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Young Axel Nocom’s firm resolve to finish his race was witnessed and even captured in film, when his kart broke down a few meters away from the finish line during his last lap in Rotax Max Philippines Minirok this Saturday.
Photo courtesy of Rotax Max Ph and Mad Films
After a collision with one of his opponents, his kart stopped, and as soon as he realized that it could not throttle further, without hesitation- he immediately jumped-off and started pushing to victory.
He explained that after the said collision, the impact caused the chain of the kart to snap, but not even that could stop him from reaching the goal.
During his finishing moments, Axel kind of knew that he would end up finishing last place, but that was better for him rather than getting a DNF (Did Not Finish). With his determination, he thankfully ended up reaching second place instead because one of his co-racers unfortunately crashed into the track barriers.
Axel clarified that what he did (pushing the kart) was legal in kart racing because he was near the line, and only pushing the kart for more than an entire lap was not allowed.
Despite the unexpected difficulty, the fledgling racer has snatched first place in this season and is currently leading in the series (3 points).
At the very young age of 5, Axel Nocom had already started chasing his passion for racing in go karts, motocross, and simulators. And now, he continues to quench his thirst to be on the track and is starting to make a name for himself.
When asked what was in store for Axel next, he excitedly stated that he will be proudly representing Asia in Simulation Racing along with Nico Sage who is the same age as him. He gave credit to Alex Yoong, a previous F1 driver whom he looks up greatly to, and Richard Peek who tunes his karts, for giving him such a grand opportunity.
He also added that he might be seen kart racing in Singapore soon, and by next month he may possibly start practicing Junior Kart racing.
As young as he is, Axel has already experienced driving in cars such as Honda Civic FD at Clark International Speedway and is now considering racing with them soon. He also added that he might only attempt to race in time attacks, playing it safe to avoid any possible accidents.
Axel also made sure that he acknowledged his sponsors Motul, Alpinestars, and Sir Charlie Ong, showing how much he achieved with their solid support.