Balkissoon completes title turnaround as Radical Cup North America crowns 2026 champions at the COTA

Radical Cup North America closed out its 2026 season this weekend at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA), where a 33-car, four-class field shared the stage with the FIA World Endurance Championship for a fitting final act to the year.

Over three days of competition on the 3.426-mile Austin, Texas circuit, drivers turned in a full slate of qualifying and three 40-minute feature races, and by the time the checkered flags fell on Sunday, three of the series' four class championships had been decided – with one delivering the biggest twist of the season.

PRO 1340: Balkissoon completes stunning title turnaround

No fight in the series was closer than Pro 1340, where Mike D'Ambrose (Team Stradale) carried just a 20-point edge over rookie sensation Nico Balkissoon (Williams Services) into the finale.

D'Ambrose topped Friday's qualifying session, but the weekend unraveled from there. Balkissoon won Race 1 outright while D'Ambrose slipped to fourth, then D'Ambrose's title defense was dealt a crushing blow in Race 2 when he retired after a single lap. Mike Dardin (Crown with Radical Arizona) capitalized in a big way, winning both Race 2 and Race 3 with Balkissoon right behind him in second both times.

D'Ambrose was unable to answer in the finale either, again failing to finish as Balkissoon's consistency – a win and back-to-back runner-up finishes – erased the points gap and delivered the Pro 1340 championship. It caps a rookie season for Balkissoon that also included a breakthrough win in wet conditions at Road Atlanta, where he became the youngest race winner in series history.
Pro 1340 Class Driver Champion: Nico Balkissoon
Pro 1340 Class Team Champion: Williams Services

PRO 1500: Axboe's points cushion proves unassailable
Jonas Axboe (Cameron Racing – Radical Northwest) carried a commanding 107-point lead over Luke Kendall (Valour Racing) into the weekend, built on a series-best win total through the first five rounds. Kendall qualified on pole and opened his own strong weekend, taking Race 1 runner-up behind an Axboe victory before turning the tables to win both Race 2 and Race 3 outright.

Axboe's finale results – a win, a second, and a scored sixth-place run in Race 3 – were enough to see out the season, closing out the Pro 1500 title on the strength of the points cushion he built over the summer even as Kendall closed the weekend on a high note.
Pro 1500 Class Driver Champion: Jonas Axboe
Pro 1500 Class Team Champion: Cameron Racing Radical Northwest

GOLD: Huhn answers a Race 1 DNF in emphatic style

Chris Huhn (Primal Motorsports) came to COTA with a commanding lead over Dennis Kelly (Group-A Radical New York) in the 12-car Gold class, and while Race 1 delivered a scare – Huhn failed to finish as Chris McMurry (Crown with Radical Arizona) took the win – the response was immediate. Huhn won both Race 2 and Race 3 to close out the weekend, with Mike Anzaldi (RYNO Racing) joining him on the podium both times. Kelly, meanwhile, was unable to convert the opportunity, going the distance in neither Race 2 nor Race 3, sealing what had already looked like Huhn's title to lose.
Gold Class Driver Champion: Chris Huhn
Gold Class Team Champion: Primal Motorsports

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PLATINUM: Rossi signs off a perfect season in style

Robert Rossi (Giant Racing) arrived at the finale having won at every event of the season, and he made sure the Platinum crown was decided in style. Steve Jenks (Group-A Radical New York) claimed pole and split Rossi's two race wins with a Race 2 victory of his own, but Rossi answered by winning Race 1 and Race 3 to cap a dominant championship campaign.

Reigning class champion Wayne Williams (ONE Motorsports) endured a difficult farewell to his title defense, unable to finish Race 2, as Judd Miller (DDautosports) and Alain Derzie (ONE Motorsports) rounded out a competitive top-five all weekend.
Platinum Class Driver Champion: Robert Rossi
Platinum Class Team Champion: Giant Racing

“This is exactly the kind of finale we hoped for – titles decided on merit, right down to the wire, on one of the best stages in North American motorsport,” said Radical Motorsport's Tom Drewer. “To see a rookie like Nico Balkissoon fight through to a championship, a future talent created in Jonas Axboe, and watch Robert and Chris close out such strong seasons, is a great note to end 2026 on.”

Aside from the Radical Cup North America Driver and Team Championships, the Jeff Green Memorial winner was Chip Romer for supporting 2025 champ Raiden Nicol with a test in a Turner GTD BMW. Rookie of the Year Balkissoon narrowly beat out Sam McDougall and Josh Holtz, while the Crew Member of the Year was Cam Rodriguez of One Motorsports. Axboe was the outright series champion for earning the most championship points across all classes, beating out Rossi for the honors.

With the 2026 season now in the books, Radical Cup North America turns its attention to next year, looking to build on a season that saw record grids and some of the closest title fights in series history. For the complete results, final championship standings, and more information on Radical Cup North America, visit radicalcupnorthamerica.com