Round 9 Recap: A Historic First Season Comes to a Close
Nine rounds. Hundreds of laps. Countless battles. And now, the first Champions of the Future America champions have been crowned.
The inaugural Champions of the Future America season came to a thrilling conclusion at K1 Circuit in Winchester, California, with the championship finale returning to the Pro Track where the season began.
Several championships remained undecided entering the weekend, setting the stage for one final showdown. By the time the checkered flag fell, Carson Bishop, Maddax Carlucci, Braydon Wagner, Archer Eversman, Tony Gomez, and Sergei Karamseili had etched their names into the history books as the first class champions in Champions of the Future America.
The weekend also provided a glimpse into the future, with Tillotson T4 Junior and Senior exhibition races showcasing two classes that will be part of the newly announced Champions of the Future America Club Series in 2027.
Here’s how an action-packed final weekend unfolded.
MINI U10: Bishop Wins Finale and Secures Championship
Championship leader Carson Bishop (Bishop Motorsports) started his weekend with two Qualifying Heat victories, while Lucas Freitas Melo (Nash Motorsportz) claimed the remaining Qualifying Heat. Sebastian Matyjaszczyk (Precision Works / Pickle Rick) returned to his winning ways with a Super Heat victory, and his consistent results throughout the Qualifying Heats earned him pole position for the Final.
Matyjaszczyk led Bishop and Logan Purdy (Position One Motorsports) at the start, while Freitas Melo moved past Purdy for third on Lap 2.
The order remained unchanged at the front until Lap 10, when Bishop passed Matyjaszczyk to take the lead. On the final lap, Freitas Melo also found a way past Matyjaszczyk to take second.
Bishop went on to score his final victory of the season, with Freitas Melo crossing the line second and Matyjaszczyk third. However, Matyjaszczyk was later disqualified from the Final for a technical non-conformity, promoting Purdy to the final podium position.
Caeawen Adriano (Precision Driving Concepts) finished fourth, followed by Riley Juarez (Precision Driving Concepts) in fifth, Vincent Blauvelt in sixth, Liam Lofton in seventh, Timothy Borodavchenko in eighth, and Kyle Kim (Precision Driving Concepts) in ninth.
With the victory, Bishop became the inaugural Champions of the Future America Mini U10 Champion. Freitas Melo finished the season second in the championship, with Matyjaszczyk third.
MINI: West Scores Maiden Win as Carlucci Clinches Championship
Kendall West (Position One Motorsports) was determined to finish her strong 2026 season on a high, winning a Qualifying Heat and the Super Heat to secure pole position for the Final. Asher Biezonsky (Competition Speed) and championship leader Maddax Carlucci (Nash Motorsportz) each claimed a Qualifying Heat victory.
At the start, Biezonsky and Benjamin Tavi (Nash Motorsportz) passed West at Turn 1, with Tavi briefly taking the lead later on the opening lap. West fought back at the final corner to reclaim the top spot before Tavi ran off track at Turn 1 on Lap 2, allowing West’s teammate Emiliano Hernandez (Position One Motorsport) into third, with Carlucci fourth.
On Lap 4, West and Hernandez both passed Biezonsky at Turn 1, giving Position One Motorsports the top two positions.
West went on to score her long-awaited maiden Final victory, with Hernandez completing a Position One Motorsports 1-2 and earning his first podium of the season. Biezonsky completed the podium in third.
Carlucci finished fourth, followed by Tavi in fifth, Sebastian Ochi (Team Kartnick) in sixth, Eero Cox (Hayner Racing Team) in seventh, Reid Eck (Hayner Racing Team) in eighth, and Ryder Wentworth (Neliton Race Concepts) in ninth.
Despite finishing off the podium in the final round, Carlucci did enough to secure the title, becoming the inaugural Champions of the Future America Mini Champion. Biezonsky earned runner-up honors in the championship, finishing just five points ahead of West in third.
KA100 Junior: Wagner Wins Finale to Secure Championship
Just eight points separated championship leader Sebastian Hauser (Hayner Racing Team) and Braydon Wagner (Formula Works) entering the final weekend, leaving everything to play for.
