Axel Charges Through Field in Standout Franciacorta Finale
- Aug 7
- 3 min read
Swedish-Australian karting driver Axel “Axeman” Gore signed off before the European summer break with a standout recovery drive at Franciacorta, gaining an incredible 16 positions in the Junior ROK Final at the seventh round of the ROK Cup Italy Championship.
Competing with Team Driver across July 30–August 2, Gore was the sole Swedish-Australian representative among a competitive 44-driver Junior ROK field and showed strong pace from the opening testing sessions on Thursday and Friday.
Heading into qualifying with confidence, Gore secured P11 in his 22-driver group. However, an incredibly tight field meant just over one tenth of a second separated Gore from a position inside the top five, highlighting the fine margins throughout the weekend.
Starting Heat 1 from P15 in a 30-kart field, Gore immediately went on the attack. A fantastic opening lap and series of early overtakes saw the young Swedish-Aussie charge into P9 by Lap 2, with Gore looking like one of the fastest drivers on circuit.
Unfortunately, contact at Turn 5 pushed Gore wide and sent him tumbling towards the rear of the field. His race would then come to a premature end on Lap 4 following an engine failure, leaving him with a costly DNF despite the impressive early charge.
Gore again lined up P15 for the second and final heat and produced another lightning start, climbing to P12 on the opening lap. An accident directly ahead on Lap 2 forced Gore to take evasive action and leave the circuit, dropping him all the way to P23 when he rejoined.
What followed was another trademark “Axeman” fightback. Refusing to settle for his position, Gore carved his way back through the field, completing a string of overtakes to recover seven positions and take the chequered flag in P16.
With the opening heat DNF heavily impacting his starting position for the Final, Gore faced an enormous task from P34 on the 36-kart grid.
Saving his best performance of the weekend for when it mattered most, Gore delivered an outstanding overtaking display in the Final. In classic Axeman fashion, he charged through the field to gain an incredible 16 positions across the 15-lap race, climbing from P34 to P18 at the chequered flag.
No driver in the field gained more positions during the Final, with Gore’s charge once again demonstrating his ability to fight his way forward through one of Europe’s highly competitive junior karting fields.
While the outright result did not reflect the speed shown throughout the weekend, Franciacorta provided another clear indication of Gore’s pace and racecraft. The focus now turns to converting that speed into cleaner heat results and a stronger starting position for the Final — giving Gore the opportunity to fight at the front rather than having to recover from the rear.
The Franciacorta event marked Gore’s final race before the European summer break. He will return to action at the same circuit from August 26–30 for the opening round of the WSK Final Cup.
Axel Gore:
“The Final was definitely the highlight. Starting 34th and coming through to 18th with 16 overtakes was a really positive way to finish the weekend. I felt quick all weekend and we showed we had the pace to keep moving forward. The main thing now is putting the whole weekend together. If we can qualify well and get through both heats cleanly, we can start the Final where we should be and fight with the guys at the front. I’m excited to come back after the summer break and keep building on this."
