OK-Junior: A KR hat-trick led by Martinese

Iacopo Martinese pulled out all the stops at the foot of Mount Vesuvius. Winner of his Super Heat, like Austrian driver Niklas Schaufler, the Italian overtook the DPK Racing driver on the second lap of the Final to take victory. Despite a penalty, Schaufler completed the podium in Sarno. By finishing 5th, Taym Saleh (Sauber Academy) took 2nd place in the overall standings, with the three KR chassis in the top three places, Martinese ahead of Saleh and Schaufler.

OK: After the world title, WSK for Kutskov

The 2023 World Champion at Franciacorta, Kirill Kutskov (DPK Racing) put in another great performance in OK. By winning the Super Heat against Dmitry Matveev, Kutskov regained pole position for the Final. He then secured 2nd place, meaning another title for this young hopeful. Two places behind, Matveev completed the podium in the final standings. Still a Junior at the World Championship, Salim Hanna (Prema Motorsport) celebrated his debut in OK with an extremely promising 6th position.

Mini 60: Perfect run for Cosma Cristofor

The KR chassis is enjoying a string of successes in the young drivers' categories, two weeks after its double success in the X30 Mini at the IWF in Portimao. Already 2nd in Portugal, Bogdan Cosma-Cristofor (Team Driver Racing Kart) this time dominated the Final at Sarno, after winning his last heat and the Super Heat. Winner at Franciacorta in September, the Romanian driver has now won the WSK Euro Series by a wide margin.

Mini 60 U10: Top three places for KR

The Final was contested by the two KR-IAMEs from the Driver Racing Kart Team, Oleksandr Legenkyi and Daniel Miron Lorente. The Ukrainian won by just 67 thousandths from the Spaniard! But in the overall standings, the two drivers were again in reverse order, with Miron Lorente the Champion ahead of Legenkyi, with 3rd place going to the DAP colours of Belgian Antoine Venant (Kidix Driver Performance).

OK-N / OKJ-N: Superb results for the Italian brand

The KR chassis was the best represented at Sarno, and the same was true of the podiums. In OK-N, Antonio Apicella (Team Driver Racing Kart) confirmed his victory in Franciacorta to finish runner-up. In OK-N Junior, drivers equipped with the KR chassis finished P1, P2, P4, P5 and P6, both in the Final at Sarno and in the overall WSK Euro Series standings. Congratulations in particular to Dean Hoogendoorn (AKM Motorsport) and Jesse Phillips for their one-two finish.

"The World Championship at Franciacorta was not the end of the season and the whole team remains motivated to provide the best possible support for its drivers at each event," commented Glenn Keyaert, one of the leaders of the competition department. "The KR Global Kart Company brands have achieved an exceptional overall result, with a large number of podiums, five victories in the Finals and five Championship crowns. I really want to congratulate all the teams and mechanics who contributed to this result. With the difficult weather we faced throughout the meeting, they really worked in some testing conditions."

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.