Diesel Biezonsky (Competition Speed) won a Qualifying Heat and the Super Heat to secure pole position for the Final. Wagner and Arran Speirs (Nash Motorsportz) claimed the remaining Qualifying Heat victories. Meanwhile, Hauser endured a difficult run leading into the Final, with a pair of ninth-place finishes representing his best results in the Qualifying Heats.
Biezonsky led from pole at the start, with Wagner second, Forrest Blair (Formula Works) third, and Daniel Ramirez (Axis Kartsport) fourth. Wagner made his move for the lead at Turn 5 on Lap 3, while Ramirez passed Blair for third later that lap.
Speirs moved past Blair for fourth at Turn 9 on Lap 4, with Blair running wide and dropping to sixth. Behind them, Hauser began working his way forward from ninth, climbing to eighth on Lap 5 and seventh on Lap 7 before passing Blair for sixth on Lap 8.
Blair fought back one lap later to reclaim sixth, but Hauser returned the favor at the final corner heading into the last lap.
Out front, Wagner controlled the remainder of the race to take the victory and secure the championship. Biezonsky finished second, with Ramirez completing the podium.
Speirs finished fourth, followed by Jet Whipple (Formula Works) in fifth, Hauser in sixth, Blair in seventh, Angelo Adkins (Nash Motorsportz) in eighth, Max Martirosyan (GFC) in ninth, and DJ Davis (Neliton Race Concepts) in tenth.
With the victory, Wagner overcame the eight-point deficit to become the inaugural Champions of the Future America KA100 Junior Champion, finishing 31 points ahead of Hauser. Biezonsky completed the championship podium in third.
KA100 Senior - Eversman Wins Finale and Championship
Christian Brooks (Axis Kartsport) scored two Qualifying Heat victories on his way to pole position for the Final. Championship leader Archer Eversman (Axis Kartsport) claimed the remaining Qualifying Heat victory in his quest to clinch the championship, while Matthew Cagle (Formula Works) captured the Super Heat win.
Eversman’s championship rival, Johnie Stamps (Formula Works), was forced to withdraw from the final event due to illness but was on hand for the championship podium.
Brooks led at the start, with Kameron Perry (Formula Works) and Cagle second and third, respectively. Eversman ran wide and rejoined in fifth, while Cagle quickly moved past Perry and then Brooks to complete the opening lap in the lead.
Perry moved past Brooks for second before Eversman began charging back through the field, passing Ayden Aquino (S&J Racing) and Brooks to climb to third by the end of Lap 2.
At Turn 1 on Lap 3, Eversman passed Perry for second, only for Perry to fight back through the Esses. Eversman responded before the end of the lap to reclaim second, while Cagle built a 2.5-second advantage out front.
Behind them, Brooks passed Perry into Turn 1, dropping Perry into the clutches of Spencer Smith (Forward Direction Motorsport). Approaching Rocky Moran, Smith moved to the inside of Perry before the two made contact and ended up in the barriers.
By Lap 9, Eversman had erased Cagle’s advantage and was right on his rear bumper. Eversman eventually made his move at the final corner of Lap 11 to take the lead.
The battle behind the leaders intensified over the closing laps. Ian Kim (Axis Kartsport) passed Brooks for third at Turn 1 on Lap 14 before Brooks reclaimed the position at Turn 5. When Kim ran wide exiting Turn 10, Taylor Noble (Neliton Race Concepts), Caleb Gafrarar (Forward Direction Motorsports), and Aquino all capitalized.
Noble passed Brooks for third at Turn 1 on the final lap, but Brooks made contact with the rear of Noble’s kart at Turn 9, disrupting Noble and pushing him wide. Brooks moved back into third, with Aquino fourth and Noble fifth.
As Brooks and Aquino battled aggressively approaching the finish, Noble got a great exit and carried enough speed to pass them both, crossing the line third behind Eversman and Cagle.
However, Noble received a five-second penalty for an incorrectly installed or positioned front fairing, while Brooks received a two-position penalty for causing an incident. As a result, Aquino inherited the final podium position.
