MOTORSPORT – ONE of Bahrain’s most talented young karters is set to fly the kingdom’s flag in a major international karting event in Sweden that will be flagging off at the end of the month.
Fifteen-year-old star Leopold Juch will be going up against the world’s best in the third and final round of the 2026 FIA Karting Academy Trophy, organised and sanctioned by the Commission Internationale de Karting (CIK-FIA), grassroots motorsport’s worldwide governing body.
The meeting is scheduled for July 30 to August 2 at Asum Ring in Kristianstad, Sweden, and Leopold will be suiting up as part of a high-quality field of 49 drivers from as many countries all over the world.
“It is going to be a new experience for me in many aspects,” Leopold told the GDN. “The tracks in th Academy Trophy are changing every venue, and this means a completely new set-up every time.
“This is the first time that we are running in this event and maybe we can shine and come back next year to represent the kingdom.”
Along with an impressive campaign in the 2025-26 Bahrain Rotax MAX Challenge (BRMC) at Bahrain International Karting Circuit (BIKC) – where Leopold challenged for the BRMC’s Junior MAX title before an end-of-season technicality resulted in him finishing third in the championship – the Swiss national put in strong drives in the Academy Trophy’s first two rounds held in Valencia, Spain in May and in Mulsen, Germany last month.
Facing changing and extreme weather conditions in both events, he narrowly missed out on the final in the season-opener but then showed his limitless potential in round two, where he claimed an impressive fourth place amongst 36 competitors in the warm-up session on the day of the final, where a five-second time penalty saw him classified 26th overall despite being one of the fastest on the grid.
Leopold is now looking to build on those appearances and show his class even further at Asum Ring.
“In Valencia, we never really raced and were struggling with the weather and a full starting grid of 40-plus drivers,” he recalled. “Mulsen was much better as I knew the track from many other races; the result was better and I felt more in sync with the kart.
“Kristianstad will be a new track again but I am looking forward to another improvement from Mulsen. Speedwise, I think we are able to fight for the podium.
“I would like to get a win, but I am always realistic and the key to a successful final is the qualification sessions. I will need to be in the top 10 to have a realistic chance to make up places and eventually reach the podium – fingers crossed.
“I will need to stay focused and avoid any mistakes like in Valencia and Mulsen.”
Leopold has been gearing up for the Academy Trophy’s 2026 finale by putting in some work both on the track and off of it.
“We are not allowed to race at the actual venue three weeks before the event, and coming from Bahrain, travelling back and forth is not that easy, so we are training at the great BIKC in a Rotax DD2 kart to stay on track,” Leopold explained.
“I am also racing on my simulator at home and I try to go to the gym twice a week.”
Leopold expressed his appreciation to the Bahrain Motor Federation and Bahrain International Circuit chief executive Shaikh Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa for their support in his karting journey.
“I am highly motivated to fly the Bahrain flag in Europe and this is a great opportunity to represent the kingdom at the highest level of karting in the world,” he said.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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