He’s young but daring and determined.
Only 14 years old, Ryan Sy’s gung-ho style of driving earned for himself the prestigious Junior Karter of the Year award during the recent Golden Wheel Awards – the most prestigious award in motor/karting racing.
His meteoric rise as a karter and as an individual at a young age was the result of his winning the overall junior championships in the Rok GP Cup Philippines and Rotax Max Challenge Philippines.
”After all the setbacks and hardships in the 2023 season, I still pushed through to win the Rok GP Cup Philippines and Rotax Max Challenge Philippines,” said Sy. “Receiving the Junior Karter of the Year trophy at the Golden Wheel Awards makes it all worth the effort and I feel ecstatic.”
“My achievements prove to myself that I have the determination and confidence to achieve my goals. I couldn’t have done it without the support of my parents, coach Elson, and all my friends.”
Dominant in both series, Sy swept through 5 out of the 6 rounds in the Rok GP Cup, with only an unfortunate DNF in Round 4.
But he roared back from that misfortune by winning the 5th and 6th rounds in electrifying fashion that delighted his supporter – the Formula E Racing Management, which is collaborating with PCRC, Motul Philippine Distributor – Infiniteserv Int’l, BELL, Domuschola International School, Max888, and Wraptech.
However, he was pushed to the max in the Rotax Max Challenge.
After a strong start to the season with a 1st and 3rd place finishes, Sy suffered a slight setback midway through the season with a 6th in Round 3.
Undeterred, Sy bounced back once again in a big way to nab 3rd in the succeeding event followed by back-to-back wins to secure the 2023 title.
That rewarded him the opportunity to compete in the ROK Cup Superfinal at Lonato, Italy and the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals in Bahrain later in the year. There, he went up against some of the best karters in the world with entry lists reaching up to the hundreds, allowing him to gain valuable experience.
Adding to this, Ryan also entered the Asian Karting Open Championship (AKOC) in 2023. He secured a 1st and 2nd during the season opener at Macau and another pair of podiums during the next event held at the Clark International Speedway Kart Track.
Sy is looking forward to an even bigger 2024 campaign as he prepares to make his plans known in the coming weeks. He is likewise slated to leave for France this month to undergo a performance assessment at 321 Perform, the same center that honed the likes of F1 drivers Esteban Ocon, Alex Albon and most recently, F1 Academy champion Bianca Bustamante.