JULIA ANGELARD WITH A DEBUT ON TRACKS OUTSIDE EUROPE

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  • The fifth and sixth rounds of the Champions of the Future Academy, played on November 24-26 and December 1-3, had two faces for Julia Angelard.
  • In Al Ain, Tuesday’s qualifying, heats and the final race went well for the Polish woman, who finished in a high fifth position. Racing in such conditions is quite specific, as the tracks have a lot of sand from the desert, which makes overtaking much more difficult.
  • The final competition in Al Forsan, in turn, was marked by bad luck for the Polish competitor – her rivals often pushed her off the track or caused situations that required her to escape from the track, thus losing valuable positions in the heats.

Despite the wintry weather in Europe, the karting season is drawing to a close on a hot note. This is due not only to the final two rounds of the Champions of the Future Academy series, but also to the race venue – the United Arab Emirates. It was on the desert tracks of Al Ain and Al Forsan, November 24-26 and December 1-3, that Julia Angelard competed in the final two rounds of the 2025 season.

Al Ain – a fantastic Tuesday and a slightly weaker Wednesday
The unusually held Monday-to-Wednesday competition promised to be a battle for points, as confirmed by the Polish driver’s solid pace during Tuesday’s race. Despite unsuccessful qualifying and starting 17th, Julia Angelard demonstrated her ability to consistently overtake her rivals and climb the ranks in both heats. She finished the first heat in 11th place, and in the second, she climbed to tenth. These strong results guaranteed a 10th-place start in the final heat, which translated into an even better fifth-place finish and a positive outlook for Wednesday’s competition.

Unfortunately, after the new engine was draw on Wednesday and it became difficult to find a compromise between the machine and the driver, which made the battle for good results difficult. Julia Angelard finished the qualifying session in 15th place, achieving similar positions in the heats and final, although she had hoped for a much better result.

Al Forsan – fighting against bad luck and the effects of rivals’ mistakes
The final round of the Champions of the Future Academy season, held at the Al Forsan circuit, also didn’t deliver the result the teenage Ward Racing driver had hoped for. In qualifying, she failed to put together a good, fast lap, resulting in a poor starting position. As a result, throughout the weekend, Julia Angelard could only close the gap by overtaking her rivals and avoiding mistakes. Advances to 19th and 16th in the heats allowed her to start the first heat from 16th, ultimately finishing in P14.

Wednesday’s competition looked slightly brighter – a much better pace in the qualifying session resulted in a ninth-place finish. In the first heat, Julia Angelard dropped to 11th, while in the second, due to confusion and a collision in front of her, she dropped from ninth to 15th in the first corners, ultimately finishing in P14. The loss of position meant she had to start the final heat from 12th on the grid. Unfortunately, on the fourth lap, after a heavy impact on the exit straight, Julia’s kart’s axle, along with the sprocket and right wheel, broke, effectively eliminating her from the race for a good result. Fortunately, the seemingly serious accident resulted in only minor damage to her equipment.

Julia Angelard: you have to look for the positives
“Despite a good start to the round in Al Ain, my driving in the Emirates was definitely not my best performance, but we have to look for the positives – I’m happy with the pace I showed at the start of the fifth round, because it lets me know that as long as the kart allows me to fully utilize my potential, and my rivals don’t force me off the track, lose positions, or eliminate me from the competition, I can fight at the top of the field. I can’t wait to see what the 2026 season brings – I hope it’s a lot of good things, but in the meantime, I’m bringing home an interesting trophy in the form of a broken axle. Now it’s time to quickly recharge my batteries and catch up on schoolwork so I can pass my exams as best as I can before the end of the first half of the school year and start preparing for the new season, which will start in mid-January,” emphasizes the Minardi Management protégé.

Unlike many of her rivals this year, Julia Angelard will continue to compete in the junior karting division in the 2026 season due to her young age. The teenage athlete has several events lined up before the start of the upcoming year’s competition, which she will soon be announcing on her social media.