Süleyman Cem Karakömür Came Second in RMC Central Europe

Motorsport News from Türkiye
Author: Mustafa Odabaşı
Creation: 26 October 2026

In karting, the real point is not a single podium, but being able to collect points consistently across five races in four countries.

Share This Page

In karting, consistency is something far harder to earn than a single podium. Collecting points without a single slip-up across five races in four countries over an entire season is a whole different job; those who have tasted the dust of it know this well. Süleyman Cem Karakömür, the 13-year-old driver of Borusan Otomotiv Motorsport, did exactly that in the Rotax Max Challenge Central European Series, closing the Mini Max category in second place. So what does this result really mean for Turkish karting?

Second Place with 447 Points Against 65 Drivers

The RMC Central European Series, featuring 65 drivers from 16 countries, consisted of five races held in Italy, Czechia, Austria and Hungary. Karakömür finished the Mini Max category in second place with 447 points; the result was announced with the federation's official statement. Capping off his first season abroad with a championship runner-up finish is not the outcome of a small calculation for a pilot at this age.

What stands out most is that the title race remained open until the final event of the season. Karakömür was the driver who mathematically carried the summit fight until the very last moment; this means consistent pace and point-scoring discipline throughout the season, beyond a one-off brilliant result. In karting, especially in young age categories like Mini Max, such consistency is rare.

Highlights

Süleyman Cem Karakömür finished the RMC Central European Series Mini Max in second place with 447 points.
The series consisted of 5 races with 65 drivers from 16 countries; the final was run at the Jesolo circuit in Italy.
In May, he took three podiums in three races.
In July, at the RMC International Trophy in Le Mans, he started from 27th position and finished 16th. position.
He races for KRK Racing in BOM colors.

Milestones of the Series: From May to the Jesolo Final

The turning point of the season came in May, as it turned out. That month, Karakömür took to the podium in three consecutive races in the series, establishing a strong position in the points table. Three podiums in three races can be read as a young driver's first serious bid for a foothold in the European market; the task afterward was no longer to win, but not to lose.

The season closed with the final rounds run at the Jesolo circuit in Italy on October 16-18. Jesolo is one of the well-known stops on the international karting calendar; the course of the title fight influenced the race right up to the end of the championship. Karakömür knew how to protect his second place here and closed the points table with 447 points.

What Did the Le Mans Experience Add to This Runner-Up Finish?

Le Mans'ın acımasız sınavı, Karakömür'e en parlak sonuçta değil pes etmeyen karakterinde kendini gösterdi.

Outside the Central European Series, there was one more major event on Karakömür's 2026 calendar: the RMC International Trophy, held at the Le Mans Karting Circuit in France on July 13-18. At this circuit, which he raced for the first time, the driver set the 4th fastest lap time among 36 competitors after six short practice sessions. A performance that showed everyone he had no problem with single-lap pace.

Race weekend, however, was ruthless. In one of the heat races, he was pushed off the track from his starting position; in another one, a starter motor failure meant the car failed to fire up; a similar technical issue also occurred during the formation lap. On top of that, there was extreme heat. Karakömür finished the final in 16th place, starting from 27th and gaining 11 positions. People used to call this a 'race of character': The results board is not shiny, but it paints the profile of a driver who never gives up, both on and off the track.

Let us remind once again

The qualifying session at Le Mans and the runner-up finish in the Central European Series are separate organizations. The former is a one-off international cup; the latter is a five-race championship. The result that truly made Karakömür's name known is the runner-up finish in the championship points table.

Borusan Otomotiv Motorsport Development Program: Who Does Karakömür Race For?

As a Borusan Otomotiv Motorsport driver, Karakömür races for KRK Racing in BOM colors. Founded in 2008, BOM is today one of the few corporate structures in Türkiye that develops athletes for the motorsport ecosystem through its BOM Akademi, BOM E-Team and BOM Karting branches. The BOM Karting team opened the 2026 season at Izmit Körfez Circuit; it is competing with seven athletes across four categories.

Karakömür, who has been among the team's key athletes since last season, missed some races in Türkiye due to his international race program. Nevertheless, he also competed in the Motul 2026 Türkiye Karting Championship and the Rotax Max Challenge Türkiye series; last year he had finished the final round of RMCTR on the podium in the Mini category. In other words, this European runner-up finish is not a fruit picked in a single day; it is the outward result of a development line that began at home.

A Karting Runner-Up Finish Among the International Achievements of Turkish Drivers

2026 is a remarkably fruitful year for Turkish motorsport. Ali Türkkan went down in history as the first Turkish driver to win the FIA Junior World Rally Championship. Karakömür's RMC Central Europe runner-up finish should be read as the karting leg of this picture: one is in rallying, the other in circuit karting, and both come from international organizations at the development or junior level.

As someone who has spent many years at the pit wall, let us note this: karting is still the healthiest ladder to the upper categories. A Turkish driver finishing a season as runner-up in Central Europe among rivals from 16 countries carries news value on its own, and also sheds some light on the roster of years to come.

Karakömür's Runner-Up Finish Season Summary: RMC Central Europe in Numbers

Item	Detail
Driver	Süleyman Cem Karakömür, 13 years old
Team affiliation	Borusan Otomotiv Motorsport / KRK Racing
Category	Mini Max
Result	Season runner-up, 447 points
Number of participants	65 drivers from 16 countries
Number of races	5 (Italy, Czechia, Austria, Hungary)
Season finale	October 16-18, Jesolo, Italy
Season highlight	Three podiums in three races in May

What is missing from this table is the name of the rival who decided the champion and the details of the race-by-race results. That information has not yet been made public; we will simply note that the picture will be completed once it arrives.

Is This Runner-Up Finish Only a Beginning?

In assessing Karakömür's result, the driver's own perspective is noteworthy: he stated that when he looked at the trophy, he saw much more than a second place, that this was his first European season and his first major international success, and that everything after this should be considered just the beginning. At thirteen years old, carrying a championship fight all the way to the final rounds in his first international season and closing the standings with a runner-up finish is a promising sign.

What to watch in the coming years is simple: can this consistency be carried into larger categories and wider calendars? When the single-lap pace shown at Le Mans is combined with the in-season resilience displayed in Jesolo, there is clearly character as much as talent at play. For Turkish karting, this is the first chapter of a rarely seen story of venturing abroad; the rest, much like a well-written season, will be written point by point.