Malaysia’s Kegani Racing Academy (KRA) today announced the launch of the SKILLDRVN Swift Pro-cup in 2026 and the establishment of its first international franchise in Japan for new racing driver development and grassroots racing.

SKILLDRVN SWIFT PRO-CUP

2026 will see the start of the SKILLDRVN Swift Pro-cup which will be inscribed as a national status championship consisting of five rounds. The SKILLDRVN Swift Pro-cup will complement the existingSKILLDRVN One Make Race Series.

To be eligible to participate in this series, a racer is required to undergo KRA’s core program, the SKILLDRVN Driver Development Program (DDP), and graduate by completing 3 rounds of SKILLDRVN Swift OMR race. He/she is also required to build a profile with some race wins and accumulate championship points in the SKILLDRVN Swift OMR Series. Once this is achieved, the racer will then be eligible to be drafted by a pro team. The draft will be conducted in January 2026.

“KRA plays the role of creating a succession series to give outstanding talent more race opportunities upon graduating. You can call this is a new branch within the Malaysian motorsports ecosystem that offers racing at a lower and more sustainable cost. Despite racing older model cars, the SKILLDRVN Swift Pro-cup promises to deliver close door-to-door racing, good racing manners and professional team representation. At the same time, the series also enables brands to be directly involved in racing in a more cost-effective way by owning their own team,” said KRA Principal and Chief coach Kenny Lee.

The SKILLDRVN Swift Pro-cup will be confined to 10 exclusive 10 teams, with 3 teams already signed up. The three teams already signed up for the 2026 season are Team Bendix Malaysia, Team Profimax and Team Ultra Racing. Brands are invited to join KRA’s Supporting Partners program, to play a part in the new Motorsports Eco-system, by owning their own race team. Each team will start with a 1-car entry for 2026 season, and this can be expanded to up to 2 cars per team as the series progresses.

KRA IN JAPAN

The Official launch of KRA Japan was held on 13 August. This is a franchise in collaboration with Fujii Engineering to provide a training program during the summer holiday in Japan.  Fujii Engineering specializes in the manufacturing of racing cars and race components, as well as the design and development of electric mobility solutions, next-generation vehicles, and even flying mobility systems.

KRA Japan adopts the same concept implemented by KRA in Malaysia, that is to form a new eco-system for grassroot racing. This serves as the foundation for motorsports and includes classroom sessions, practical on simulators and followed by on-track physical training – the same training method that has proven to be able to speed up students’ learning and progress.

KRA Japan also offers short courses such as Track Day preparation training courses, to provide proper education to newbie and young drivers. The academy will also be introducing the SKILLDRVN Driver Development Program and has identified an existing race series in Japan that offer fairness in car performance and demands good driving and racing manners, similar to SKILLDRVN Swift One Make Race series in Malaysia. Also offered is the SKILLDRVN Driver Development Program that provides full guidance for beginners to drive on the circuit, training academically and physically towards being able to compete as a racer. This includes continuing to provide guidance and mentoring as new racers start their debut season.

According to Lee, the establishment of KRA Japan will also enable two-way cooperation aimed at further uplifting the standards of Malaysian racers.

“With KRA Japan, it will help to connect Malaysian talents to Japan. It is the dream of many racers to compete in the historic circuits across Japan. Japan is highly regarded as the leading motorsports country in Asia and from my own personal experience competing in Japanese Super Endurance races between 2017 – 2019, it had helped to expose me to not only their racing culture, technical and sporting standard but also enhanced racing ethics.”

KRA Japan is also hoping to grow and expand its academy from Mie in Suzuka (10 minuiites to the circuit) and to other circuits in the country in the coming years. KRA is also optimistic of establishing more franchises within the Asian region as it now embarks to strengthen its Malaysian academy with Train the Trainer programs.

Meanwhile, Mitsuru Fujii, Director of Fujii Engineering, said that many young Japanese drivers possess great potential but end up exhausting their financial resources due to inefficient practices, ultimately halting their careers.

“I believe that the KRA program offers a more structured and efficient approach to training. It helps young drivers build a clearer and more effective career path — enabling more of them to reach higher levels of success in the sport.

“In 2024, I met Kenny from KRA. I was deeply impressed by their activities and concept, which I found to be extremely beneficial for drivers who are just starting out in motorsports. Since this style of driver development does not yet exist in Japan, I strongly felt that it should be introduced here — and that’s what led me to establish KRA in Japan.”

Fujii said grassroots motorsports in Japan are relatively well-developed compared to other Asian countries with races such as karting, junior formula, and touring car events being held every week at circuits across the country.

“However, Japan is facing an aging and declining population, and the excitement seen in the 1990s — with over 100 entries in a single race — is no longer the norm. KRA Japan’s vision and objective is to create an ecosystem. Motorsports is generally a game where money is spent — and unfortunately, in most cases, that money does not return. However, the concept behind KRA — building and nurturing an ecosystem — offers a fundamentally different and more sustainable approach.

“By providing aspiring drivers and engineers with proper guidance and efficient pathways, this ecosystem helps them develop into professionals who can actually learn through motorsports. As these individuals grow within the system and then pass their knowledge and opportunities on to the next generation, a positive and sustainable cycle is created. Creating that kind of cycle — that ecosystem — is my ultimate goal!”

To join the SKILLDRVN One Make Race Series, enquire about the SKILLDRVN SWIFT PRO-CUP, or any of the Academy’s programs, kindly contact/whatsapp Kenny Lee at 012-614 4141, Ju at 012-6866177 or visit Kegani Racing Academy’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/skilldrvn. You can also pay us a visit at Kegani Racing Services, No: 7, Jalan Serindit 2, Puchong Jaya 47100 Puchong, Selangor.