from FIA Karting
As the final FIA Karting event of the year, the FIA Karting Shootout, gets underway this week in Valencia, the new FIA Karting Technical Manager, Thomas Gomis, is already preparing for a bumper 2026 with one of the largest FIA Karting calendars to date.
The French engineer took up his duties officially in October and has already successfully managed the technical duties of the FIA Karting Arrive and Drive World Cup in Malaysia, one of many new events and formats he is charged with managing the technical and scrutineering aspects of. Thomas took some time upon his return from Malaysia to discuss his new role and why he’s excited to be joining the FIA Karting team during this period of significant growth and expansion.
Thomas discovered motor sport as a child, racing karts in France throughout the 1990’s, only hanging up his racing suit when he decided to focus on pursuing a career in motor sport engineering instead. He subsequently became a mechanic for the team he used to race for, loving the sport just as much from the other side of the pit lane.
After graduating from ESTACA in 2007, he became an Engine Engineer in the Renault F1 Test team before moving to Stellantis Motorsport in 2009 where he fulfilled various positions in the WRC, WTCC and Formula E championships including engine engineer, race engineer, head of development and project leader. However, Thomas always had in mind returning to the world of karting which contains such fond memories of his formative years.
Discussing the demands of his new role, Thomas remarked “there are 2 main components to this role”. Organisationally he is responsible for ensuring every FIA karting event on the calendar is supplied with the resources and expertise required including FIA scrutineers, local support and the advanced equipment needed to officiate every race. Operationally Thomas is then managing the on-ground scrutineering responsibilities of the FIA, upholding the technical regulations and ensuring each race is conducted fairly for all.
In addition to management of the technical crew and checks in the FIA Karting Championships and the technical implementation of the Global Karting Plan and e-karting, Thomas will also oversee the development of technical and homologation regulations on behalf of the CIK-FIA, as well as monitoring equipment homologations and relations with the manufacturers concerned.
“In Karting, depending on the race and the format, we have between 110 and 250 drivers, it’s quite unique to karting to have so many competitors” Thomas explained, which creates unique challenges and pressures for his technical team. Up to 4 FIA technical staff are on the ground to manage this workload, supported with up to 25 others from the race organiser or member club (ASN) to assist with the technical and scrutineering workload.
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Thomas’s team conduct very simple checks on every kart such as weight, tyre usage and front fairing monitoring, whilst the front runners often receive more scrupulous checks including chassis, engine, carburettor and ignition homologation. When multiple categories are running on a single weekend with back-to-back heats his team can work long hours on event across the service park, pre grid and parc fermé.
Reflecting on the Arrive and Drive format recently deployed in Malaysia, Thomas celebrates the innovative format for maintaining attention on racing skill but importantly notes “racing skill is not just about driving, there are also a fair amount of setup adjustments available and driver skill is also about providing technical feedback to select the best setup”.
To ensure technical parity across the grid during the Arrive and Drive World Cup, Thomas’ team conducted over 80 engine swaps across the weekend with the top qualifiers swapping engines with those further down the grid after each heat. These measures help to maintain a level playing field in the Arrive and Drive format and eliminate any technical advantages – a cornerstone of the event format.
With the second Arrive and Drive World Cup as well as three all-new Continental Championships set for 2026, Thomas will be spending a lot of the winter break reflecting on the event in Malaysia and preparing for up to 8 Arrive and Drive events across the world next year.
One recent announcement that may present a significant new challenge for Thomas to navigate is the approval of e-karting regulations by World Motor Sport Council in October. However, having spent the last 8 years of his career as an engineer in Formula E, he is well prepared and experienced in the unique opportunities electric racing provides.
“e-karting won’t replace the core FIA Karting categories, but it does present an exciting opportunity for new formats, events and championships. Electric motion isn’t just about getting from A to B it is also an exciting and evolving form of motor sport in itself as Formula E is showing” Thomas reflected. Whilst there are logistical and operational considerations, Thomas will be sure to utilise his background and experience in this area as e-karting grows as a karting discipline.
Thomas joins as Karting Technical Manager within the FIA Technical & Safety Department at what is undoubtedly an exciting moment for FIA Karting as the Global Karting Plan works to make karting more affordable, accessible and inclusive to new communities around the world.
“The coming year will be a defining one for FIA Karting,” Thomas concluded. “With new formats, an expanded global calendar and growing entry lists, I’m looking forward to playing my part to ensure we provide fair, safe, and exciting racing. That’s what makes karting the foundation of motor sport, and why I’m proud to help shape its future.”
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