Samuel Chaverri claimed the wire-to-wire victory in Mini MAX at the RMC US Trophy Final (Photo: EKN)

In a continued effort to highlight the many outstanding performances by drivers around the country, eKartingNews.com is proud to introduce the ‘Driver of the Month’ program. Each month, the staff at EKN will determine the one driver who stood out above the rest and give the viewers a chance to know exactly what they accomplished and who they are.

Rotax Max Challenge has a rich history in the United States, spanning 25 years. Each year, there has been one big event to crown the US title winner in each category and provide a ticket to the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals. The new version of the event – the Race Rotax RMC US Trophy Final has opened the borders to allow international competitors to fight for one of the final tickets to the ‘Olympics of Karting’. The 2025 edition – held on October 17-19 at the New Castle Motorsports Park welcomed over 100 drivers competing in five categories and saw five tickets to Bahrain for the 2025 RMC Grand Finals. One of those to claim a ticket is Samuel Chaverri of Costa Rica in the Mini MAX division.

Chaverri was among the 24 drivers battling in the Mini MAX category for the two tickets to the RMC Grand Finals up for grabs. Samuel qualified sixth aboard his PSL Karting / Birelart machine to start the opening heat race from row three and drove his way to second in the eight lap race. He slipped to fourth in the second heat race but managed to finish third in the final heat. The action on a busy Saturday wrapped up with the 10-lap Prefinal where he led for two laps toward the end. At the checkered flag, Chaverri ended up third.

Sunday brought challenging weather conditions as warm-up was contested on a wet track, while the 14-lap main event was on a drying track. Mini MAX was the first after Junior MAX ran on a wet but drying circuit. With the three rounds of heat races and the Prefinal points combined, Chaverri started the main event from outside the front row alongside three-time heat and Prefinal winner Arthur Pharoah from Great Britian. Chaverri was able to jump out to the lead with Pharoah, Holden Myers and Hudson Howard trailing. With two laps remaining, a Micro MAX driver was getting lapped by the leaders with Chaverri being able to navigate without issue. The rest were unable to and that gave Samuel the gap he needed to reach the checkered flag first, winning by over three seconds.

The victory as his first at the RMC US Trophy Final, and provided him with a ticket to compete at the 2025 RMC Grand Finals at the Bahrain International Karting Circuit on November 29-December 6. Chaverri will be the lone driver from Costa Rica competing at this year’s event. The last time a driver from Costa Rica competed at the Rotax Grand Finals was in 2018 in Brazil as former Team USA driver Daniel Formal represented his native country to finish second in the DD2 category.

Samuel has been busy since, competing at both the ROK Vegas 2025 event and Superkarts! USA SuperNationals 28 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Chaverri was among those in contention for the top five outside the Rio Hotel & Casino Las Vegas in Micro ROK but contact late in the race took him out of the running. He rebounded at the SuperNats to drive his way from seventh to third on the final lap of the Micro Swift main event, elevated to runner-up after penalties.

October 2025 EKN Driver of the Month – Samuel Chaverri

(Photo: EKN)

Bio

Age: 10 years old (September 5 2015)
Hometown: San José, Costa Rica
Parents: Johanna Gadea Rois, Hugo Chaverri Quirós
Siblings: Valentina Chaverri
Height/Weight: 1.33m / 35.3kg
Education: Currently in 5th grade at St Jude School

Racing Resume

Chassis: Birelart
Engine/Engine Builder: MR17 – Mauricio Rocha
Sponsors: Tecnomotriz, CarsID, Armabloque, Burger King, SE
Series You Compete In: SKUSA Winter Series, SKUSA Pro Tour, SKUSA SuperNats, USPKS, Stars, Rotax, Costa Rica National Winter and Summer Championships, Panama National Championships, Canada Rotax.
Years Karting: 5
How did you get started in karting? We were back in pandemic and my dad was thinking of an activity we could do that would be fun but also safe. He thought back then that going to an indoor karting would be a good option. I was too short to drive my own kart so we ended up riding a duplex my dad drove. My head kept bumping sideways, I wanted my dad to stop breaking and go faster. After a couple of visits to the indoor karting my dad got me a private lesson and that was the beginning of this amazing sport and passion.
What has been the high point in your racing career? 2025 has definitely been a breaking year for me. Achieving my highest positions within the USA Championships. P1 in Rotax RMC Final Trophy in New Castle in Oct, this got me a ticket to Bahrain Rotax World Championship and P2 at Supernats 28 in Las Vegas in Nov; both in the micro category.
What are your goals in racing? I am working hard to be sponsored by one of the big names in the business like Red Bull. My dream and goal is to be the first Costa Rican driver in F1.
In a few words, how would you describe your driving style? I would say I am analytically competitive and aggressive. I have developed during these years the ability to have patience in order to take the best advantage of the opportunities I get during a race. Races are not defined on the firsts laps, you need to have good pace, a good strategy and know when is the right time to make your move.
Funniest moment at the race track? It was in Miami 2023 three guys were passing me and 3 turns later the second guy passed the first and the third one crashed with them and went out of the car.

Likes

Favorite Track: Speedsportz Racing Park – New Caney, Texas, USA
Favorite form of professional motorsports: F1
Favorite karting driver: Matheus Morgatto and Diego Ramos
Favorite professional driver: Max Verstappen
Favorite website: YouTube
Favorite movie: Cars
Favorite actor/actress: Daniel Radkliff
Favorite music/group: Cold Play
Favorite vacation/activity spot: Skiing
Favorite food: Sushi and Chipotle

The Real Deal

What do you do when not at the track? Play soccer with my friends
What are your goals outside of karting? Watch and analyze data
What app or game do you play right now? Go kart racing 3D
What type of street car would you like to drive? Koiniseng
What are your pet peeves or things that irritate you? When Gold (my golden retriever) he bites me
What do you think could be done to improve the sport of karting? Train more, be able to do more races
What are your favorite aspects about the sport of karting? It is motorsport and I like engines

October 2025 Driver of the Month – Honorable Mention:

– Dylan Amundsen: Texas Sprint Racing Series – 206 Senior Winner

– Nathan Golseth: Texas Sprint Racing Series – KA100 Junior Winner

– Jose Carlos Hernandez: Texas Sprint Racing Series – KA100 Senior Winner

– Oliver Hodgson: RMC US Trophy Final – Senior MAX Winner

– Isaac Malcuit: RMC US Trophy Final – Junior MAX Winner

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