New Territory, New Winners: Champions of the Future Academy Program tackles Greece
Heading into Greece would have felt like stepping into the unknown for much of the Champions of the Future Academy Program field as Round 2 arrived on the calendar. Hidden in the Greek hills near Thessaloniki, Circuit 27 made its debut as host of the second round of the season. The brand-new venue welcomed OK-N Junior, OK-N Senior and Mini 60 competitors across two days of racing, producing new championship leaders, podium finishers and memorable moments throughout the weekend.
The unique challenge of Circuit 27 was that, for almost the entire field, it was completely unfamiliar territory. There was no race footage to study, no historical data to analyse, and no previous examples of overtaking opportunities. Instead, drivers arrived with a blank canvas and a steep learning curve.
Sami masters the Mini Challenge
Mini 60 action on Saturday saw Ilyas Sami take pole position in qualifying before converting that pace into a heat victory and, ultimately, victory in the Final. Sunday belonged to Mayson Hibbert throughout qualifying and the heats, but when it mattered most, it was Sami who emerged on top once again. A thrilling showdown involving Sami, Maximilian Schilling and Hibbert went right down to the wire, with Sami claiming victory by just 0.002 seconds. Sunday’s Final also saw Joonas Tamm finish only 0.123 seconds behind the winner in third, highlighting just how closely matched the field had become around Circuit 27.
Mir delivers a perfect Sunday
In OK-N Junior, Axel Nocom secured Saturday's pole position, while Atiqa Mir topped qualifying on Sunday. Nocom and Mir were the class of the field throughout Saturday's heats, but the Final brought heartbreak for both drivers as incidents removed them from contention. The on-track victory initially went to previous championship leader Zoltan Coigny, but a technical non-conformity penalty reshuffled the order and handed victory to Diar Islami instead, ahead of Mitansh Jain and Enzo Stambaugh.
Sunday, however, belonged entirely to Mir. The Indian driver was untouchable throughout the day, taking pole position, winning both heats and completing a clean sweep with a dominant Final victory. Mir crossed the line 2.6 seconds clear of Islami, with Jain completing the podium to cap off a flawless performance.
Chopra doubles up in Senior
OK-N Senior began with plenty of local support behind home favourite Emmanouil Lioudakis, who secured Saturday's pole position. However, it was Jagrat Detroja who dominated the heats, claiming maximum points on both days of racing and heading into each Final as the driver to beat.
After collecting two fourth-place finishes in Valencia, Veer Chopra showed that patience had paid off. Despite not seeing Circuit 27 until Saturday morning, Chopra stormed to victory in Saturday’s Final to secure his first win of the weekend. Sunday brought more of the same. After another fiercely contested race that saw Detroja and Vanesa Silkunaite spend time at the front, Chopra struck late to secure a second consecutive victory. Silkunaite finished second and Detroja third, making Chopra and Ilyas Sami the only two drivers so far this season to claim both Finals during a single event weekend.
Looking ahead to Viterbo
The next stop on the calendar is Viterbo, where drivers will enjoy a very different challenge. Located north of Rome and nestled within the historic walls of Viterbo, the circuit may be shorter in lap distance than Circuit 27, but its great number of corners is sure to create new opportunities for the series’ rising stars to shine.