His name may have some semblance of that 90’s rockstar icon, but 11-year old, Mariano “Axel” Nocom was not built for witty word play or strong rhythm and beats–but rather–for the fast lane. And his doting father, Mike, is making sure he gives his 100 percent for the younger Nocom to be able to live out his passions.
As young as two years old, Axel was already seen potential for cars and speed. This is probably partly attributed to his name, which, for straight up gearheads could mean “axle”, or a rod of a car passing through the center of a wheel.
“He already digged toy cars that time,” the businessman, already in his 30’s, shared.
“Then, seeing this kind of passion from him, at five years old, we let him try this kart track in Circuit, Makati,” he continued.
‘Unsurprised, he truly was gifted.”
Axel–meantime–for his part, was, at the same time, roused by the Disney animation movie, Cars.
“When I started watching the movie, I saw there Lightning Mcqueen. I was inspired by him,” he said.
“From then on, I started karting. My father also gifted me my own kart.”
Young racing career starts
At a young age, Axel already juggled school and racing.
At first, he was barely managing his studies. But he eventually learned how to cope.
In racing, he was only placing second or third at the start. But after a year of practice and competition, he was already able to bag first place finishes.
“I was dominating the whole field. My hard work paid off,” Axel divulged.
In fact, a few of his achievements included being: The Mini ROK Overall Champion, Petron Karting Academy Overall champion and the Honda Cadet Karter of the Year.
By seven, he already had a taste of international competition.
“I was able to compete in Malaysia, Singapore and Macao.”
Learning life in the fast lane
By now, the young prodigy has already established a stellar career in racing.
“Through the years, I already may have achieved a lot. But–still–I continue to learn.”
When asked what made him fall in love and stuck with racing, he said, “I just love anything with wheels. I just love the speed.”
Speaking of wheels, to help him better in his karting strategy and development, he also tried motorcycle racing, which he also briefly excelled in.
Moreover; Max Verstappen, being Axel’s favorite racer, also helped him as he revered and emulated the Red Bull ace’s undeterred focus and rock-solid work ethic.
“To be successful in this sport, you have to have discipline. Plus, you have to be obsessed. You must love what you do for you to improve.”
This, he could not have done without the solid support of his family, particularly his father.
“So far, it has been a fun journey for him as this is what he likes to do. It’s where he learns about life,” said Mike.
“I would always tell him to enjoy the sport and learn from it, with its ups and downs. Meet new friends and inspire them to do better. Here, he must enjoy the journey not just the destination.”
Per Mike, he continuously further supports Axel as he is now the “face of local karting”.
“My motivation is that, through him, we make the Philippines the destination for top karters in South East Asia.”
At such a young age, Axel is truly lucky. With the help of his father, he is able to live a ‘rockstar’ life, one that is full of energy, self-confidence and resilience that goes hand-in-hand with his own physical, mental, social and spiritual development.
