Champions of the Future America: Why European-Style Karting Landing in the Southwest Matters

If you've been around karting in the Southwest for a while, you've probably felt it: the gap between what exists here and what exists in Europe—or even on the East Coast—when it comes to consistent, high-level competitive racing. We have great tracks. We have dedicated families and talented drivers. What we've lacked is a series that brings the same structure, visibility, and pathway that young karters in other regions take for granted. That's why the arrival of Champions of the Future America (COTF America) is such a big deal—and why seeing European influences land on our side of the country is genuinely exciting.

In Europe, karting is a recognized ladder. Series like Champions of the Future (run by RGMMC since 2020) have produced drivers who move into Formula 4, F3, and beyond—including current F1 and single-seater stars. The format is professional: structured weekends, live timing, broadcast coverage, and prize packages that signal the series is serious about developing talent. In the U.S., especially in the West, we've had strong regional clubs and one-off events, but fewer long-running, multi-round championships that mirror that level of organization and ambition. So when RGMMC—the same group behind the international Champions of the Future—teamed up with K1 to launch Champions of the Future America, they weren't just adding another race weekend. They were bringing a proven model and a clear message: American karters, especially in the Southwest, deserve the same stage. [1]

The inaugural 2026 season makes that concrete. The series runs nine rounds from late January through September in the Southwestern United States (California and Nevada). K1 Circuit in Winchester, California, hosts several rounds on different configurations (Pro Track, chicanes, reverse layout), and—importantly for families in the Las Vegas valley— Round 5 is a double-points weekend at Spring Mountain. [2] That's our home track: Spring Mountain Motorports Resort - Karting Complex in Pahrump, Nevada. For St.Cyr Racing Academy families, that means a premier national-style series isn't just "out there"—it's coming to the facility where we run every weekend. The chance to race the same track you train on, with the same European-style format and live coverage from Kart Chaser, is a huge step for driver development in our region. [2]

The European influence shows up in the details. COTF America runs with FIA Karting–aligned thinking: the series intends to progressively align more closely with CIK-FIA regulations in future seasons so American drivers are prepared for international competition. [3] The prize package for 2026 exceeds $130,000. The X30 Pro champion receives an all-expenses-paid Formula 4 training program at Winfield Racing School at Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet, France (valued at $8,000)—the same school that has trained F1 World Champions Alain Prost and Damon Hill and current stars like Red Bull Racing's Isack Hadjar and 2025 F1 Academy Champion Doriane Pin. KA100 Junior and Senior champions earn $5,000 / $2,500 / $1,000 for 1st / 2nd / 3rd; Micro, Mini, and Heritage podiums get $1,000 / $500 / $250. There's a $5,000 team championship prize. At every round, podium finishers get tires, race-entry credits, and pro-shop credits. That level of investment is exactly what has been missing in the Southwest: it signals that the series is here to stay. [3]

Round 1 at K1 Circuit (January 30–February 1, 2026) already showed what that looks like in practice. Over 110 drivers took the grid: 14 in combined Mini U10 & Mini, 43 in KA100 Junior, 36 in KA100 Senior, 8 in KA100 Heritage, and 10 in X30 Pro. The international Champions of the Future team was on the ground to support the American staff. The grid included drivers from the U.S., Mexico, Canada, and Uruguay. The racing was tight—last-lap passes, drag races to the line, and the kind of wheel-to-wheel action that families and scouts want to see. The round used K1 Circuit's Pro Track layout (1-mile, designed by Rocky Moran Jr.). Presa by Maxxis is the official spec tire; Sunoco fuel and Motul 2T oil are sold at the track. Champions of the Future America has partnered with Kart Chaser for professional broadcasts of the entire season. So when we say "European influences," we mean: same standards, same seriousness, same pathway—just on our soil. [4] [2]

For families at St.Cyr Racing Academy, the picture is simple. We focus on Briggs LO206 and the fundamentals at Spring Mountain—seat time, coaching, and a clear path into the SMK race series and beyond. Champions of the Future America runs 2-cycle classes (KA100, X30 Pro, Mini, etc.), so it's a different ladder than Briggs-only series. But the point is the same: the Southwest is no longer a desert for competitive karting. We have a home track that hosts a round of a premier series. We have a series that brings European organization and prize money to California and Nevada. And we have a generation of young drivers who can now aim at the same kind of structure and visibility that used to require a move to the East Coast or Europe. That's not just cool—it's the future we want for our region.

If you want to see it for yourself, check out championskartingamerica.com for the full 2026 schedule, regulations, and registration. For Round 5 at Spring Mountain, we'll be there—same track we run every weekend, but with the full COTF America show. European-style karting in the Southwest: it's here, and it's worth getting behind.

K1 Circuit's COTF America page has additional details on schedule, prizes, tires, and registration. St.Cyr Racing Academy—weekend driver development at Spring Mountain, Pahrump NV. Youth karting Las Vegas, karting lessons Henderson, junior racing Nevada. When the best series in the West come to our home track, we're ready.