Eversman took the victory over Cagle, with Aquino officially classified third. Declan Mixon (Team Kartnick) finished fourth, followed by Greyson Shobert (Neliton Race Concepts) in fifth and Brooks in sixth. Jack Babiec (Formula Works) finished seventh, Connor Carpenter (Formula Works) eighth, Ethan Liu (Hayner Racing Team) ninth, and Noble tenth.
With the victory, Eversman became the inaugural Champions of the Future America KA100 Senior Champion, with Stamps finishing second in the championship and Cagle third.
KA100 Heritage: Gomez Wins Final-Lap Duel with Castaneda
Joshua Daley (Nash Motorsportz) swept the Qualifying Heats and Super Heat to secure pole position for the Final.
However, drama struck Daley before the race even began when he discovered a flat right-rear tire on the formation lap. That allowed his teammate Troy Castaneda (Nash Motorsportz) and newly crowned champion Tony Gomez (Formula Works x Lakeside) to move into first and second, respectively.
Daley attempted to continue in third but pulled off at the end of the opening lap, promoting Brent Eck (Hayner Racing Team) to third and newcomer Steve Wiener (FDM) to fourth.
Up front, Gomez and Castaneda traded the lead throughout the race. Gomez moved ahead at Turn 5 on Lap 2 before Castaneda answered at the same corner one lap later. Gomez reclaimed the lead at Turn 9 on Lap 4, only for Castaneda to take it back at Turn 1 on Lap 6.
Gomez responded at Turn 5 on Lap 7 before Castaneda made another move at Turn 9 on Lap 9. Gomez reclaimed the top spot through the Esses on Lap 12, but Castaneda wasn’t finished, retaking the lead at Turn 10 on the penultimate lap.
On the final lap, Gomez made the decisive move at Turn 9 to reclaim the lead one last time and secure the victory. Castaneda finished second, with Eck completing the podium 5.7 seconds behind the battling duo.
Wiener finished fourth, while Daley was classified fifth.
Gomez finished the inaugural season as the first Champions of the Future America KA100 Heritage Champion, more than 300 points ahead of Daley in second, with Andrei Isac (Tecno Kart USA) completing the championship podium in third.
X30 Pro: Keyes Inherits Victory After Dransfeldt Penalty
Wrigley Keyes (Nash Motorsportz) scored two Qualifying Heat victories and won the Super Heat to secure pole position for the Final. Dillon Dransfeldt (Neliton Race Concepts) claimed the remaining Qualifying Heat victory.
Keyes led at the start, with champion Sergei Karamseili (MSRT | Maxwell Motorsport) second and Dransfeldt third. Karamseili moved into the lead at Turn 9 on the opening lap.
On Lap 5, Keyes moved to the inside of Karamseili at Turn 1. As Dransfeldt followed through, he made contact with the rear of Keyes’ kart, sending both Keyes and Karamseili wide on the exit and allowing Dransfeldt to pass them both for the lead. Nolan Bishop (RPM Republic sponsored by Dream) also capitalized to move past Karamseili, temporarily dropping the champion to fourth.
Karamseili quickly reclaimed third from Bishop at Turn 9. Bishop ran wide on the exit and lost positions to Jacob Kappel (Forward Direction Motorsports) and Jax Small (Performance Works). Koen Summers (Skeptic/FDM) then attempted to pass Bishop at Turn 10 but went over the front of Bishop’s kart and into the barriers. Bishop was able to continue in seventh.
Meanwhile, Kappel and Small moved past Karamseili at Turn 12 before Karamseili began fighting his way back through the field. Small later dropped from third to eighth after getting railroaded at Turn 8, while Karamseili and Kappel continued battling for the final podium position.
Kappel reclaimed third from Karamseili at Turn 10 on Lap 10, but Karamseili answered at Turn 5 on Lap 12.
Out front, Dransfeldt crossed the line nearly three seconds ahead of Keyes, with Karamseili third. However, Dransfeldt received a one-position penalty for causing the Lap 5 incident, promoting Keyes to the victory and dropping Dransfeldt to second.
