After the KZ title, a winning return in OK

The European Championship for the OK and OK-Junior categories will come to an end on 28th-30th July in Cremona, and this latest round of the Champions of the Future Euro Series proved important in confirming and validating the potential of the KR chassis. Renowned for its effectiveness in hot conditions and when grip is at a premium, the Italian brand's equipment has accompanied many drivers to the top of the rankings. With both the Vega 'option' tyres for OK-Junior and the MG 'prime' tyres for OK, the KR chassis were able to fight for victory in both categories, with the ever-valuable partnership of IAME and its engine manufacturers. The titles will be awarded at the end of September in Franciacorta. While Powell and Nakamura-Berta will be the favourites in OK, anything is possible in OK-Junior, given the tight margins between the front-runners.

OK-Junior: Martinese and Bondarev on the podium

Right from the start, Ukrainian Oleksandr Bondarev (KR Motorsport) won all five of his heats. Austrian Niklas Schaufler (DPK Racing), who took pole position on Thursday, won three times, Thibaut Ramaekers (VDK Racing) twice and Taym Saleh (Sauber Academy) once. Although Ramaekers won his Super Heat, it was Bondarev who took the lead in the first corner of the Final and proved capable of holding on to the lead for several laps. In the end, the expected victory eluded the KR brand, but it did not fail to produce a fantastic group finish with five drivers in the top six!

In fine form at the moment, Italy's Iacopo Martinese (Cetilar Racing) took 2nd ahead of Bondarev, Ramaekers, Stepan Antonov, who climbed from 10th, and Saleh. Respectively 4th, 12th and 16th in Qualifying out of 97 entries, Germany's Arjen Kräling, Portugal's Noah Monteiro and Australia's Lewis Francis proved their speed. They will now be hoping to confirm this as soon as possible. Congratulations to Romanian David Cosma Cristofor on his qualification for the Final, followed by a leap from 33rd to 18th place.

OK: KR-IAME double with Tarnvanichkul ahead of Nakamura-Berta

The podium had an Asian flavour in Cremona! Enzo Tarnvanichkul and Kean Nakamura-Berta, who have Thai and Japanese origins respectively, pulled out all the stops to finish the Final in 1st and 2nd positions, with a large lead over the chasing pack. Enzo and Kean were not the only KR-IAME equipped drivers to perform well. In the Super Heat, Alex Powell completed the trifecta in order for the Prema Racing team, but the Jamaican was involved in a collision at the start of the Final. Belgian Thomas Strauven (KR Motorsport) won a heat.

Australians Xavier Avramides (KR Motorsport) and Dante Vinci (KR Motorsport), Kirill Kutskov (DPK Racing), Dmitry Matveev (KR Motorsport) and Frenchman Arthur Poulain (AKM Motorsport) battled it out at the front in the Qualifying Heats. Ireland's Fionn McLaughlin (VDK Racing) finished 5th in Super Heat 1 and South Africa's Luviwe Sambudla came 7th in the second heat. As for the Mozambican, he created a sensation by coming back from 29th to 8th place in the Final!

Comments from Dino Chiesa, Head of KR Global Motorsport Company

"A week after winning the European KZ Championship title in Sarno, our teams faced a completely different challenge with the return of the OK and OK-Junior categories in very hot conditions. I'm pleased to see that we were there from Free Practice through to the Finals. In OK, Enzo Tarnvanichkul showed that he can be irresistible at this level, but we must also salute the performance of Kean Nakamura-Berta, who was only 47th after the Timed Qualifying. To come back up like that was a great performance. It's a good omen ahead of the final of the OK European Championship, but also in OK-Junior, since we finished 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th. Of course, KR didn't win, but I think that Dries Van Langendonck and the Forza Racing team paid tribute to Dilano Van'T Hoff with their victory."

"On the other hand, I was disappointed to see some drivers take too many risks at the start of the two Finals, which led to two major collisions resulting in the retirement of several drivers, thus ruining all their efforts made since the start of Free Practice. I think it's also up to the teams to tell their drivers that it's not at the start that you win a race, but sometimes that's where you lose it! A fast driver will always manage to come back. A Final is a long time..."

About KR Global Motorsport Company

At the end of the 2017 season Dino Chiesa officially presented the new Kart Republic entity and its characteristic logo. The yellow, orange and red colours reflect the colours of the Serenissima Republic which, from 697 to 1797, marked the history of the Padua region, home of the KR brand. The wing refers to those of the lion of St. Mark, the symbol of Venice, the capital of the Venetian Republic.

On 1st January, the KR chassis received CIK-FIA homologation. The success was immediate! In the very first season, the German Hannes Janker became European OK Champion in 2018. A few weeks later, the Italian Lorenzo Travisanutto (KR-IAME) became FIA Karting World Champion. The KR chassis quickly became a reference in the most important international events, as well as in many countries around the world. The successes in FIA Karting followed one another. At the 2022 World Championship in Campillos, less than four years after its launch, KR was the most represented brand in the paddock.

Over the years, the Kart Republic factory has continued to develop, launching the Alonso Kart brand in 2020 and relaunching the famous DAP name in early 2023. The various activities of the Italian company are now grouped under the "KR Global Motorsport Company". The head of the company, Dino Chiesa, is one of the most influential figures in the world of karting. The Italian engineer is also one of the best talent scouts in the world of karting. He has helped the rise of drivers such as Nico Rosberg, Lewis Hamilton and Nyck De Vries. Many Formula 1 team academies trust him, including those of Mercedes, Red Bull, Alpine and Sauber. The famous Prema Racing team has just announced its entry to the world of karting, in partnership with Kart Republic.