APEX RACEWIRE Newsroom
FIA Targets Caribbean Talent Pipeline with Trinidad and Tobago Karting Expansion
The FIA is strengthening regional racing infrastructure as Trinidad and Tobago successfully hosts the 2026 Nations Cup Caribbean, cementing its status as a hub for emerging junior talent.
By Sanne Vermeer - 2026-08-20T12:20:00.000Z - 2 min read
The FIA’s push to formalize motorsport pathways in the Caribbean reached a significant milestone this month, as Trinidad and Tobago hosted the 2026 Nations Cup Caribbean at the Frankie Boodram Wallerfield International Raceway. The event served as a practical demonstration of the governing body's strategy to standardize entry-level racing across the region, utilizing the FIA Motor Sport Funding Programme to facilitate the four-day junior championship.
Beyond the track activity, the event provided a platform for high-level political engagement. FIA Vice President for Sport for the North, Central America and Caribbean region, Daniel Coen, held formal discussions with Trinidad and Tobago’s Minister of Trade, Investment and Tourism, Senator Satyakama Maharaj. These talks underscored a broader ambition to integrate motorsport into regional development, specifically focusing on how accessibility at the grassroots level can foster long-term talent progression toward international series.
The competition itself prioritized technical parity, a core tenet of the FIA’s current regional development model. All thirteen participants, ranging from 10 to 15 years old, piloted identical karts supplied and maintained by the Barbados Motoring Federation. By eliminating equipment disparity, the series aims to emphasize raw driver intuition and skill, creating a more transparent evaluation process for young competitors moving up through the ranks.
On-track, the host nation reaffirmed its regional dominance. Defending their title from the inaugural 2025 event in Barbados, the Trinidad and Tobago squad secured the Champion Nation trophy with 208 points. The home team’s effort was anchored by individual standings winner Jonathan Charan, who led a consistent group of teammates including Abhishek Ramdeen, Axl Garcia, Christian Gajadhar, and Varin Bhimsingh to finish clear of Barbados, Jamaica, and Bermuda.
The logistical collaboration behind the event—involving the Trinidad and Tobago Automobile Sports Association, the Trinidad and Tobago Karting Association, and the Barbados Motoring Federation—highlights the increasingly networked approach the FIA is applying to the Americas. By pooling resources and expertise, the member clubs are attempting to build a sustainable circuit for junior drivers that does not rely on a single nation's infrastructure.
Coen noted that the engagement with local government remains essential to sustaining this momentum. As the FIA looks to scale its influence across North and Central America, the success of the Nations Cup Caribbean serves as a template for utilizing regional championships to bridge the gap between amateur karting and the higher rungs of the motorsport pyramid. With the sport’s entry-level foundation now firmly established at Wallerfield, the focus shifts to whether these regional collaborations can consistently produce drivers capable of navigating the jump to the international stage.