The two pilots from Fraga, aged 19 and 15, will compete from September 30 to October 4 in Chiva among 295 participants from 35 countries, both registered in the Senior category and under the Spanish flag
Álex and Yael Mateo Lamas face one of the most important events of their karting careers this week . The two siblings from Fraga, aged 19 and 15 respectively, will compete from September 30th to October 4th in the 2026 T4 Nations Cup , which will bring together 295 drivers from 35 countries at the Lucas Guerrero International Karting Circuit in Chiva (Valencia). Both are on the official entry list for the Senior category, Álex with number 369 and Yael with 370, after three seasons progressing from rental karts to competition with Tillotson T4 karts.
Regarding the Valencia event, this year marks its seventh edition, making it the premier international gathering for Tillotson's T4 platform . The program divides pilots into five categories and combines individual competition with a national ranking. Participants earn points for their country, and the results of the top three pilots from each nation determine the Nations Cup standings.
A journey that began in rental karting
The sporting story of the Mateo brothers began to take shape in 2023. That year, Álex was crowned Catalan rental kart champion in a season decided by the narrowest of margins: he finished with 158 points, two more than Jordi Albert Graells and four ahead of Joan Sala. The Catalan Automobile Federation's standings include races at Pla de Sant Tirs, the Circuit d'Osona, and Móra d'Ebre, where the driver from Fraga secured the championship with a victory in one of the two races.
Yael , for her part, began her competitive career that same year through DONA-GAS , a program promoted by the Equality Commission of the Catalan Automobile Federation to facilitate the entry of women into motorsport. In its karting component, the initiative was initially aimed at young people between 12 and 17 years old without a prior federation license, combining theoretical and technical training with on-track practice. Those selected also receive a license, registration, and a kart to compete during the season. The young woman from Fraga finished that DONA-GAS Trophy in fourth place , with 55 points. In the final event of the season, held in Móra d'Ebre, she also reached the podium, finishing third in one of the races.
But their progress continued in subsequent seasons: in 2025, Yael was crowned Catalan Junior Kart Rental Champion , while Álex finished third in the Senior category. This performance earned them both awards from the Catalan Federation. Yael had also started that championship by winning both races at the first event in L'Escala, while Álex reached the podium in the Senior category.
Two paths to T4 karts
In 2026, the two brothers took a different step in their training . Álex moved on to compete in the T4 Series Spain, a competition launched this year by the Aragonese Automobile Federation in conjunction with Tillotson, and reserved for karts with four-stroke engines. The championship consisted of four races held in Chiva, Fortuna, Corral de Calatrava, and MotorLand Aragón, with Mini, Junior, and Senior categories.
As for Yael, she was one of the 20 drivers selected from 37 applicants to participate in the first edition of the Aragón Karting Academy . The young woman from Fraga entered the Junior category of a program promoted by the Aragonese Automobile Federation, MotorLand Aragón, and other sporting institutions, which included five days of training throughout the year and specific work with Tillotson T4 karts.
And this entire journey now leads to the same circuit for both of them. The T4 Nations Cup will allow them to compete against drivers from Europe, America, Asia and other parts of the world., in a competition that will take place through training, qualifying, heats, superheats and finals, with individual results and points for the ranking by countries.
Alex and Yael will thus arrive in Chiva by different routes, but with an unusual circumstance: two brothers from Fraga, registered consecutively with the numbers 369 and 370, will face together the same category in an international event that is close to 300 participants.
