Round 2 of the Champions of the Future Academy Program International Series produced an action-packed Saturday at Circuit 27 in Thessaloniki. Following Friday’s weather disruption, the event resumed in full and delivered dramatic racing across all three categories as the first winners of the weekend were crowned.
Nocom and Mir share Heat wins before Junior final drama
OK-N Junior saw Axel Nocom and Atiqa Mir emerge as the stars of the Qualifying Heats, taking one victory apiece and ending the heats tied on 94 points. Diar Islami secured third in the intermediate classification ahead of Julia Angelard and Johnston Stewart.
The Final, however, turned the order upside down. Diar Islami claimed victory after a dramatic race that saw several front-runners fall out of contention. Mitansh Jain produced an impressive drive from 13th on the grid to finish second, while Enzo Stambaugh completed the podium. Johnston Stewart and Andie Stewart rounded out the top five.
Post-race penalties and disqualifications reshaped the classification, with Nocom, Mir and Zoltan Coigny all removed from the results, opening the door for Islami to secure a memorable victory.
Sami converts Pole into victory
Mini 60 produced two different heat winners as Ilyas Sami and Mayson Hibbert shared the victories. Sami’s stronger overall score secured pole position, while Sofia Rudenko, Samar Chopra and Mik Klinkers completed the top five after the heats.
In the Final, Sami was untouchable. The pole sitter led every lap to take victory and strengthen his position in the title fight. Hibbert followed him home in second, while Maximilian Schilling completed an excellent recovery from 12th on the grid to claim third. Klinkers finished fourth, with Joonas Tamm charging from 23rd to fifth.
In U10, Samar Chopra led the way with ninth overall despite a five-second penalty, ahead of Christos Christoforidis and Jerónimo Pacheco Cortina.
Detroja perfect in Heats, Chopra wins the Final
OK-N Senior belonged to Jagrat Detroja throughout the heats. Two victories from two races gave him maximum points and pole position, ahead of Veer Chopra, local favourite Emmanouil Lioudakis, Gabi Santos Teixeira and Michal Zajac.
The Final delivered one of the most dramatic races of the day. After two aborted starts, the race finally got underway on the third attempt. Detroja led early before Lioudakis thrilled the home crowd by taking over at the front. In the closing stages, however, Chopra made the decisive move and controlled the remainder of the race to take victory.
Detroja finished second, just 0.598 seconds behind, while Lioudakis completed the podium only 0.141 seconds further back. Santos Teixeira and Elias Lehmann completed the top five. Lioudakis also set the fastest lap of the event.
Sunday now awaits at Circuit 27 for the second and final race day of Round 2. With a fresh start across Mini 60, OK-N Junior and OK-N Senior, another full programme of Qualifying, Heats and Finals lies ahead as drivers look to end the weekend on a high. All sessions will be streamed live throughout the day on the Champions of the Future Academy Program YouTube channel, giving our viewers the chance to follow every moment of the action.