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Where's the action beyond F1, you ask? | This Week In Motorsports
All the action from Asians in global motorsport, this week.
Ananya Srinidhi, Santhosh Tenneti, Hitesh Vasvani & Maheeka Bubna
May 06, 2025
We had a nearly 50% Asian grid in a European Championship (42% for the nerds), last lap drama that saw a team lose the lead of the 3-hour Fuji SUPERGT, some crushingly dominant performances in sportscar racing, and some tough luck for karters. We’ve got you all covered
F4 Southeast Asia
Clean sweep for Alex Sawer in F4SEA opener at Sepang
Image: F4SEA Media Pool
The F4 Southeast Asian Championship certified by the FIA, returned back in 2025 with its season opener at the Sepang International Circuit. Across a weekend marked by rapidly shifting weather - moving from dry to wet and everything in between - one driver stood unfazed: Vietnam’s Alex Sawer who dominated all three races to kick off the season with a perfect record.
Behind him, the battle for podiums was fierce. Seth Gilmore and Inigo Anton impressed in Race 1, while Rishon Rajeev added his name to the spotlight with two P3 finishes in Races 2 and 3.
F4 Japan
A 30-car grid at the Japanese F4 opener in Fuji
Image: Japanese F4 Media Pool
The 2025 Japanese F4 Championship began over Golden Week alongside the SUPER GT round at Fuji Speedway. A 30-car grid delivered three closely contested races across the weekend. Tokiya Suzuki claimed the opening race and followed it up with consistent drives to finish third in both Race 2 and Race 3.
Race 2 saw Ryo Shirasaki convert his pole position from Race 1 into a win, finishing ahead of Itsuki Sato. In the final race, Sato responded with a win of his own, narrowly keeping Tosei Moriyama behind by 0.4 seconds. A steady start to the season, with a mix of familiar and emerging names on the podium.
Spanish F4
Steady Progress for Vivek Kanthan, Breakthrough for Kyuho Lee in Navarra
Image: Fotocar13
At Round 2 of the Spanish F4 Championship in Navarra, Vivek Kanthan continued to show promise. After qualifying P4, a 7-place penalty from Round 1 saw him start Race 1 from P11, eventually finishing P14. He followed that up with a solid drive to P7 in Race 2 and rounded off the weekend with a P8 in Race 3 - bringing home points across two races. He now holds P10 in the overall standings and sits third among rookies.
For fellow rookie Kyuho Lee, the weekend began on a slower note. Starting from P28 in Race 1, he climbed to P25 and P23 in the next. But it was Race 3 where he made the biggest leap - starting P24 and finishing P10, earning his first championship point of the season after a strong recovery.
Italian F4
RMC Asia Trophy
Rotax Max Challenge Asia Trophy kicks off in LYL Karting Circuit, Malaysia
Image: @Shahscrapycoco
The Rotax Max Challenge Asia Trophy got underway at the LYL International Karting Circuit, with competitive grids and well-matched racing across all five categories. The weekend marked the start of the 2025 season, featuring a strong mix of returning contenders and promising new talent. Following are the results of the round:
Cat/Pos | P1 | P2 | P3 |
Mini Max | Chinnaphat Vejabhuti | Kwong Mason Alexander | Kalen Delsi |
Micro Max | Patthapol Keakanjanaset | Peerapongpan Sutumno | Thanawarat Vejabhuti |
Junior Max | Poomsit Klombunjong | Kiaan Shah | Slabbert Mika Francois |
Senior Max | Toby Gale | Payakorn Aramrassamee | Muizzuddin Musyaffa |
DD2 Master | Jeremy Zyam | Roger Young | Chen Ping Hao |
FIA Karting
Endo Arata emerges shows stellar performance at the FIA Karting despite DNF
Image: Info Kartcom / Photo © KSP – Arthur Saulnier
Round 2 of the FIA European Karting Championship in Portimão saw a tough weekend for many of Asia’s rising karting stars across both the OK and OK-Junior categories, with a mix of standout efforts and unlucky setbacks.
In the OK-Junior class, Arata Endo of Japan was the clear standout. After an excellent 3rd place in Qualifying from Group A and a solid P4 finish in Super Heat A—despite a time penalty—Endo entered the final as a serious contender. Unfortunately, a DNF in the final denied him what could’ve been a career-best result, though he still ranked an impressive 4th overall in the classification.
Fellow junior drivers Oliveri Sini (Indonesia) and Houzai Jiang (China) had more challenging outings. Sini failed to finish the Super Heat and missed final qualification, ending 61st overall. Jiang placed 26th in his Super Heat and also missed the cut for the final, settling for 55th in classification.
In the OK category, both Qarrar Firhand (Indonesia) and Sara Matsui (Japan) struggled to find pace in a competitive field. Firhand ended 61st in qualifying and could only manage 21st in Super Heat A, missing out on the final with a 58th-place overall finish. Matsui, similarly, finished 26th in her Super Heat, and closed the weekend in 65th.
Indian National Rally Sprint Championship
INRSC kicks off in Madhya Pradesh, India
Image: MRF Racing
The latest round of the Indian National Rally Sprint Championship saw fierce competition across 10 classes in Madhya Pradesh. In Super Bike Pro Expert (Class 1), TVS dominated the podium with Samuel Jacob, Abdul W. Tanveer, and Rajendra RE leading the way. KTM riders Nataraj R., Naresh VS, and Aman Pawde took control in the Super Bike Expert (Class 2).
Hero Impulse riders swept Class 3 (Super Sport up to 165cc), while TVS Apache and Hero Xpulse machines shared the spotlight in Class 4 (165cc-260cc). Rajesh Swami took top honors in Class 5 (260cc-400cc) aboard his KTM 390. In the Women’s Class, Aishwarya P. triumphed on a TVS Apache.
In the Super Stock classes, Hero Xpulse riders dominated Classes 8 and 9, with Devaraj V. and Chetan B.H. leading in the 260cc-450cc category. Shadab K.C. and Harshit C. took the top honors in Class 10 as standout local talent.