2025 · Round 1
THE CHASSIS CHANGE
A chassis problem forced a mid-weekend switch to a kart he had never raced. He learned it session by session, trusted his team — and won the round.
RESULT — WON THE ROUND
01 — 09
The story
Chapter 01
It started with a simulator
At three years old, Antonio steered a racing simulator while his father — a lifelong hobby racer — worked the pedals he could not yet reach. The instinct was already there.
At five, during the pandemic, came a used go-kart and a practice course improvised outside the family office — laps almost every weekend. At seven, he was the fastest driver in his karting academy and became its champion. A national career had begun.
3first laps, on his father's simulator
5first kart, and an improvised home track
7karting academy champion
Chapter 02
A family mission
Racing is a family mission. His mother and aunts are his loudest supporters, his uncle a devoted car enthusiast, his father the one who has built every step of the journey. Every kart, every entry, every title so far has been carried by one family and the businesses closest to home.
“My journey is not only about winning races. It is about learning, improving, and representing my family and my country with pride.”
Antonio Racelis
Chapter 03
Proven beyond home soil
Since the age of seven, Antonio has raced internationally every single season — against the strongest Cadet and Mini drivers in Asia and Europe. The highlight so far: a podium at Sepang International Circuit in the Rotax Max Challenge Asia Trophy.
Strongest in the wet and in wheel-to-wheel racecraft — and honest about what he is still working on: rolling starts.
- MacauAsian Karting Open, international debut at 7, top-5 finish
- MalaysiaSepang & Langkawi, RMC Asia Trophy, podium P3
- ThailandPattaya, RMC Asia Trophy
- SpainValencia, Tillotson T4 Nations Cup
- ItalyLonato, ROK Cup Superfinal, world-level field
Chapter 04
2025: champion
2025 MiniROK Karter of the Year
Golden Wheel Awards — the Philippines' recognition of its best. The same season, Antonio became National Overall Champion of the ROK GP Cup Philippine Series in the Mini class. Champion at seven. National overall champion at ten.
Chapter 05
Setbacks do not decide the result
2025 · Round 3
THE PALAWAN WEEKEND
A technical problem struck in the time trial. He kept pushing: fastest lap of the race, then P1 in the time trial, both heats and the final.
RESULT — P1 ACROSS THE WEEKEND
2026 · Round 5
0.001 SECONDS
An engine problem in qualifying put him at the back. He fought to P4 in heat one — by one thousandth of a second — won heat two, then won the final.
RESULT — WON THE FINAL
“Setbacks do not have to decide the result — you can always fight back.”
Antonio Racelis
Chapter 06
2026: the title chase
Antonio stepped up to Tillotson T4 Junior this year as the youngest driver in his class — and leads the campaign with six wins from seven rounds, plus a P3 at the T4 Asia Cup. The latest: back-to-back round wins at the end of August, the second a clean sweep — fastest in the time trial, winner of both heats and the final. The goals for the rest of the season: the T4 Junior overall title, and T4 Junior Karter of the Year.
6 / 7
wins in rounds so far
P3
Tillotson T4 Asia Cup
Youngest
driver in his class
Chapter 07
The view from the pit wall
“Antonio is not only a talented young driver — he is a star in the making.”
— Coach Rafael Perez, BRacing Development
He demonstrates remarkable resilience, particularly in his ability to recover from mistakes, learn from them, and come back stronger. He has a deep belief in the value of preparation and understands that consistent effort is essential to achieving success.
He is a competitor, a learner, and, most importantly, an executor — someone who can turn preparation and coaching into performance when it matters most.
Chapter 08
2027: the Asia-Pacific step
The recognised bridge between national champions and the world's junior ladder. In 2027 Antonio races the FIA Karting Arrive & Drive Asia-Pacific Championship with his confirmed team, BRacing Development / AGR Rennsport — alongside, calendar permitting, the ROK Cup Philippine Series, the Rotax Max Challenge, the FIA Karting Arrive & Drive World Cup, the Rotax Max Challenge International Trophy and Champions of the Future.
The final 2027 calendar is set with the team once official dates are released.
Chapter 09
One step at a time, aiming all the way up
2027
Asia-Pacific karting
Next
International karting at the highest junior level
Then
Formula 4, tests first
The ladder
Junior single-seater categories
The dream
Formula 1, for the Philippines (inspired by Lewis Hamilton's journey)
The family knows how hard this road is, and says so openly. The plan is deliberately step-by-step: prove, then progress. If the single-seater ladder closes, the goal shifts to endurance racing, with the FIA World Endurance Championship as the long-term ambition.