King City resident Noah Landry qualifies for World Kart Racing championship in Portugal

October 1, 2026 · 0 Comments

King City kart racer Noah Landry has qualified for the Rotax Max Grand Finals which will run in Portamao, Portugal from November 7 to November 14.

Landry delineated the stages through which he’s raced in 2026 to qualify for the world championship–describing the thrill of victory and agony of defeat in a roller coaster season on the track.

“The season started with a second-place finish in Goodwood; then, it was on to 15 races this season including a fun training day in Emsburen, Germany. The lowest point was a double mechanical ‘Did not Starts’ in qualification at the RMC Ontario Finals. I’d had a great season up to that point, but this destroyed any chances of getting a qualifying result in RMC Ontario and getting a ticket to the world championships. The high point came when I qualified for the Grand Finals near the end of the season in Hamilton at the Canadian Nationals and RMC Quebec race. The last race was broadcast on TSN.”

The energetic and committed 15-year-old described the racing title he is vying for in Portugal: “[It’s an] FIA-sanctioned world championship run annually in a different city. Last year, it was in Bahrain; this year, it’s in Portimão which is also getting a Formula 1 race next year. FIA-member countries nominate drivers in each of the categories. In Rotax Senior, there are 72 entries from throughout the world. Drivers represent their country in Olympic style—complete with Team Canada suits and gear. The class that I’ll compete in is Rotax Senior where the minimum age is 15 and drivers compete regularly into their 30s.”

One of the significant developments for Landry during the 2026 racing season has been “having Ryan Maxwell, 2025 Champion, as a teammate.”

“He is a few years older than me and won the Championship last year. Having such a fast and helpful teammate had made me a lot faster.”

Landry’s increase in speed was within the parameters of a strictly-regulated branch of motor sport:

“The max speed I hit this year was 143 km/h on the main straight at Cayuga. The karts, motors, wheels—everything is homologated and regulated. There are very tight inspections after every race to check that everyone is conforming to the technical regulations. The karts weigh 360 pounds with the driver and everyone strives to be as close to the limit as possible. Ten pounds over the limit can be 0.10 seconds a lap, which is meaningful, and can be the difference between 1st and 10th in some races this year.”

Landry’s racing team’s meticulous attention to detail is in compliance with the governing body’s strict application of its rules which will be in effect in Portimão.

“Rotax and the FIA work to make the competition truly driver versus driver as it is a recruiting tool for top race teams. For example, to keep everything fair, everyone is given their equipment for the race series and it is inspected and returned every night to prevent modifying and cheating. Each chassis manufacturer provides karts for each driver in each class. This year, everyone in my class is going to use Formula K karting chassis. The organization also provides engines and tires for each competitor at no cost and there are strict regulations as to what you can do to the engine beforehand to ensure fair racing. No one is allowed to practice at the track anymore [prior to the event] so there is less ‘hometown advantage’ or advantage for drivers who can travel ahead to practice.”

Despite the stringent rules in place by Rotax and FIA, kart racing is filled with complexity and nuances. Landry’s team is vital to his success on the track as his father, John Landry, explained.

“Noah will have his mechanic, Frankie Savaglio, with us for the trip to Portugal, along with Senior Team Manager Nick and Team Owner Trevor Wickens. They serve as support for Noah and his Team Canada teammates with data and video analysis, coaching, training, and mechanical preparation.”

After joining Wickens’s Prime Powerteam based out of Hamilton, John Landry’s son competed in a range of races in 2026 including Rotax Max Canada Ontario, RMC Quebec, Kartstars, the Canadian National Championships, the HRKC and MIKA series races which included competitions in Florida and Texas. Through all the complex competition and travel across North America, Noah Landry has maintained his stellar academic standing at Villanova College in King City. The aspiring engineer earned a place on Villanova’s Grade 10 Honor Roll by accruing a 94% average while serving as a Peer Mentor, learning in the highly-competitive STEM program, and participating in co-curricular life most notably in the EV Car Club.

The Grade 11 student acknowledges that he’s “taking AP classes again this year and several Grade 12 classes. My favourite course is Computer Science because it has engineering aspects to it. I’d like to study engineering at Ontario universities like Waterloo or Queen’s and I’m taking AP courses so I could attend engineering schools in the US.”

Landry is settling in to both a new school year at Villanova and he’s continuing his German Heritage Language program at St. Theresa of Lisieux CHS in Richmond Hill on Saturday mornings.

Amid these academic commitments in two towns, Landry has his eyes on the prize in November. He’s preparing for his racing date with destiny in Portugal with a trip to the West Coast in October. Landry recognizes that he is in elite kart racing company – having captured one of only 72 “tickets” distributed by Rotax for the world championships in Portimão in less than two months.

“Next weekend, I have a test in a Radical car at Area 47 in BC, and I have three more races before the Grand Final in Portugal. I’ve never raced outside of North America so it’s important to stay ‘kart sharp’ ahead of the Championship. It’s the biggest race of my life so far.”

By Jim Stewart