Harrison Whitticombe, took second, pipped to the post by France’s Jules Avril during the FIA Karting Academy Trophy at Portimao, Portugal. 

Whitticombe, who was fastest during Sunday warm-up, also finished fastest in two of the official practice sessions before taking pole in the official qualifying session. 

After dominating two heats, an engine failure in the third heat meant that Harrison started P5 in the final. It took Whitticombe just two laps to catch up with Avril. With the two drivers running at more or less the same pace, Whitticombe couldn’t make up the few tenths separating him from the lead.  

Whitticombe comments, “Brilliant weekend in Viterbo, coming away with pole and the second place trophy is a massive achievement for myself and the team behind me. I want to thank Motorsport UK so much for putting the trust in me and we will come back stronger in Rodby for the win!”   

Dan Parker, Head of Karting, Motorsport UK, adds, “It was a great weekend and Harrison was on top in the majority of the sessions.  In the Academy, engines are swapped and the winner ends up with the kart from the back of the field — it’s all about the ability of the driver.  With identical kit and minimal setup changes allowed, he took pole and won two heats.   

“An engine failure in Heat 3 meant starting the final from 5th, but he pulled off two brilliant overtakes and traded fastest laps with the leader all the way to the flag. Really impressed with the maturity he showed. Next stop: Denmark. Now sitting 8th in the Championship!” 

The FIA Karting Academy Trophy – Senior will finish in Rodby, Denmark from 31 July to 3 August. 

Harrison Whitticombe (Senior) and Finlay Lines (Junior) were selected to represent Motorsport UK in the 2025 FIA Karting Academy Trophy Championship. 

The FIA Karting Academy Trophy is a unique competition designed to pit the best young kart racers from around the world against each other on equal terms. Drivers are randomly assigned karts with OTK chassis and equipped with Vortex engines from the OK-category, plus a controlled tyre.