Gore Shines at FIA Karting World Cup with Front-Running Pace in Viterbo
Swedish-Australian karting driver Axel “Axeman” Gore delivered one of his strongest performances of the season at the FIA Karting World Cup in Viterbo, Italy, showcasing impressive speed against 117 competitors in the OK-N Junior category before engine troubles disrupted a promising weekend.
Competing with AKM Motorsport at the Leopard Circuit from October 8–11, Gore was immediately among the frontrunners, consistently featuring inside the top three during official practice and demonstrating the pace to challenge some of the world's best young karting talents.
That speed carried into qualifying, where Gore secured an impressive P6 in his group, putting himself in a strong position heading into the qualifying heats.
It was in the opening heat, however, where the young Swedish-Aussie truly made his mark.
Starting from P6, Gore produced a sensational launch, charging into P2 by just the second corner. Running at the sharp end of the field, Gore held his own against the leading contenders before crossing the line in an outstanding P4, marking one of his strongest international heat results to date.
The performance was a clear demonstration of the progress Gore has made throughout 2026, with his raw speed and racecraft now translating into results against world-class competition.
Unfortunately, the momentum proved difficult to maintain as mechanical issues began to hamper his weekend.
In Heat 2, Gore again showed strong early pace before his engine began losing performance from Lap 3. Despite battling to remain competitive, the engine eventually failed on Lap 8, just over a lap from the chequered flag, resulting in a costly DNF.
With the team forced to turn to a second engine for Heat 3, Gore faced another challenging race. Lacking the performance he had enjoyed earlier in the weekend, he nevertheless fought hard to bring the kart home in P9 on track, before a bumper penalty impacted his final classification and overall heat standings.
For the Super Heat, AKM fitted the repaired original engine without the opportunity for testing, leaving Gore heading into the race with an uncertain package.
Unfortunately, the engine issues continued, preventing Gore from reproducing the speed that had made him one of the standout performers earlier in the event and bringing a frustrating end to his World Cup campaign.
Despite the disappointment, the weekend provided another significant confidence boost for Gore and his team. His front-running qualifying pace and outstanding opening heat demonstrated that he has the speed to compete at the highest level of international junior karting.
With the 2026 season progressing towards its conclusion, Gore and his team are already turning their attention towards 2027, with a focus on improving consistency and ensuring the entire package is capable of delivering the results his pace has shown are possible.
Axel Gore:
“We were consistently among the quickest in practice, and qualifying sixth in our group was a great start. The first heat was mega! I was up to second by Turn 2 and finished fourth, which was a result we'd been working towards for some time."
"Unfortunately, the engine started failing on Lap 3 of Heat 2 and gave up just before the finish. Our second engine wasn't properly prepared, and we struggled for pace in Heat 3. I fought hard to finish ninth on track, but a bumper penalty hurt our overall result."
"We put the repaired engine back in for the Super Heat without testing, but unfortunately the problems continued, which was really disappointing."
“Overall, I'm really happy with the speed we showed. We know we have the pace; now we need consistency. Our focus is already on making 2027 a special year. A big thanks to my sponsors, AKM, my mechanic and Road to Success. We're getting closer with every event!"
