Sy closes season with ROK Cup titles

Ryan Sy delivered a powerful ending to his rookie season as he captured the titles in the ROK Cup Thailand Overall Championship and ROK Cup Asia Overall Vice Championship recently.

After spending the previous year against Asia’s top karters, the 15-year-old Sy found his rhythm in his first season in the Senior Class this year as he bagged two separate championships across 10 events.

“Winning ROK Cup Thailand and finishing second in ROK Cup Asia feels amazing in my debut year in Seniors,” Sy said, adding that competing against older, more seasoned racers wasn’t easy.

“It’s been a big step up — more demanding, more competitive, and I had to go up against older, more experienced racers. There were a lot of challenges and setbacks along the way, but we stayed fully committed and kept pushing.”

Featuring four rounds at the Bira Karting Circuit in Pattaya, Sy’s campaign got off to a slow start with an eight-place finish in the season opener of the ROK Cup Thailand Overall Champion last March.

But everything changed in Round 2, where Sy, who is supported by Bell Helmets and Bell Racing Design, CW Motorsports, PCRC Racing Club, KR Global Motor Sport, WrapTech and Domuschola International School, scored his first-ever Senior Class win at a regional level.

Another strong drive saw him take 2nd in the Final of Round 4, securing the ROK Cup Thailand Senior title with a commanding 42-point margin to eventually beat Thailand’s Worapong Aiemwichan (runner-up) and Austin Gale (2nd Runner-Up), a factory driver of Birel Kart in the overall standings.

In the ROK Asia Cup, Sy started strong, taking the championship lead in Macau with a standout fifth-place finish and extending it in Malaysia.

But the second half of the season was a battle of resilience. He struggled in Indonesia and faced a huge setback in the Philippines when he was hit twice, dropping him out of the points lead.

Despite his best efforts in the final race in Singapore, a collision resulted in a heartbreaking DNF (Did Not Finish), leaving Sy at second spot to champion Aiemwichan.

Despite the dramatic finish, Sy’s performance was still remarkable. His consistent racing earned him the ROK Cup Asia Overall Vice Championship.

The title, combined with his ROK Cup Thailand title and his points lead in ROK Cup Philippines, secured him three invitations to the prestigious ROK Cup Superfinal 2025 in Italy from 14 to 18 October.