Kappel finished fourth, followed by Teddy Blum (Forward Direction Motorsports) in fifth, Cayden O’Connor (Forward Direction Motorsports) in sixth, Maximillian Bui (Team Kartnick) in seventh, Small in eighth, Zach Monaghan (Neliton Race Concepts) in ninth, and Daniel Mineo (Area 51 Motorsport) in tenth.
Having clinched the title several rounds earlier, Karamseili finished the season as the inaugural Champions of the Future America X30 Pro Champion. Keyes finished second in the championship, with O’Connor third.
T4 Junior Exhibition: Lia Toorosian Wins Battle of the Twins
As a preview of the newly announced 2027 Champions of the Future America Club Series, T4 Tillotson Junior and Senior exhibition races were held over the weekend.
Lia Toorosian (Precision Driving Concepts) swept both Qualifying Heats and the Super Heat to secure pole position for the Junior Final ahead of her twin sister, Eva Toorosian (Precision Driving Concepts).
Eva got the better start at the green flag and took the lead, while Lia dropped to third behind Daniel Biahun (Precision Driving Concepts) by the end of the opening lap. Lia recovered second from Biahun by the end of Lap 2 and began chasing down her sister.
By the midpoint of the race, the twins had built a one-second advantage over the field, with Lia remaining glued to Eva’s rear bumper.
On Lap 12, Lia made her move for the lead at Turn 1 but clipped Eva’s rear tire, sending her sister off track. Eva dropped from first to fifth, while Lia took the lead ahead of Biahun. Jet Hengstler (Precision Driving Concepts) moved into third.
Lia held on to win the T4 Junior exhibition, with Biahun second and Hengstler completing the podium. Ishaan Jeevadeepan (Precision Driving Concepts) finished fourth, followed by Eva in fifth, Lucca Lugo (2B Racing) in sixth, Hunter Hassanzadeh (Precision Driving Concepts) in seventh, Mason Portillo (Precision Driving Concepts) in eighth, Christian Lugo (2B Racing) in ninth, and Tyson Vaden (Precision Driving Concepts) in tenth.
T4 Senior Exhibition: Marquez Holds of Nunez for Victory
Nikolus Marquez (Precision Driving Concepts) claimed a Qualifying Heat victory on his way to pole position for the T4 Senior Final. Aden Nunez (Precision Driving Concepts) won the remaining Qualifying Heat, while Bodie Krupp (Precision Driving Concepts) captured the Super Heat.
Marquez and Nunez got strong starts at the green flag, while Rocco Ruzic (Precision Driving Concepts) moved into third. On Lap 3, Krupp passed Ruzic to take over the final podium position.
Nunez made his move for the lead at Turn 9 on Lap 8, but Marquez responded one lap later, reclaiming the top spot at Turn 5.
Despite enormous pressure from Nunez over the closing laps, Marquez held on to secure the T4 Senior exhibition victory. Nunez finished second, with Krupp completing the podium.
Ruzic finished fourth, followed by Hank Hauger (Native Racing) in fifth, Kevin Berruer (Precision Driving Concepts) in sixth, Adam Castellon (Precision Driving Concepts) in seventh, Nathan Olin (2B Racing) in eighth, Buster Brannan (Precision Driving Concepts) in ninth, and Ian Odermatt (Precision Driving Concepts) in tenth.
The First Chapter Is Complete
And with that, the first chapter of Champions of the Future America is officially in the books.
From the opening round at K1 Circuit in January through the final checkered flag in September, the inaugural season delivered close racing, breakthrough victories, new rivalries, and championship battles that went down to the final weekend.
Congratulations to our inaugural champions—Maddax Carlucci, Carson Bishop, Braydon Wagner, Archer Eversman, Tony Gomez, and Sergei Karamseili—and to every driver, team, mechanic, family member, partner, and supporter who helped make the first Champions of the Future America season possible.
But this is only the beginning.
Champions of the Future America returns in 2027 with an expanded nationwide schedule featuring East and West Divisions, a National Final at K1 Circuit Winchester, and the introduction of the Champions of the Future America Club Series.
We’ll see you in 2027!