climbed up the order in the Heats to line up fourth on the Final grid. Slipping her way into the three-kart battle for the win on the last lap, her perseverance paid off with her first piece of silverware this season in P3.
Sadly, Day 2 was unable to match the same highs. Forced to rebuild her kart following an incident in Practice, Stewart experienced a disappointing Qualifying in P15. Two competitive Heats allowed her to recover to P11 on the grid. Stewart showed the same tenacity in the Day 2 Final to break into the top seven, and she now sits fifth in the overall Standings.
“Day 1 was full of progress and confidence,” Stewart reflected. “It ended with a podium, a P3, which was my first podium in the British series. Day 2 was challenging all around After Practice, we had to rebuild my kart following an incident.
“I learnt the importance of resetting and refocusing on what's next and not what has already happened. I'm going to keep pushing with my pre-race training as I have been making progress.”
AVA LAWRENCE (OK-N JUNIOR)
Initially, Ava Lawrence was unable to match the pace of her fellow F1 ACADEMY DISCOVER YOUR DRIVE Juniors on Day 1, qualifying down in P17. However, the Emirati racer bounced back with two solid Heats, gaining a combined 11 places. Her upward momentum continued into the Final as she finished in P6.
Day 2 started more promisingly for the Aston Martin junior, as Lawrence qualified ninth in a closely-contended session. Frustratingly for her, Lawrence lost seven places across the Heats and received a five-second time penalty in Heat 2 for gaining an unfair advantage. Undeterred, she pulled off another climb through the pack to take her second sixth-place finish of the weekend.
EVA MORRIS (OK-N SENIOR)
Eva Morris led the Senior charge on Day 1, narrowly missing out on pole position for the Heats by three tenths. Fending off Lizzy Mentier for second in Heat 1 and securing P4 in Heat 2 earned the Brit a front row spot for the Final. Morris made the most of her prime track position, bringing home a P2 finish in the #202 kart.
Morris’ fine form carried through to Day 2, where she qualified third, 0.171s off the fastest time. Two consistent Heats in P3 and P2 put the Briton back on the front row for the second Final. Fighting hard with her fellow F1 ACADEMY DISCOVER YOUR DRIVE Seniors, Morris won their three-kart battle to finish second once again, moving her up to third in the Standings.
Emma Rose Dowling (OK-N Senior)
After a tough opening Round at Kart Silverstone, Emma Rose Dowling enjoyed a more encouraging weekend at PF International. Qualifying in P3, she lost some ground in both Heats and dropped two places on the grid for the Day 1 Final. Unfortunately, her race came to an early end after her chain came off on Lap 3.
Her bad luck seemed to continue into the start of Day 2. Qualifying in P4, she sustained damage in Heat 1 and received a Black Flag. Shaking off the frustration, the South African racer took P3 in Heat 2 and fought her way from sixth on the Final grid to achieve her first podium of the campaign in third.
Lizzy Mentier (OK-N SENIOR)
The slowest qualifier of the Senior trio in fifth, Lizzy Mentier didn’t let that hold her back on Day 1. Moving up to third in both Heats, the Briton looked set to be firmly in podium contention. Disappointingly, her race came to a premature end after she was forced to retire from the Day 1 Final on the opening lap with a broken chain.
Mentier picked herself back up for Day 2, just missing out on pole in the Time Qualifying session by 0.082s. She kept that pace up with a P2 finish in Heat 1 but was handed a five-second time penalty in Heat 2 for a false start which demoted her to sixth. Lining up behind Morris on the Final grid, Mentier put her under pressure but lost out to Dowling in their battle and wound up in P4. Nevertheless, she remains second in the Standings heading into Round 3.
The 2026 British COTFA campaign will continue with a visit to the Larkhill Circuit International in Scotland for Round 3 on June 19-21. To see the full list of results from Round 2 and to view the remaining rounds on the calendar, visit the COTFA website here.