A strong showing in the Asia Pacific Motorsport Championship Qualifier from Marcus Watson has locked him into a spot at the main event, to be held in Bandaragama, Sri Lanka later this month.

Australian Open-Wheel Nationals Esports winner and eROC World Final runner-up Marcus Watson will represent Australia at the upcoming Asia Pacific Motorsport Championship at the Sri Lanka Karting Center from 26-28 September.

Watson secured the second-fastest qualifying lap on iRacing’s Okayama International Circuit during the qualifying period using a FIA F4 car, clocking in with a best lap time of 1:29.0927.

The time was the second-fastest among the 220-plus driver field, and the fastest among all Australian drivers.

Kody Deith finished his best lap just behind Watson, with a time of 1:29.1531, who also edged ahead of compatriots Samuel F.A. Smith (1:29.1935) and Byron Phillips (1:29.1937).

Rounding out the top five Australian times was Kane Rider, whose lap time of 1:29.2548 put a stamp on strong Australian showings as all five competitors finished inside the top 13.

Australia will join countries such as Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Malaysia and Singapore as countries competing in the 2025 Asia Pacific Motorsport Championship.

Hosted by the Ceylon Motor Sports Club, drivers will first complete in a quarter-final, where they will fight for a berth in the semi-final, and then potentially a grand final to earn a chance of becoming the champion.

More about this year’s main event can be found on the Asia Pacific Motorsport Championship website.