Resilience, hard work, determination -- these are the learnings that local racing team Formula E Resultado brought home from their first international go kart competition.

Members of Team Formula E Resultado display their Macau haul.

The recently concluded Asian Karting Open Championship held in Macau last July 1 and 2 was an eye opener for Formula E Resultado’s podium-hungry racers. The technical track, weather conditions, and limited time to practice tested all of the racers' knowhow on the track.

In the senior category, team captain Danzel Waytan displayed his skills as he went head-to-head with international competitors, even if he missed the first day of practice. This earned his place as the only Filipino in the top 10 during the qualifying heats (P4 in heat 1 and P7 in heat 2)—and that’s out of 28 racers in the grid.

Even in the final round, with a strong lead and finishing at P12, he maintained his position as the top Filipino driver in the category.

“To be able to race with top Asian drivers was a very good opportunity for me as it definitely opened my eyes on the potential we have. To also be the highest-placed Filipino is a good sign for us as it means that we’re going forward with my development as a driver,” Danzel shared.

Junior captain Ryan Sy led the junior category as he bagged the champion trophy for the Rotax Max Junior class, and 1st Runner Up for the Formula 125 Junior Open and the Macau Asia Karting Festival Junior classes.

With 12 competitors, Ryan showed that he’s a racer to watch both here and abroad.

“It was my first time driving in Macau and AKOC competing against international drivers who were more experienced, so there were a lot of challenges we had to conquer. Despite all of this we just kept pushing and practicing. Thank you to Formula E Resultado for giving me the opportunity to drive," he said.

The team’s youngest players raced in AKOC’s Cadet category. The three 9-year-old boys have just shifted to Mini Rok at the beginning of the year. The newest karters Lucio Reyes and Martin Zaragoza only began professionally racing as Cadet Novices in September 2022. AKOC is their first international race, and it proved to be the most physically, mentally, and emotionally challenging competition they’ve joined.

Cadet Expert Andretti Santos led the pack in the qualifying heats and consistently placed P1. After a heavy downpour on finals day, Andretti still finished strong at First Runner Up in the Experts category, and P3 overall.

“I had an incredible experience racing in Macau. The excitement and adrenaline from this race inspired me to push myself even harder,” the rising speedster said.

Lucio, on the other hand, flaunted his talent as he challenged the most experienced young drivers even if he was in the Novice category. In spite of the mix up that happened where he was given the Champion trophy but later named First Runner Up for his class, he is filled with high spirits, saying “It was my first time racing abroad, all in all it was a memorable and good experience.”

Martin also had a great experience, significantly improving and reaching his personal best time come qualifying heats. During the rainy race, he jumped from P10 to P4 in the Novice class, finishing as Third Runner Up. However, it was determined that he was disqualified and was dropped from the podium finishers’ list. Regardless of the outcome, he shared, “I was frustrated and sad when [the officials] said my win was a mistake. But I gave it my best and reached my personal goal. That’s what matters!”

Coach Elson ‘Papa Els’ Carpio and Team Principal Theo Zaragoza, along with the team’s hardworking mechanics, said they were proud of what their team accomplished, win or lose. Because, despite the mix ups, there were great wins and celebrations—and the team came home stronger, more resilient, and eager to win.